Your First Look at Uniqlo’s Massive New Rittenhouse Location

A sneak peek at what the cavernous four-level building has in store for Philly shoppers.

By Emily Goulet· 6/30/2014, 3:53 p.m.

This level will feature seasonal men's and women's fashion.

Four levels; 29,000 square feet; a whole lot of clothes. | Photo by Victoria Stern

I recently toured the building at 1608 Chestnut Street, former site of the Art Institute and future site of the a vast Uniqlo store, slated to open on October 3rd. The store is still in the throes of construction — the Uniqlo team is doing a massive gut-job — but even in its bare-bones state, it’s impressive.

First, there’s the size factor: At 29,000 square feet and four floors, the store dwarfs most others around it. When it’s finished, over 60 LED monitors and tickers will display merchandise and style visuals. (I imagine it will look like the shopping version of Times Square, but in a less grossly touristy way.)

All that space also means that the store has more real estate for the company’s awesome MoMA collaboration and SPRZ New York collection, a line of art-inspired items, most of them tees splashed with frame-worthy art prints. (The Rittenhouse store is the only store other than New York that will have a dedicated area for this.) What this means for shoppers: More art-centric buys alongside the colorful classics you’ve come to love.

Victoria Stern