25 Kent, Williamsburg’s newest office and manufacturing building, has signed fashion brand Kith as its anchor tenant.
Kith will relocate its New York City-based operations — which includes production, design, front office and other supporting functions — from Manhattan to the newly opened Brooklyn building.
25 Kent, the privately developed mixed-use building on the Williamsburg waterfront, was viewed as an experiment when it launched in 2013, inasmuch as it was the first speculative development to offer both office and manufacturing space in the same building.
Kith’s lease for a substantial portion of the manufacturing space affirms the viability of commercial/manufacturing buildings, according to Jeff Fronek, the Director of Investments at Rubenstein Partners.
“25 Kent was designed as a new kind of workplace: a commercial ecosystem that reflects the dynamic nature of how companies work today,” said Froenk. “Today, we took a significant step towards realizing that vision. Kith brings an extremely high level of creative energy to the property, and we’re excited to announce them as our anchor tenant.”
Kith will relocate from Soho to a 57,679 s/f space in 25 Kent, occupying approximately two thirds of 25 Kent’s 87,000 s/f of manufacturing space.
Kith’s 75-person workforce is comprised of a cross section of area residents, with a broad range of education, training and experience.
Kith is one of the first luxury fashion and lifestyle brands to relocate from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Other garment manufacturers who left Manhattan for Brooklyn include Lafayette 148 New York, a New York City-based global brand which relocated its 200-person operation to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and fashion designer Nanette Lepore, who in 2018 announced plans to join Lafayette 148 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s Building 77.
Developed by a partnership of Rubenstein Partners and Heritage Equity Partners, 25 Kent is a product of a collaboration between design development architect, Gensler, and designer Hollwich Kushner (HWKN).
Kith was represented by Michael Yadgard of Compass. The landlord was represented by Lee & Associates NYC and Jones Lang LaSalle.
To ensure area residents benefit from the opportunities created by Kith and all future tenants of 25 Kent, the building’s owners are working with not-for profits to operate a job training program matching area residents with jobs.
