From Australia to Amagansett, Suzie Kondi Makes Her Mark on Manhattan

As a local Lower East Sider, I’ve seen the neighborhood evolve over the years. When one door closes, another always opens, but the LES has managed to keep its cool throughout the revolving changes. And last night proved this to be true with the welcoming of Australian native and joy-evoking designer Suzie Kondi to the close-knit creative community.

After a successful showing out east and months of looking for the perfect place to plant roots in the Big Apple, Kondi stumbled upon her slice of heaven (conveniently located across from the famed Scarr’s pizza) and signed her new lease on the spot. With neighbors like Susan Alexandra, Sandy Liang, Emily Adams Bode, and Maryam Nassir Zadeh, Kondi’s Manhattan outpost is surrounded by great company. 

It all started with a tracksuit at school-drop off, and soon Kondi’s namesake brand has garnered traction from the top tastemakers like Sofia Coppola, Sienna Miller, Naomi Watts, Zoë Kravitz, and Jemima Kirke, to name a few. Naturally, Kondi has since expanded her offerings from covetable loungewear to edgy homeware and plans to curate collections exclusive to her LES store. 

“I love to recreate little bits of Australia wherever I go,” Kondi explained. “You don’t always have to be all dark and moody–it’s always sunny and colorful for me!”

Her Lower East Side store is filled with velour tracksuits, cashmere sweaters, and more. 

Jody Kivort

Last night, friends and fashion folk gathered in Dimes Square to celebrate the opening of her new Orchard Street store, which features custom interiors by her long-time friends and design duo Dufner Heighes. A gorgeous arched window by Carter Reddy greeted guests like Martha Stewart, Jessica Stam, Roxanne Assoulin, and Selby Drummond upon arrival.

Serving bottles of Modelo and canned bubbly, Kondi embraced and embodied that of a laid-back Aussie creative, because even after spending 23 years in the city, she is one at heart. Beyond the brass clothing racks and eye-catching Sonia Delaunay-inspired wall, a tarot card reader took over the velvet draped dressing room eager to predict what spring has in store for all. 

“After everything we’ve been through, coming back together is such a blessing,” Kondi smiled. “I wanted the store to be a place for people to gather and come together in the neighborhood. I wanted to make sure it feels personal–not just a store, but somewhere you feel at home—somewhere to come and stop by for a chat or simply browse, or even a game of Backgammon.”

The store officially opens today, which means that the Lower East Side just got a little cooler.