“I’ve always been fascinated by the excitement and celeb culture surrounding fashion and wanted to bring a little of that to the architecture world,” says Faris Al-Shathir, whose cool new initiative for Boffo, a Manhattan-based art and culture nonprofit group, challenges architects to create one-of-a-kind pop-up shops for emerging fashion designers (at left is an example from 2010). Now in its second year, Building Fashion gives each designer two weeks in the newly imagined TriBeCa space, for which they’ll make limited-edition pieces to be sold there. First up this month, beginning September 1, is Nicola Formichetti, Lady Gaga stylist and Mugler creative director, followed by jewelry designer Irene Neuwirth, Patrik Ervell, the Lake & Stars, and Ohne Titel.
Photo: David B. Smith, Richard Chai + Snarkitecture for Boffo Building Fashion 2010