Snipes is teaming with DJ Khaled for its latest flagship location, working with the Grammy-winning musician to create bespoke interactive experiences tailored to the city of Miami.
The sneaker and streetwear retailer is gearing up to open a flagship, called We the Best x Snipes, on Thursday at 673 Collins Avenue. The more than 6,000-square-foot retail store was created in collaboration with DJ Khaled, who serves as the retailer’s chief creative officer.
“I’m a big fan of Snipes,” DJ Khaled told WWD during a Zoom interview. “I shopped there before I met them. It’s a blessing to be able to work with them throughout the years. It’s such a beautiful team and beautiful people. It’s everything that I represent. They give back to the community and I give back to the community.”
DJ Khaled worked closely with Snipes chief executive officer Sven Voth and Snipes U.S. president Jim Bojko on the flagship, helping the retailer scout the Miami location and playing a key role in designing the store. The Grammy-winning musician helped the retailer blend its signature designs with that of Miami’s vibrant and colorful design codes.
The store will offer an array of streetwear apparel, sneakers and accessories from Snipes’ go-to labels including Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Crocs and more, as well as exclusive styles and items from local designers.
The store will include some unique, immersive experiences for customers, such as photo opportunities and a DJ booth. To further his involvement in the store, DJ Khaled has set up an office, complete with a recording booth, in the space. DJ Khaled, who resides in Miami, plans to spend a lot of his time at the flagship and plans to use the recording booth to work with local musicians.
“It’s somewhere that I want to be regularly,” he said. “I want to be super clear — this store is something that I dreamed of as a kid. My mother and father come from selling suits in clothing stores, so I grew up always wanting a retail store and I exceeded my expectations because I’m doing it with Snipes. That’s like two powerhouses joining together and opening a store.”
On offering immersive in-store experiences, Bojko said: “We understand our consumer has a ton of choices now. They can shop online and they can shop at a bunch of stores, but what makes us special — and we think what the consumer is looking for — is a reason to leave the house and really engage with everything in their life, whether it’s a retailer or a food shop. So, we know that in order to be an interesting destination for our consumer and get them to go out shopping, this is what we need to offer.”
As the Miami flagship is unique to Snipes’ other 749 global locations, Bojko explained Snipes will be taking its learnings and experience with the new store and apply them where the retailer sees fit for its fleet of stores across the U.S. and Europe.
“I think it’s important to mention our 12 commandments and one of them is to think global, act local,” Voth said, highlighting that Snipes will be giving back and working with the local community through the Miami flagship. “This store is really customized for Miami, so the modularity is more or less the same [as Snipes’ other locations].”
Going forward, Snipes and DJ Khaled’s goal for the flagship is to make it a hub for both locals and visiting streetwear enthusiasts that continuously gives back to its community.
“Nothing happens overnight and when you have a vision and great partners like this to collaborate and get to where we’re at today, it’s a huge accomplishment before we even open the doors yet,” DJ Khaled said. “The location is special. Getting the product in there, getting the team, the designs and putting the plans together and the message we want to put out — all of these beautiful things we’re doing together took years and now we’re here and we’re ready to celebrate with the whole world.”
Layla Ilchi, WWD
