Sleek. Sexy. Modern. These are the three words that Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs use to describe Cushnie et Ochs. Those descriptions certainly translated to the duo’s newly-opened store, their first-ever-brick and mortar retail location, which is part of the Retail Lab initiative at Cadillac House. Blush pink walls, a seating area with long couches in the middle of the room, a gold-trimmed drink cart artfully placed between two racks of clothes, and white linen curtains draped across the floor-to-ceiling windows give the space the feeling of an intimate, trendy boudoir.

Retail Lab designers each inhabit the space at Cadillac House, at 330 Hudson St, for three months. The program was established in order to provide designers with an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of running a store space and has garnered enthusiastic support from Cadillac. Melody Lee, Director of Brand Strategy and Planning at Cadillac called it “an amazing opportunity” and a way to “give back in a very textual way.” The CFDA sat down with Cushnie et Ochs during their store opening party to discuss their overall vision as a brand and what their retail goals are.

Congratulations on the new space! What’s the most exciting aspect about having a physical store location?

Carly Cushnie: It’s really exciting. This is our first experience having our own retail space and it’s really a great way for us to interact with our customer, as well as curate the space the way we want in terms of design. It’s a whole vision.

Michelle Ochs: It’s like watching our woman come to life. It feels like it rounds out our whole vision.

What’s your ideal store atmosphere?

C.C.: A busy one!

M.O.: Somewhere that feels warm, nothing too stoic. You want to feel comfortable and feel like you are in a type of home atmosphere. I think that’s always nice.

What’s your favorite item in the store?

M.O.: The most fun part of curating [the shop] was that we got to do [a few] accessories. We have our own scarves and little fur clutches. They’re Cushnie et Ochs accessories that you can get just here exclusively. And they were [new] product categories for us, and so it’s another learning [opportunity], to see if people respond to that.

Do you have a goal you’d like to accomplish with your Retail Lab shop?

C.C.: For us, it’s really just to learn as much as possible, to learn more about our customer, learn about the whole process of retail. Just get to know our customer better.