From colour-infused clothing stores to a tech-centered store of tomorrow, these brick-and-mortar shops are driving innovation and creative design. Farm Rio New York City In August, Brazilian apparel and lifestyle brand Farm Rio opened its third New York City location, its seventh in the US. Located at 1055 Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side, the store welcomes shoppers with a striking mosaic installation that reinterprets French artist Dominique Jardy’s watercolour wallpaper. Produced in co
oduced in collaboration with Bisazza, a renowned Italian luxury mosaic maker, the installation was made with over 1.9 million hand-placed glass tiles that took over 460 hours to install.
The nature-inspired mosaic is complemented by several design elements, such as the earthy-green, moss-like carpets on the floor and plush, gray seating that resembles smooth stones. Suspended from the ceiling is a yellow gold rod that hugs the store’s interior and showcases the brand’s latest designs.
Despite being Farm Rio’s smallest New York-based store, at 732sqft – the SoHo shop is the largest, at 2264 sqft, and the Brooklyn store is 1083 sqft – the Madison Avenue location is not one to be ignored.
By tailoring the location to its specific neighborhood, Farm Rio has ensured an intimate, but highly luxe shopping experience with the Madison Avenue shop, perfect for the more low-key but luxury-loving tenants of the Upper East Side.
This is an impressive addition to Farm Rio’s international portfolio of stores, which totals over 140 locations worldwide, including Los Angeles, Paris, and, of course, the brand’s hometown of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Manière de Voir
New York City
Manchester-born brand Maniére de Voir, a French phrase that translates to “way of viewing”, has opened its doors to its first US flagship, at 521 Broadway in New York City.
The Soho-based store “isn’t just a retail space”, explained the brand’s founder and CEO Reece Wabara, but is a “story of persistence, grit and bold vision.”
The 12-year-old apparel brand was founded by former professional footballer Wabara and has already established a thriving online and growing brick-and-mortar presence in the UK. It has one store at 354 Oxford Street, and a second store is to be opened in London later this year, promised the brand’s global head of retail, Michael Hobbs.
Wabara and the team had been looking for a space in New York City for an extended time before finding the Soho location, coming across their fair share of obstacles, including four failed deals, dozens of rejections and one breakthrough that was well worth the battle.
Manière de Voir’s New York City flagship is just steps away from some of Soho’s biggest brick-and-mortar hubs like Nike, Uniqlo and Sephora. Passing under the brand’s signature striped awning and through its glass doors, customers step into a chic, spacious layout in calming tones – from the creamy beige of the walls to the warm, brown tones of the shelving and plush brown curtains.
Consumers can browse the brand’s effortlessly chic apparel pieces, which offer a unique combination of a London-inspired streetwear aesthetic and a Parisian-esque approach to minimalism.
Crocs
New York City
In August, Crocs unveiled a new store concept, dubbed Icon, which features a bevy of immersive shopping elements, along with the brand’s largest personalisation experience to date.
The 4000 sqft store, located at 543 Broadway, spans an entire block in New York City’s trendy Soho neighborhood.
In a press release, the company stated, “Our store in Soho will be the first of our new tier of Icon stores that we’ll be opening in key cities around the world. We aim to provide the most inspiring and elevated brand experience to date – a unique blend of local authenticity, elevated personalisation and modular design flexibility.”
Stepping into the store, customers can explore Crocs’ core line of shoes and accessories, including a dedicated assortment of Crocs’ EXP products, the brand’s “most daring and unconventional silhouettes,” which “blend with utility-focused design for a future-forward expression of style and functionality.”
Additionally, customers can personalise their purchases with Crocs’ signature Jibbitz charms, including New York City-exclusive ones, at two customisation counters. The charms can also be purchased at the bodega-inspired section, which spotlights pricier, higher-end items like a Swarovski Jibbitz, which can run as high as $300.
Crocs brand president Anne Mehlman explained the Soho store is a “test-and-learn” door. The learning will be used to guide future Icon locations and help the brand figure out how best to use the format to create experiential moments with customers.
Huckberry
Georgetown, Washington, DC
Huckberry, a leading media and shopping destination for men’s style and adventure, has officially opened the doors to its first permanent bricks-and-mortar store, after first launching as an online-only company in 2011.
Huckberry co-founder Andy Forch, who grew up just outside DC, stated, “Georgetown is where I fell in love with gear and adventure and where I always imagined opening our first store.”
Part art gallery, part gear shop, the space, located at 1239 Wisconsin Avenue, was designed in collaboration with renowned Austin-based architect Michael Hsu.
Hsu used a blend of warm materials like live-edge redwood and layered wood textures with
clean lines to make the space feel like a curated editorial layout, befitting the brand’s reputation for men’s lifestyle content. From the behind-the-scenes photos from real Huckberry adventures, original brand visuals (no stock photography), and vintage TVs looping branded video series like “DIRT” and “72 Hours,” it’s clear that storytelling is a large source of inspiration for the store’s design.
