LONDON — Miami may not be on the bingo card of many English tailors when searching for a store site, but for Thom Sweeney cofounders Thom Whiddett and Luke Sweeney, it makes perfect sense after conquering Los Angeles in the spring.
So during the latest Art Basel Miami Beach, the pair was in Miami putting the finishing touches on their third U.S. store and giving clients private walk-throughs.
The 2,500-square-foot space at 66 NE 40th Street in the Miami Design District, was designed by Billy Cotton, who also worked on the Los Angeles store. But in nods to Miami, there are grass cloth wallpapers and ceilings with wooden slats. “The design is inspired by British deco yachting life, which felt appropriate to Miami. A blend of classical materials applied in a modern way,” Whiddett said.
The store is divided into two separate sections, with the front of the shop stocking ready-to-wear collections and the backspace being used for hosting bespoke appointments in a chocolate brown lounge.
The business duo made an active decision to make sure the Miami store is front-facing, whereas the Los Angeles store is hidden in a corner building off Melrose Place. The New York store is on West Broadway in SoHo.
“In Miami having a shop front and being in the thick of it actually suits this market much better,” Whiddett said.
The pair made the most of the Sunshine State — first, by installing a courtyard that will be used for outdoor experiences, and a mini Sol’s, a cocktail bar and lounge named after Sweeney’s late father-in-law, Sol Kerzner.
Sweeney said they were actually surprised by the amount of tailoring they found in Miami when they were shopping around for a space. “In the Financial District, there’s a lot of private equity and hedge fund guys who are in suits everyday, but then around town, people do dress up and it’s not in traditional suiting,” he added.
“There’s a lot of lightweight fabrics, linens and separates, but everyone’s wearing some form of tailoring to some degree. Things are more unstructured and not too fussy — you can grab a T-shirt with a jacket, that’s something we definitely deal with too,” Whiddett said.
The brand has developed a few key pieces for the Miami clientele including a lightweight deconstructed jacket, some airy shirts and lightweight chinos and trousers.
As Thom Sweeney continues to expand its reach in the U.S., the response has been positive.
“We underestimate how much weight British tailoring carries worldwide. It’s actually really helpful to be British and come from a bespoke background. Everyone’s very open to British tailoring,” Sweeney said.
The pair are sticking with a direct-to-consumer approach and will not be wholesaling, choosing instead to home in on providing superior customer experiences in their retail destinations in London, New York and Los Angeles.
Thom Sweeney’s London store is about to get a lot bigger too as the brand takes over one of the spaces next to the store in the new year.
Another development in the works is the introduction of the footwear category. “We are working trainers and formal shoes, which will take another six months,” Whiddett said.
