Climax Books Is Taking Over NYC
Hypebae chats with Isabella Burley on Climax’s new location, collabs and most rare finds.
Yayoi Kusama’s Orgy, latex shopping bags and visits from Mia Khalifa – that’s just a glimpse into Isabella Burley‘s Climax Books. If you’re living under a rock, Burley is the mind behind the fashion industry’s favorite bookstore. In a new interview with us, the London-based founder gives us an inside look into Climax’s brand new NYC location, her most rare finds and the tea on what’s to come.
When we say “fashion industry’s favorite bookstore” we’re so fr. Known for everything from books to ephemera, Climax launched during the 2020 pandemic after Burley realized for the first-time ever, she had no work to do. Alas, her creative child that was once shelved for more prominent works – aka her then-role as Dazed’s Editor-in-Chief – was finally about to have its moment. That same year, Burley opened Climax’s first shop in the heart of London’s Soho.
Now, NYC’s most talented creatives are falling in love with Burley’s bookstore – ahem, brand. Why? Burley’s shops are a peek into history’s most quiet-kept explorations of sexuality, identity and fashion. Case and point: did you even know that Kusama created sex-positive art? Exactly.
Recently, the brand published its second book, following its iconic Pissing Women. Its latest, PICTURES by American artist Martine Syms, is a 550-page title exploring over 10 years of her imagery.
As Burley told us, Climax has exceeded its bookstore status and now stands as a must-visit, fitted with exclusive collabs with Chopova Lowena, Marc Jacobs and Simone Rocha.
Keep reading for your inside look at Climax NYC and our interview with Burley.
How did you discover your desire for book dealing and rare things?
I grew up in a house of books where there were bookshelves overflowing with books (my dad is an avid reader). I think growing up in London and going to secondhand stores and bookstores as kids was something I was always really drawn to, and then just kind of began collecting as a form of research.
When I was a teenager, it was really kind of the start of social media so we didn’t have access to everything we have access to now. I remember being 13 or 14 years old and there was a big Borders in London on Charing Cross Road — which is a really historic book district.
Going through fashion magazines, to those second-hand bookstores and Charing Cross Road were so influential to shaping my view of fashion, identity and self-expression. So I think it was something that was so embedded into being a teenager. You know, being curious, scrolling through Tumblr and all of those amazing things that feel so different now. It was really about discovery at that time.
Climax Books has the rarest collection from Yayoi Kusama’s An Orgy of Nudity, Love, Sex & Beauty to Keith Haring’s d-ck shaped party invitations. In your opinion, what’s your best Climax find thus far?
I think those two that you mentioned were quite iconic finds – especially the Yayoi Kusama Orgy periodical. I found that before Climax launched, in like 2017 and it completely represents what Climax is. Yayoi Kusama is an incredibly respected, world renowned artist and Orgy hit this intersection of counter culture movements in the late 60s in New York, meets the sexual revolution of the 60s, meets zine.
Is there a book at Climax that everyone should read?
Cookie Mueller’s Walking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black. It’s basically these crazy stories from her life.
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What do you love most about what you’ve created with Climax?
Opening the space in NY felt really monumental. It’s been so amazing to see the store grow and for people to want to be a part of it in some way. I think the fact that it feels really limitless, too. We started with books, and books will always be our foundation, but the idea that we can move into publishing and then move into non-book products, like clothing, do collaborations with friends of mine, like Chopova, or brands I really admire like Heaven by Marc Jacobs. It’s the most amazing feeling to have something that I’m excited for, like “What’s next?”
You’ve already had Mia Khalifa, Alva Claire and Lil Uzi Vert pull up to the store for a “shift,” who would be your next dream employee and why?
Rosalía would be my dream. She’s such an icon on every level. And she already follows Climax.
Is there a rare piece that everyone seems to want from Climax?
This book called The Cosplayer. It’s all of these amazing early 2000s pictures of cosplay costumes in Japan. It’s shot so beautifully and feels like such a fashion book. The MET Library bought one of our copies, which is so amazing that they then will have that in the Fashion Library Research Center as part of their archive. Things like that feel really cool.
Your first fashion team ups for the store include Chopova Lowena and Simone Rocha, how do you see fashion collabs evolving for Climax Books and helping it to become such a singular space across creative spaces?
I think the fashion element just comes from my background working at fashion magazines and with fashion brands throughout my career. We made a few T-shirts with Heaven Marc Jacobs when we first launched, because Ava Nirui, who does all the Heaven stuff, is one of my best friends. So that started in a really organic way. With Chopova Lowena, I’ve been the biggest fan of Emma and Laura Lowena, who are the owners and the sweetest people ever. I was so curious to even approach them and be like, “Would you want to do some Climax product together?” They were so into it and so generous with their time and ideas. I’m so in love with what we made with them. So I think it’s, again, just this really fun extension of the kind of world that we’ve been building with the books.
How has your past experience as a fashion editor and current role at Acne Studios inspired your vision for Climax Brand in terms of creative methodology, curation and collaborations?
The biggest thing for me was the realization I had last year that Climax is a brand — not just a bookstore. And I guess wanting to open up the boundaries of what it could be and what a bookstore could look like today.
I think that’s where the publishing element and these really fun fashion collaborations came in. Like, we can do all of those things. Climax doesn’t need to just be limited to one thing. It can be a brand and something that has a really unique point of view that people can connect with, even if it’s not connecting through the books.
This interview has been condensed for clarity.
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