ESPRIT Inks Creative HQ Lease in Manhattan

10 Hudson Square. Image by CommercialEdge

Clothing designer and retailer ESPRIT has signed a 38,000-square-foot lease for its new global creative headquarters at 10 Hudson Square, a 343,020-square-foot mid-rise office building located at 160 Varick St. in Manhattan.

The Hong Kong-based retailer plans to base its global design, marketing, branding and creative operations in the space, which will occupy the building’s 11th and 12th floors.

ESPRIT intends to renovate the space, converting it into an open floorplan with improved natural lighting. Once the redesign is complete, the company’s space will host between 100 and 120 employees, including Chief Brand Officer Ana Andjelic and Senior Vice President of Design Tom Cawson.

The history of 10 Hudson Square

10 Hudson Square was originally constructed in 1927, and is currently owned and operated by Trinity Real Estate, according to CommercialEdge information. In 2010, the LEED-certified Gold property had undergone extensive renovations, which were designed and implemented by Gertler & Wente. These upgrades included the modernization and doubling in size of the building’s lobby, as well as redesigning the space’s entire ground-level storefront, installing new high-speed elevators and modernizing the building’s other mechanical systems.

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At present, the space is 92 percent occupied by numerous companies in the marketing, advertising and broadcast journalism industries, including Greene Space, MDC Partners, The Media Kitchen and WNYC, CommercialEdge shows. Additionally, WeWork operates a 29,000-square-foot coworking space on the building’s second floor, which it has leased since 2019, according to the same source. On its ground floor, the building has an additional 14,000 square feet of retail.

Situated in between Manhattan’s Greenwich Village and SoHo neighborhoods, 10 Hudson Square is close to the area’s myriad dining, retail and entertainment options, and has quick access to the Subway and New York State Route 9A highway.

Office renovation opportunities

ESPRIT’s new digs and planned renovations reflect broader trends in an ever-shifting office work environment. In light of many recent changes to the nature of office work, many operators and tenants are seeking to make their spaces as commute worthy as possible through renovations and redevelopments, and numerous recent high-profile leases have included changes to floorplans and amenity offerings.

Recent examples of this trend include Katten Muchin Roseman’s lease extensions at 525 West Monroe in Chicago, which includes the construction of private outdoor terraces, as well as Ares Management’s 206,000-square-foot lease at Anderson Towers in Los Angeles, which includes new cityscape views and outdoor landscaping improvements.