Where movies once played on the big screen at Miami Beach’s Lincoln Theatre, there is now a 19-foot LED screen with videos of models parading down the runway in the hottest fashion looks.
The rebirth of the historic theatre marks the long-awaited arrival of H&M in Miami Beach, which sets out to restore the glamour of the 1930s building. The two-story store opens at noon Thursday with free giveaways and what is guaranteed to be long lines of excited consumers. Inside, they will find the type of chic, affordable fashion that is the trademark of the Swedish retailer, whose full name is Hennes & Mauritz.
Whether your style is fashionable or more classic, there’s something to mix’n’match at H&M. costs vary from beneath $five for accessories to only underneath $100 for a wool coat however with nearly all of the pieces priced below $50.
Throughout the Miami Beach store there is plenty of burgundy — one of the hot colors for fall. It comes in everything from skinny jeans for men and women to a sleeveless leather peplum top, another popular style for the season.
In one of the store windows on Lincoln Road, you’ll find mannequins displaying long, lean silhouettes of black and winter white, designed to make a dramatic fashion statement. The other window pays homage to the theater’s past with a look reminiscent of The Great Gatsby era. Lead visual merchandiser Edwin Mercedes and the team have carried that 1930s retro feel throughout the merchandising of the new Miami Beach store.
South Florida Fashionistas like Carla Bell can’t wait.
“Miami is such a fashionable city, it’s a perfect fit,” said Bell, 42, who lives in Lauderhill and typically had to get her H&M fix while on vacation. “H&M is so good about being contemporary and on trend. You can pop in and pick up what’s now. It’s so affordable, you can wear it now and then move on to the next thing.”
After years of an H&M drought, fans like Bell may have double the joys. The Miami seaside opening might be adopted by way of a second H&M retailer at Aventura Mall subsequent month
These two stores are only the beginning of H&M’s expansion plans for South Florida. H&M’s North American President Daniel Kulle won’t discuss specifics but cites Florida and Texas as the company’s current top expansion priorities. The company opened its first store in Orlando in 2009 and will have nine in Florida by the end of the year.
“We have the resources to execute a lot of expansion,” Kulle said. “There are a lot of strong malls around Miami. We will take it mall by mall. We are more keen on having the right spot and the right quality than just having numbers.”
Kulle stated the company decided about seven years ago that Lincoln highway and Aventura Mall had been its top expansion priorities in South Florida. H&M needed to bide its time because the chain wasn’t keen to compromise simply to get a store open, and 25,000-square-foot areas in that high actual property aren’t simple to seek out. H&M has handiest been in the us on the grounds that 2000, however Miami beach will probably be its 259th store.
“There have been opportunities along the way, but we wanted to find the one that was perfect,” Kulle said. “When you’re entering a new market you want to go to the best location.”
H&M won’t sell any different merchandise in Miami Beach than it does in Minnesota. Kulle says the company has not had any issues in any other warm weather markets, including Arizona, California and Las Vegas.
The store will navigate Florida’s unique weather demanding situations by way of adjusting its collection mix. whilst you’ll still in finding the wool sweaters and coats, there may not be just about as a lot of them in various sizes and hues.
“We have the same merchandise in the whole country, but we can adjust the mix based on location,” Kulle said. “We’re not a cookie cutter company. We’re very hands-on and focused on merchandising the store in the right way for that market. Each store manager has the authority to say, ‘I want to emphasize more of these items.’ ”
The Miami seashore store will open with a mixture of fall and early wintry weather kinds. that means you will still find wool sweaters, scarves, gloves and hats. but there’s also a minimum of a good selection of styles more appropriate for the South Florida climate.
There are items like a $24.95 chiffon sleeveless blouse with lace trim and a $29.95 sleeveless mini dress with a sequin top and tulle skirt. Add to that sunglasses, men’s bathing suits and plenty of graphic T-shirts, including the retro MTV throwback shirt that was famous in the 1980s. For men you’ll find $29.95 chinos in a rainbow of colors like forest green, mustard yellow and scarlet red or a $69.95 cotton blazer.
But the beauty of H&M is that the products helps to keep changing, with new shipments arriving daily. Even the shows are redone each weeks. The Miami seaside region is considered one of five flagship stores, which elevate the entire brand’s designer collaborations like the Maison Martin Margiela collection hitting shops on Nov. 15.
“There will always be something surprising in store,” Kulle said. “We like to keep that excitement.”