The Retail Innovation Lab by N4XT’s NYFW Collections and SAP will on Thursday be unveiled as a physical, experience-led space where audiences can explore the relaunched Public School collection in person, along with SAP’s enterprise-grade technology.
The space features a self-guided, immersive retail environment showcasing SAP’s AI-enabled technology solutions for the retail space. The experience was codeveloped with Public School’s cofounders Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne and supports their collection’s relaunch, which took place Wednesday night at Storied at 547 West 26th Street in New York.
According to Imad Izemrane, chief executive officer and cofounder of N4XT Experiences, “New York Fashion Week has traditionally been experienced as a series of fragmented moments across venues, schedules and platform. This is the launch season of the Retail Innovation Lab at NYFW Collections, which will expand in future seasons giving New York-based designers new technologies and platforms in retail that are more tightly connected to their collection debuts, including pre-orders and turnkey IRL customer experiences.”
SAP’s investment in immersive cutting-edge technology in the space of fashion and retail “creates new opportunities for small to mid-level revenue brands to have access that they haven’t had before,” said Izemrane.
The Retail Innovation Lab will be open from Thursday through Saturday and demonstrates how immersive fashion experiences can be delivered efficiently in a fast-paced setting, without requiring audiences or designers to engage with complex technology directly, said Izemrane.
Asked what they hope to accomplish with this, Jan Gilg, global president of customer success at Americas at SAP, said, “The Retail Innovation Lab is a physical expression of how N4XT and SAP are building a working platform for designers and brands. The partnership supports SAP’s broader objective of expanding its role within fashion commerce, retail, and experience-driven industries, reinforcing its position in an increasingly competitive enterprise software landscape. SAP supports N4XT by enabling the digital and physical infrastructure required to scale these experiences.”
He added that at its core, “the partnership reflects a shared belief that innovation in fashion is most impactful when it enhances creativity, preserves brand identity, and operates seamlessly behind the scenes.”
Asked what Public School’s contribution was to the lab, Izemrane said that the experience was codeveloped with the design duo and supports the relaunch of the brand, “translating their creative vision into an immersive retail environment.”
Chow and Osborne developed the creative vision behind the space and its programming at High Line Nine, treating the Retail Innovation Lab as an expression of what a Public School brick-and-mortar environment could look and feel like. From the custom tailoring suite to the decor, artwork and music, every element was designed to reflect the brand’s identity and the themes of their fall collection.
Because Public School doesn’t operate a permanent store, this project afforded them an opportunity to bring their world to life in a physical setting — translating their runway vision into an immersive and innovative spatial experience. Working with SAP, they also helped shape how the collection lives within the technology itself, from RFID-enabled smart mirror content that connects runway looks to shoppable moments, to digital Product Passports that tell each garment’s origin story.
According to SAP’s Gilg, the store operates on an AI-enabled, real-time data foundation “with inventory, pricing, content and customer interactions communicating seamlessly across systems.” He said that screens are centrally managed allowing content to be updated instantly and consistently throughout the space. “RFID-enabled smart mirrors, enable customers to explore sizes, colors and availability without interrupting the fitting experience,” said Gilg.
Further, he added, “Omnichannel pricing is managed centrally and updated in real time, while products carry a digital passport detailing origins, materials and lifecycle — supporting authenticity, transparency and storytelling. RFID-enabled checkout enables a frictionless, efficient experience,” he said.
The lab will be open during designated hours, with exclusive preview moments planned for the press and industry. The concept is evolving and will be expanded later this year.
As reported, N4XT Experiences has forged a multiseason partnership with SAP to advance the digital, retail and experiential infrastructure supporting New York Fashion Week and N4XT’s newly launched NYFW Collections.
N4XT Experiences is an experiential live events company specializing in creative direction, production, brand strategy and fashion programming. Its NYFW programming began last September and is currently in full swing.
