Saturdays NYC is pleased to announce their first
Australian flagship location at Bondi Beach, Sydney. Drawing on the
brands modern aesthetic, the store considers Bondi’s sidewalk culture
and incorporates locally sourced timbers and materials. Coffee beans
will be supplied by premium local roasters Artificer and served through a
window, outdoor benches provide the perfect place for customers to hang
out. The soaring shop front features four metre high glass and a
north-west aspect which provides the interior space with an abundance of
natural light.
Co-founder Morgan Collett states, “We were able to visit Australia a
few years ago and immediately had a strong connection to the country and
the people”. Saturdays Bondi marks the brands seventh store globally
however this location is the first to be located within minutes walking
distance of the beach.
It was announced yesterday that Todd Snyder's namesake label and his Tailgate Clothing brand had been purchased by American Eagle Outfitters. It was a big day and the start of a new chapter in the designer's already impressive career path. It's a union of two ends of the American menswear spectrum and a new platform for Snyder. Now, he not only has the chance to get his wares into the hands of even more stylish men, but is also in a position to influence what young guys will buy at the mass retail mall level. We chatted up Snyder to get the real story behind the acquisition, find out what it means for his own label and myriad of ongoing collaborations, and what we can expect from his first U.S. flagship shop.
When did the conversations start between you and American Eagle? They really started when we opened City Gym in Nolita about two years ago. Roger (Markfield, chief creative officer) and Jay (Schottenstein, CEO) walked in the store and fell in love with it. We started talking about things like maybe putting City Gym in American Eagle stores. Chad (Kessler, global brand president) came on board, we showed him photos of the Iowa City Tailgate store, and he just got it.
The Tailgate brand seems particularly poised for growth after the acquisition. Were there ever talks of American Eagle only buying Tailgate? It was always the full package. I started showing them the Todd Snyder stores in Tokyo and it just went from there. We’ve always been looking for an investor, always looking to grow.
How hard is it to run an independent design business, like your namesake label, today? Do the financial considerations affect creative decisions? It’s a challenge for any business. When you’re small you’re up against the Hugo Boss’s, the John Varvatos’, the Tom Fords. It’s really hard to get recognized when you’re competition is so big and so powerful. you’re competition is so big and so powerful.
How will this deal help grow the Todd Snyder brand? Long-term, our goal is to be able to position the brand in a certain way. It’s all going to be measured and thoughtful investment. We’re still small and we still have a lot to learn. So we’re going to have to more resources to help sell, to visit stores, but small and nimble is how we work—we’ll always be scrappy.
Will the Todd Snyder White Label continue? It will continue. You can’t do better for a made-in-the-USA suit at that $795 price. That was kind of the goal—I want to reinvent the way men shop for clothes. The world is changing, guys are finding a new ways to buy clothes, so why not offer them everything from Todd Snyder? We’re continuing with Champion, Cole Haan, and P.F. Flyers as well.
And what about the announced New York City flagship? Is the goal to recreate the Tokyo Townhouse concept? I want it to be the ultimate store for a man. I want to make a place that’s approachable with good price points and things, like our collaboration with Rocky Mountain Featherbed, that are going to make us more unique, more competitive.
The Todd Snyder Townhouse in Tokyo
What will your position within the American Eagle organization look like? It feels like a creative think tank over there and I’m excited to think about all the things we can do together. I’m really going to be more of a sounding board. It’s about how to have—and how to build—the right mix of products for millenials and the next generation. I’m also excited about the possibility of bringing other creative into it. I like to hire people who are better than me.
When you started Tailgate out of your dad’s basement, did you ever imagine you’d have this platform? It’s a dream come true. It’s still a little surreal in a way. I couldn’t have picked up a better partner. I can’t wait to make it great.
I just came back from 3 weeks long Japan trip and would like to thank you to everyone who supported my trip and made its trip so great.
There were couple projects that I have worked with and I had a chance to be there to enjoy the moment. Saturdays Surf event forPETER SUTHERLAND collaboration, PRINT ALL OVER ME X VARIOUS PROJECT event at BIOTOP.
For TODD SNYDER, we had runway show on the first day for theTOKYO FASHION WEEK and it was a huge success for both TODD SNYDER and TOKYO FASHION WEEK.
Here are the video for the runway show and sharing with you guys.
Enjoy! no sound.........I am not sure what the problem is......damn it......
