If you thought buying a pair of glasses was a mundane errand, Jacques Marie Mage is here to personally humble you. The Los Angeles-based luxury eyewear brand has just landed in New York City with its first-ever gallery at 140 Wooster Street in SoHo, and it is absolutely not playing around.
Skulls, leather, and limited editions - oh my
The two-level space is a full sensory experience, pairing interiors designed with a future-forward Art Deco luxury aesthetic alongside monumental animal skull sculptures by artist Quentin Garel. So yes, you can try on a pair of ridiculously exclusive frames while being watched over by giant decorative skulls. Totally normal retail behavior. Totally fine.
The gallery houses JMM's signature limited-edition frames alongside premium leather goods, jewelry, and what the brand calls "artifacts." That last category alone tells you everything you need to know about how Jacques Marie Mage sees itself - less as an eyewear company, more as a curator of very expensive, very beautiful objects for people with very specific taste.
Why this actually matters
JMM has built a cult following by treating glasses the way a gallery treats paintings - limited runs, obsessive craftsmanship, and a price point that filters out the casually curious. Opening a dedicated gallery space (not a store, a gallery) in SoHo is a deliberate move into a neighborhood that practically invented the concept of art-adjacent retail.
The interior design collaboration is worth noting too. Pairing Jacques Garcia's Art Deco sensibility with Quentin Garel's raw, almost primal sculptural work creates a tension that feels intentional - civilization and wilderness sharing the same room. It's the kind of curatorial flex that most eyewear brands could never even dream of pulling off.
Whether you're a long-time JMM devotee or someone who just wandered in off Wooster Street thinking it was a museum, the new gallery is making a very clear statement: glasses can be art, shopping can be an experience, and SoHo just got a little more interesting.
According to Hypebeast, the gallery is now open at 140 Wooster Street in Manhattan.
