As the daughter of legendary actor-photographer Dennis Hopper and screen siren-slash-author Brooke Hayward, you may be tempted to pre-judge Marin Hopper for her Hollywood Royalty roots—but don’t.
Success wasn’t handed to Hopper, who founded her American luxury fashion brand, Hayward, in 2008 (at the height of the financial crisis) with a limited selection of handbags, which she sold directly to clients via trunk shows and custom orders. After six years building her label—and developing a cult following among fashionistas—the designer formally launched Hayward in Spring 2014, with a collection clutches, totes, and messenger bags, all done in snakeskins and leathers.
Now, Hopper is branching out even further, opening her first retail space, called Hayward House, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Set in a landmarked townhouse designed by (and also the former residence of) society architect Grosvenor Atterbury, Hayward House at once harkens back to the couture showrooms of Paris and ushers in a new era of luxury—in a neighborhood synonymous with old money, glamour, and sophistication, no less.
“I wanted to create a space that showcased both sides of my personality, the casual L.A. side and the East Coast high-society side,” says Hopper.
To execute her vision, Hopper infused the hand-carved, wood-paneled rooms with contemporary, low-slung furnishings: Murano glass globe lighting fixtures, original Greuby tile, a Venetian glass chandelier (transported from a now-shuttered villa on Lake Como), plus artwork by her late father.
Who will you find shopping there?
“At the opening last night, we had a mix of Upper East Side residents, who seemed to appreciate the younger, artistic crowd that came from downtown, as well as visitors from the West Coast who loved the amazing Old-World mansion in which our flagship store is situated,” says Hopper. “It was a great mix from the fashion, art, and society sets.”
