{"id":230250,"date":"2026-05-13T18:25:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T18:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/230250\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T18:25:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T18:25:14","slug":"sarah-jessica-parker-shops-at-primark-inside-the-new-manhattan-flagship-that-has-americans-obsessed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/230250\/","title":{"rendered":"Sarah Jessica Parker shops\u2026. at Primark? Inside the new Manhattan flagship that has Americans obsessed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your support helps us to tell the story<\/p>\n

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n

Your support makes all the difference.Read more<\/p>\n

On Friday, something surreal unfolded on New York<\/a>\u2019s West 34th Street. The Empire State Building glowed cerulean blue, while a Hollywood-style carpet unfurled along the sidewalk. Then came Sarah Jessica Parker<\/a>, flanked by a motley crew of A-listers \u2014 including Andy Cohen, Emily Ratajkowski and Winnie Harlow \u2014 all smizing for paparazzi to commemorate the opening of\u2026 wait for it\u2026. A Primark<\/a>. Yes, Primark, the Irish fast-fashion chain<\/a> best known for bargains like \u201cthree thongs for \u00a310 ($13.50).\u201d<\/p>\n

The spectacle has already become the subject of online bemusement, particularly among Brits (myself included), who are struggling to reconcile the retailer\u2019s mass-market reputation<\/a> with the full celebrity fanfare of a Manhattan flagship launch. In the U.K., Primark occupies such an unserious place in the cultural psyche that we call it \u201cPrimarni\u201d \u2014 a mashup of Primark and Giorgio Armani to highlight its cheap lovability \u2014 that you\u2019d be hard-pressed to find a U.K. celebrity willing to walk the blue carpet with the same sincerity as SJP. That\u2019s partly because Primark\u2019s image at home is complicated. Alongside its ultra-low prices and cult basics, it has faced sustained scrutiny over the environmental and labour implications of fast fashion, as well as criticism of its often chaotic in-store experience. Visiting the London flagship store on Oxford Street is a bit like entering Dante\u2019s Inferno \u2014 screaming babies, strange odours and piles of random clothing strewn everywhere. It\u2019s somewhere you go every 18 months to stock up on the essentials like multi-pack tank tops, underwear and makeup sponges.<\/p>\n

So you can imagine the confusion when photos emerged of Parker \u2014 an actor synonymous with couture <\/a>and Manolo Blahnik stilettos \u2014 dressed in Primarni from head to toe, posing before an LED sign that reads \u201cThat\u2019s So Primark.\u201d Instagram posts showed hyper pop star Kim Petras behind the decks and Harlow \u2014 usually strutting down runways for Fendi, Schiaparelli and Marc Jacobs \u2014 pouting while holding up a $5 sweater. \u201cCarrie Bradshaw at Primark? That\u2019s the biggest recession indicator,\u201d joked one baffled Brit online. \u201cThe concept of SJP shopping three thongs for a fiver has ended me,\u201d wrote another. The meeting of high and lowbrow was compared to \u201cAnna Wintour opening a Shein store.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a Brit living in New York, I needed to visit the Primark worthy of Parker\u2019s presence \u2014 as an ambassador, if nothing else. Perched in the shadow of the Empire State Building, opposite the Macy\u2019s in Midtown Manhattan, it becomes immediately clear that this is no ordinary Primark. Set across three airy and light-filled floors, the store stretches 54,000 sq. ft., with a shiny escalator running through the center. I was shocked at the premium feel of the place. My shopping experience on a Tuesday lunchtime was almost unnervingly calm \u2014 the first time I\u2019ve browsed a Primark without breaking a sweat. The shoe section is extensive and well-organized \u2014 I even spy a pair of pumps resembling the Manolo Blahniks worn by Parker\u2019s character Carrie wore in Sex and the City \u2014 and the iconic mix-and-match panty table is well-managed and regularly tidied (an unimaginable feat in U.K. stores).<\/p>\n

Founded in Dublin in 1969 under the name Penneys, Primark began as a no-frills discount clothing store catering to tight budgets during a bleak economic period in Ireland. For its international expansion, the company was forced to rebrand as Primark due to a trademark dispute with US retailer JCPenney, and went on to build one of Europe\u2019s earliest fast-fashion empires.<\/p>\n

\"SarahSarah Jessica Parker, flanked by Derek Blasberg and Andy Cohen, helped open the new Primark Herald Square in New York City (Getty)<\/p>\n

That model of consumerism fits in well in America, and Primark bosses know it. The retailer opened its first stateside store in 2015, and now has 39 others across the country. Kevin Tulip, president of Primark U.S., said that the opening of the flagship was a \u201cdefining moment\u201d for Primark\u2019s growth. \u201cNew York is a city where trends are born and where style is worn with unstoppable confidence,\u201d he said. \u201cBut great style should not come with an impossible price tag and that\u2019s where Primark comes in.\u201d Shoppers are clearly excited: customers queued to get into the new Herald Square store over the weekend (again, another thing you could never imagine happening in the U.K.).<\/p>\n

While Primark is gaining traction stateside, its appeal has cooled back home in recent years<\/a>. The retailer\u2019s ultra-low-cost business and ethical practises came under the spotlight when a 2009 BBC Panorama investigation found evidence that a number of its suppliers in India were using child workers. Primark cut ties with the suppliers at the time and cited the issue as \u201cwholesaler deception.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Primark\u2019sPrimark\u2019s flagship on West 34th Street is perched in the shadow of the Empire State Building, opposite department store Macy\u2019s (The Independent\/Ellie Muir)\"Primark\u2019sPrimark\u2019s famous panty table is well-managed and regularly tidied at its new flagship store in New York (an unimaginable feat in U.K. stores) (The Independent\/Ellie Muir)<\/p>\n

In 2021, Primark launched its \u201cPrimark Cares\u201d sustainability strategy, pledging to make its products more durable and its operations more responsible by 2030 \u2014 an attempt to square the circle between ultra-low prices and a greener image. Still, Primark epitomizes the type of consumerism that critics say fuels environmental degradation \u2014 a rapid turnover of low-quality, inexpensive clothing, and a culture of disposability. It\u2019s a place where you can buy a three-pack of mini lint rollers for absolutely no reason whatsoever.<\/p>\n

At this strangely boujee Primark, I couldn\u2019t help but wonder how easy it is to reinvent yourself when nobody knows much about your past. In New York, Primark is polished, flanked by A-list friends and bathed in cerulean light. She\u2019s reinvented herself. She\u2019s in her clean girl era, if you will. Given America\u2019s consumerist culture \u2014 I have lived here for just under three months and every day I am alarmed and fascinated by it \u2014 Primark will surely thrive here, for better or worse. As for the onlookers back home, I think this comment about the opening summed it up best: \u201cWe were gagged, confused and entertained.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":230251,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[75,84,83,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-230250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-manhattan","tag-manhattan","tag-manhattan-headlines","tag-manhattan-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230250"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230250\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}