In 1994, former fashion entrepreneur Murray Moss opened Moss in a small gallery space in Soho, with a determination to transform the public perception of industrial product design. The store quickly became internationally known for its product selection and presentation, with clients ranging from highly informed design professionals, to celebrities, students, and tourists with maps. The shop grew and evolved — expanding to nearly 7000 square feet in late 1999 when Moss’s partner Franklin Getchell joined the company. Together they expanded the product base to include furniture, especially from Italian manufacturers, lighting, watches and jewelry, books, tabletop and a significantly increased focus on the studio work of the designers we offered. The furniture and objects offered at the shop deliberately blur the distinctions between production and craft, between industry and art, and more recently, between industrial and decorative arts. The intention is to force a view of each piece based on the context of its presentation, rather than its function or material. At Moss, context is fundamental, and value can be inferred from inaccessibility. The shop intentionally looks and feels like a museum, with everything locked behind glass or raised onto platforms. It’s cold. It’s white. The music is tense. The selling staff wear dark monotone clothing. And Asian, black or white, male or female, they register as one — young, good looking, courteous, helpful, and informed. Above all, informed. Provenance, designer, manufacturer, materials, manufacturing process — the staff is poised to discuss all aspects of each product, including the assembling of component systems of shelving, tables or seating. The shop functions as arbiter, advocate, and presenter, as well as gallery, showroom and salon. Moss has been instrumental in shaping the direction of design retail, with influence far out of keeping with its size. Its reputation is global but its roots are firmly in New York. After a brief foray into Los Angeles demonstrated the singular strength of its base in New York, Moss is once again fully and firmly grounded on Greene Street.
