Where the Runway Meets the Street
Apparently creating a fashion empire takes 5 years. That’s how long it’s been since Jon Cotay, Erikka Wang, and Eric Hsueh opened their first women’s clothing store in Bucktown. Since 2002, AKIRA has become a trend-setting institution in Chicago, opening 4 boutiques along North Ave- separate shops for men, women, shoes, and accessories- as well as a Lincoln Park shop for women and a footwear specialty store downtown on State Street. But their not done expanding yet, plans for a men’s mega-boutique in Bucktown are underway.
“The new men’s boutique will open this fall and be about 4 times larger than our current one. We’ll have a lot more room for independent brands; we’ve got apparel coming in from Italy and from right here in Chicago. There’ll be a huge new denim section, lots of designer tees, even sport coats and nice button-ups. It’s more of a destination than a store, for men of any age.” -Jon Cotay, owner
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– R.Pepin
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