Nothing today announced the upcoming launch of a brick-and-mortar retail store in London’s Soho district. The store will, of course, carry Nothing. In a less literal sense, one wonders precisely what the store will carry, given that the hardware startup has officially launched two products, with a third being revealed soon.
GM Ryan Latham says in a release, “Opening our first store in the UK is a huge milestone for Nothing. Following the successful launch of Ear (1) and Phone (1), it’s the perfect time to shake things up again and offer our community a space where they can engage with each other and our products. To do this in our home market, in the heart of Soho — the home of innovative design — makes perfect sense.”
Latham also notes that the shop will be down the road from a Supreme store, which certainly speaks to founder Carl Pei’s vision of creating a company that is as much fashion as it is consumer tech. And speaking from experience stepping into boutiques in New York’s own Soho, I can attest to the fact that the virtually empty luxury storefront is certainly a thing.
The company is also, fittingly, playing on the sort of artificial scarcity product launch that has been a driving force in sneaker culture. Specifically, the store will make available 100 numbered Ear (stick)s — still figuring out the proper pluralization there; Ears (stick) or Ear (sticks), perhaps? — the upcoming headphone product Nothing has been teasing out for a few months now. Non-numbered versions of the product will also be available.
A sign in the store’s window featuring a blown up Ear (stick) notes that it will open “before Christmas.”