Harry Nureyev and Crosby Studios have long held a special place in modern design. Their work spans architecture, fashion, hospitality and cultural programming, each project characterized by a distinct visual language and conceptual rigor. Earlier, DSCENE sat down with me Nureyev for one in-depth interview that explored the evolution and vision of the studio. Now, the Paris- and New York-based practice is making a major move: opening a permanent exhibition on Chelsea’s High Line 9 that also marks the studio’s first foray into retail.
Until 19 July, ‘Home of Football: Home & Away’ is a curatorial and architectural venture developed alongside the curatorial collective Air Africa and the platform Home of football. It is an unusual exhibition in that it does not simply present artefacts, but recasts them in a fully realized spatial environment, raising fundamental questions about how we experience cultural history and, more broadly, what role sport plays in shaping identity and creativity across borders.
The Architecture of Sports
At the core of the exhibition is a collection drawn from The Manzano Heritage Collection, an archive of more than 60 jerseys, trophies, photographs and rare items from football’s defining moments. The pieces are important: of Pele Brazil 1958 World Cup Jersey, items from Ronaldo and Brazil’s 2002 World Cup victory, footage from the New York Cosmos era. However, the strength of the exhibition is not only in the artefacts.
of Nureyev the spatial strategy is characteristically conceptual. A grounding of green, referring to the grass of a soccer field, encloses each of the six thematic chapters. Circles and curves appear throughout the lighting design, graphics systems and pathfinding, echoing both the geometry of the ball itself and the center point of the court from which play begins. It is a vocabulary of abstraction that translates the visual and emotional codes of sport into a contemporary design language. The effect is immersive without being literal, allowing visitors to encounter the memorabilia within a context that speaks to belonging, movement and gathering as much as to historical records.
“This concept is about the collision between football, fashion and art culture.” Nureyev he said in a statement. “It is a form of cultural transformation, translating the energy and visual codes of football into a new form of media that feels open and accessible, not only to football fans, but also to people discovering this world for the first time. Green is a digital version of the color of the football field, and the circles refer to both the ball and the center of the field, becoming symbols of movement, concentration and play.
The Crosby Shop: A new category of retail
What distinguishes this exhibition is its commercial dimension. for the first time, Crosby Studios is launched The Crosby Storea retail concept the studio is signaling it intends to develop further. This is not a museum gift shop in the conventional sense. Instead, it represents a new category altogether, one that combines curated merchandise with the studio’s design philosophy.
The store features a carefully curated selection of fashion, skincare and tech brands, many of which are making their US debut. Among them is Baccarat, Nothing Technology, Rizzoli, Obayaty, Nena’s country, Buddy, buddy, Patricks, Myand Hi Klean. Curation reflects of Nureyev aesthetics and values, presenting objects that work at the intersection of art, innovation and cultural significance.
The retail experience extends beyond traditional merchandising. The space incorporates technology from UNDERMINE to create what the platform describes as a “seamless, connected fan experience,” connecting inventory, real-time availability and personalized discovery. In addition, a Bali coffee café pop-up, curation Sami Khedira (the first one Real Madrid player and World Cup champion), operates within the space, adding another layer of cultural programming.
Crosby Studios founded by Nureyev in 2014 and has since grown into a global practice covering fashion retail, hospitality design, private homes, product design, contemporary art exhibitions and cultural programming. The studio’s client roster includes; Win, Balenciaga, Delta Airlines, Baccarat, Dover Street Market, Gucci, Augustinus Bader, Clive Christian, Caron, Amina Muaddi, Jimmy Choo, Alexander Wang, Delvaux, Valentine, helloand H&M. Nureyev has also exhibited at Louvre Museum, Dallas Contemporary, Dittrich & Schlechtriem Berlinand Sultana Gallery Parisand has collaborated with artist Liam Gillick and architect by Rem Koolhaas OWN.
Discover more in our gallery:
The move to retail, then, is both natural and bold. It represents an extension of the studio’s cultural platform into a space where design, commerce and curation converge. It is also, perhaps, an indication of how Nureyev envisions the future of creative practice: not confined to traditional disciplinary boundaries, but flowing into exhibitions, fashion, hospitality and commerce with the same conceptual rigor. Home of Football: Home & Away is open daily from 9am to 8pm July 19, 2026at High Line 9, Hudson Yards, 507 W. 27th Street, New York. Tickets are available through Fever.
