All our stores are meant to give visitors an immersive, tangible taste of the Todd Snyder experience. But some — like our 14th location, which opened this year in Miami at the Bal Harbour Shops — are extra special.
Right at the Northern tip of Miami Beach, Bal Harbour is bordered by Indian Creek Island, once home to Tom and Giselle (and currently Jared and Ivanka). Our new store is just down the road from one of the crown jewels in The Four Season hotels lineup, a modern revamp of an old beach club called The Surfrider that features restaurants by Thomas Keller and an outpost of Positano's La Sireneuse — in short, stakes were high to create a menswear destination for a sophisticated, globe-trotting audience.
To create a tropical remix of our store vernacular, Todd and our Director of Store Design and Visual Merchandising, Erik Berndt, used some of our design touchstones — like our classic Snyder olive — and added natural, organic elements to evoke the vibrant feel of Miami. Or as Todd puts it:
I design all of my stores with the intent of transporting the customer into my world. For me, that means mid-century influences with a utilitarian twist, and of course, attention to quality and craftsmanship. We spent a lot of time meticulously selecting every interior detail while honoring the rich history of design that Miami continues to influence.
To get a behind-the-scenes take on the new store, we spoke with Erik, who brings over a decade of experience in merchandising spaces for J. Crew, Alex Mill and more. He works closely with Todd to translate his aesthetic into brick-and-mortar.
The front table, an early 19th-century French farmhouse piece, is sourced by Galerie Half in Los Angeles, and all the artwork was handpicked in London.
We worked organic textures in wherever possible: rattan ceilings back in the bar area, sisal rugs, live plants and things like that.
“One of the key elements of the space is the curtain by the team at Les Crafties. We were introduced to them by a friend, and it was love at first sight — their work has a kind of French Riviera-meets-Matisse vibe that was a natural fit.”
Jeanne et Marie-Marie, one half of the duo behind Les Craftie, shared her take on their process of creating the centerpiece:
“We have [a] fascination with using bright colors and maximalist patterns inside environments. The spectator is immersed in a [crafted] landscape. Fabric has the capacity to be narrative, soft and enveloping…a store should be like a cocoon, with its own singularity and vocabulary. For the Todd Snyder piece in Miami, we looked at [the] vegetation, colors and composition of the city, keeping in mind the DNA of the brand.”
*Editor’s note: RW Guild grew out of the design practice of Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch, and is now a design destination store in SoHo, in New York, and is home to La Mercerie.
If you’re in the area or just passing through, we’ve rounded up a few recs from Todd, Erik and the rest of the Bal Harbour store team on what to eat, drink and see nearby:
An elevated blend of Asian, Mediterranean and French-inspired cuisine in a panoramic setting. Perfect spot to grab a drink.
2. CHEZ BON BON:
A-list celebrities and local connoisseurs alike rave about this bakery's hand-made confections.
3. THE VIZCAYA MUSEUM AND GARDENS:
Take a tour of the former estate of businessman James Deering (of the Deering McCormick-International Harvester fortune).
4. THE PALM MIAMI RESTAURANT:
Old-world hospitality meets award-winning food at this renowned steakhouse, which originated in NYC in the 1920s.
Not in Miami? Find the Todd Snyder location closest to you on our Stores page.
Interviewed by Kate Andersen