As Forch explained, “Our storytelling comes through our employees, too. For example, we have a replica of the motorcycle our art director, Alex Souza, rode on his sabbatical trip from Squamish, [BC to Bishop, California]. Right next to it is his Flint and Tinder waxed trucker jacket, beaten and patinaed. You get a different experience in-store than you do online.”
From house favorite brands like Flint and Tinder, Wills, Wellen and Proof, to heritage staple brands like Filson and Patagonia, plus emerging brands sourced from Tokyo, Paris, New York City and beyond, the Huckberry customer will find everything they need to take their stylishly, adventurous next step.
H&M
Los Angeles, California
H&M has opened a new flagship store at The Original Farmers Market in Los Angeles, located at 3rd and Fairfax.
The store spans about 15,000 sqft across two floors and marks the first of several new stores planned for Los Angeles this year.
As Michael Beaumont, head of expansion for H&M Americas, stated, “H&M’s debut at The Original Farmers Market marks an exciting milestone in our Los Angeles expansion, serving as the first of several new store openings planned throughout the year. This flagship location introduces an elevated shopping experience — designed to complement H&M’s strong fashion assortment and create a more inspirational environment for customers.”
The store was designed with a gallery-like feel with white, curved walls, sleek wooden fitting rooms and translucent displays. However, for as aesthetic as the layout is, performance is still top-priority when it came to designing this location.
Behind the scenes, the smart store operates on RFID-enabled systems, ensuring precise stock accuracy and enabling quick item location within the store. Additionally, customers will also have access to mobile checkout and in-store pickup for online orders.
The new LA store serves as a model for upcoming stores in São Paulo, Brazil, a new market for the brand, as well as BLVD Las Vegas and Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre, with further rollouts planned through spring 2026.
Todd Synder
Columbus, Ohio
In August, leading American menswear designer Todd Snyder opened his 23rd location, his first Ohio store, at 4174 The Strand, Space 321.
“When I’m scouting new locations, I look for cities where men have a real appreciation for quality menswear and how they present themselves. Columbus has that distinctive character,” Snyder said about the thinking behind the location of the new store. “My career began at a small men’s shop in Des Moines, which taught me early on that exceptional style is not limited to certain places, it’s a kind of attitude. There are communities across the country where men understand the value of dressing well, and Columbus exemplifies that perfectly,” Snyder explained.
The brand noted that the 2059 sqft interior draws inspiration from refined elements of English sartorial style as well as the raw aesthetic of industrial design. Rich fabrics from Rose Uniacke, including gold mohair and cocoa velvet, have been incorporated into the design to provide an elegant, sophisticated vibe, along with classic, vintage furniture pieces from London, Paris and Round Top – a town in Texas renowned for its antiques – to elevate the space. Additionally, custom industrial-style lighting with oversized glass globes were used to soften the open ceiling.
The store features a comprehensive tailoring shop with an extended range of Italian
suits and sport coats, the brand’s Italian-made shoes and sandals, and a carefully chosen array of best-in-class brands from around the world, Rubinacci, Sanders, New Balance, Aesop apothecary and Moscot.
Tm:rw
New York City
In July, Tm:rw, a first-of-its-kind, three-story, 20,000sqft flagship opened in the heart of Times Square, in the Candler Building at 220 West 42nd Street.
Tm:rw was jointly founded by Nathalie Bernce and Jacov Nachtailer, the co-founders of Smartech Retail Group, a retail innovation company focused on creating spaces where people can engage directly with emerging technology and innovation.
While the store, appropriately dubbed Tm:rw, could very well provide a glimpse into the future of in-store shopping, Bernce explained that it’s more than just a place to shop.
Tm:rw is more than just a store; it is a “new model of experiential retail” that “brings together innovation, culture, creativity and retail in one environment – not just to sell products, but to let people engage with them in unexpected ways,” she told Inside Retail.
Designed in collaboration with architect Harry Nuriev, founder and creative director of Crosby Studios, the store features the world’s largest 3D retail hologram, by software company HYPERVSN, which is accompanied by an AI-powered digital avatar and immersive window displays.
Across three levels are rotating concept areas that span gaming, health and wellness, food, beauty, entertainment and sports. At The Barber Shop, shoppers can explore interactive mirrors and premium grooming from P&G’s suite of brands, including Gillette, Braun and Art of Shaving, whereas at the Playhouse, tech-enthusiasts can experience a tech playground of e-sports, virtual reality and video games.
“We didn’t want the space to just be transactional. The idea was to create experiences that make people slow down, explore and actually feel something,” Bernce said.