To bring the online shopping experience to life in a brick and mortar location is unexpected – it’s usually the other way around – but Nili Lotan is pioneering this trajectory with her new concept store at 87 Mercer Street.

“I run three separate businesses: wholesale, retail and online,” Lotan said. “In the past two years, it was clear that the growth of online has been tremendous. The shopping model is changing and more and more women are finding it easier and more convenient to shop online. As business is shifting from offline to online, I came up with this idea to create a physical space for my online store.

To that end, the experience is automated – customers can, for example, check themselves out on iPads, and they can ask to take their purchases home or have them delivered.

“It’s a creative space where women can experience the brand,” Lotan noted. “The store will be curated as an online editorial page and every month we will be changing the theme in the store and the collection will change and carry its own limited edition items.”

The first items included a “Hope is a thing with Feathers” tee, which was photographed by Inez & Vinoodh for Lotan, and the designer’s signature cami dresses in brand new colors.

Lotan said the time is right to address the changing retail landscape head-on.

“The changes that are now happening in the way that people consume fashion feels the same as what the music industry went through 10 to 15 years ago,” she noted. “We should recognize it and act accordingly.  It’s time we start to think of fashion in terms of an online marketplace.

“With the advancement of online shopping, there has to be a reason to walk into a store,” she added.