Tone Deaf Studios opens first New York flagship

New York-based fashion brand Tone Deaf Studios is expanding its physical presence with the opening of its first flagship in New York City at 59 Orchard Street.

Founded by Mustafa Ahmed in 2024, the son of the founders of DL1961, the brand has built its identity around three core craft disciplines: sustainable denim, hand-beaded embroidery and Ajrakh block printing. The new Lower East Side store provides the label with a permanent New York home and a space to showcase those techniques.

The flagship was designed in collaboration with Maurizio Bianchi Mattioli, founding principal of Studio MBM, and draws on the two cities central to Tone Deaf Studios’ identity: Karachi and New York. Rather than combining the two influences into a single aesthetic, the interior creates a dialogue between them, incorporating hand-stained glass from Pakistan and subtle references to Mughal architecture while retaining the building’s historic industrial character.

“The design of 59 Orchard Street creates a deliberate dialogue between Tone Deaf’s cultural identity and the building’s industrial past. That tension culminates in color, craftsmanship, and cultural specificity,” explained Mattioli.

The store opening coincides with the launch of its FW26 collection, “Flowers for Fall”. The collection continues the brand’s focus on denim, embroidery and Ajrakh, while moving away from the muted palette traditionally associated with the fall season. Bright orange, green and purple are paired with washed browns and patina greens, creating what the brand describes as an “emotional palette.”

“What drew me to artisanal craft was both its meditative quality and ceremonial weight. Ajrakh and hand-beaded embroidery are part of the social fabric I grew up around, appearing at some of the most important moments in people’s lives, from cloth wrapped around a newborn to beadwork worn at a wedding,” said Ahmed.

“With Flowers for Fall, I wanted to connect that sense of ceremony with the gesture of bringing flowers to mark an important moment, which for us is the opening of our first New York store.”