Kith Reopens SoHo Flagship as Men’s-Only Store

Kith has converted its SoHo flagship into a men’s-only store.

The trendy sneaker and streetwear retailer opened its first SoHo store at 644 Broadway in 2011 and its flagship at 337 Lafayette Street in 2017.

And now, after being closed since January for a total gut renovation, the flagship will reopen to the public on Friday. But because it now operates a women’s store at the 644 Broadway site, the decision was made to devote the updated space exclusively to menswear.

The main floor will be devoted to Kith branded product as well as collaborative collections. Fitting rooms have been relocated to what had previously been back-office space to allow the selling space to be expanded.

The second floor houses a multibrand assortment from Loewe, Rhude, Stone Island, Our Legacy, Auralee and others, while the third floor is devoted to footwear, which has also been significantly expanded. The shoe assortment is weighted heavily to sneakers from brands including On, Hoka, Adidas, Nike and New Balance, but there are also loafers, sandals and other styles.

To commemorate the reopening, Kith will unveil its summer 2025 collection, the face of which is “Severance” actor Tramell Tillman, along with a new silhouette of the New Balance 2010 silhouette. In addition, a capsule apparel collection with Cigarette Racing, a manufacturer of high-performance luxury powerboats, will also debut there.

Ronnie Fieg, Kith’s owner, said the reopening of the store is “an emotional moment for me because this flagship is the anchor of our brand. The corner of Lafayette and Bleecker is ingrained not just in the brand’s DNA, but in mine as well. Our very first Manhattan flagship is right there — now our Kith Women store — and our offices were around the corner for many years. I remember coming off the train each day, staring at the 337 Lafayette building, and literally praying that one day it would become a possibility for us to make it our home. The second I found out it became available, it became the only priority for the team and me. Fast forward to today, and this building will now represent the future our brand experience for years to come.”

Fieg added that since his first store opened in 2011, he has learned a lot about designing spaces and realized that it was time for the flagship to get a refresh. “That knowledge came over time, as we’ve opened 19 stores and redesigned four others over the past 14 years. As the aesthetic of our stores evolved, I started to feel that our global flagship was no longer on par with the others, and that never sat right with me. But because the building means so much to our audience and our business, finding the right moment to close it was never easy. So we spent 18 months planning and designing how the store would look, which allowed us to complete a full gut renovation in a miraculous five months.”

He continued: “This store means everything to me. It’s the epitome of how I want people to experience our brand, and the physical embodiment of our aesthetic.”

The new, three-level flagship on the corner of Bleecker Street also features Kith Treats, which is now available through a window on the street. In the prior iteration of the store, it had been on the second floor. Kith Treats sells soft-serve ice cream and milkshakes that can be mixed with cereal or candy, a Build Your Own menu and some of the company’s global collections. Among the special treats offered are concoctions created by Victor Cruz, LeBron James, Dapper Dan, Futura and other celebrities. There will also be a release of an exclusive treat to commemorate the opening, The Metropolitan Cronut.

The renovation of the store, which is located in a landmark district of New York, blends historical architecture with contemporary design. Walking through, the materials transition from darker tones on the ground floor to lighter, more refined finishes upstairs.

To achieve that, the new design utilizes dark walnut and white oak, along with a selection of marble stones including Varias Green and Mountain White Danby. The floor on the ground level is created from patterned Nero Marquina marble inlaid with brass.

The space also serves to debut a new Kith & Kin Crest logo that is embossed in the leather wall coverings and custom light fixtures. It is also dramatically displayed behind the cash wrap on the main floor.

An updated statement staircase located under a barrel vaulted plaster ceiling, was created during the renovation to allow customers access to the upper levels.

The first floor displays the menswear on satin brass fixtures and leather-covered recessed wall shelves. The second floor features beveled Varias Green stone portals as frames for each entryway and a private VIP salon was added in a corner.

The third floor is devoted to footwear with nearly double the number of styles than that carried in the former store. Herringbone wood floors serve to highlight multiple walls of footwear displays that line the outer perimeter. In the center of the room are two Varias Green marble benches along with two custom-made dark walnut benches with brass inlays.

The New Balance Abzorb 2010, an updated heritage model that features pig suede and synthetic nubuck overlays, mesh underlays and Kith detailing, is available here exclusively.

For those not in New York, the shoe will be sold online beginning on Monday.

Fieg said that, over the years, Kith has transformed significantly. “We were originally a footwear store and had not even developed our own brand yet. The six years from 2011 to 2017 were about writing our own playbook, figuring out how we could become the best version of ourselves and maximizing the potential of opportunities. 2017 was the next phase for us, after we had established credibility with our own brand and had outgrown our original store. People say it takes 10,000 hours to become a master at a craft, but I’ve been in this industry for 30 years and I can tell you firsthand, it takes far, far longer than that. I wouldn’t even say I’m a master yet. Every year the only goal is to be better than the year prior. To continue to improve and evolve and never stay stagnant. The brand today has vastly evolved since 2017, from our product to the experiences we offer to the stores we create. I know that in another eight years, I’ll be saying the same thing about today.”

In terms of product, he said Fieg said the Kith brand is the company’s biggest focus. “However, being a global leader when it comes to curating a selection of multibrand apparel, footwear and accessories will always be part of our DNA. It’s how we started, and it will continue to be part of what we do forever.”

While the new flagship is the primary focus this week, Kith is also debuting a summer collection featuring seasonal tailored clothing, upscale denim, lightweight knitwear and a range of accessories. The season will also mark the return of Fieg’s 8th Street footwear collection in partnership with Clarks Originals. It will feature two versions of a traditional fisherman sandal, the Ridgevale and the Brixham, that have Ronnie Fieg for Clarks Originals branding on the footbed.

Also for summer, Kith is moving into the boat-making business thanks to its new partnership with Cigarette Racing. The two have teamed up to reimagine three boats featuring custom paint jobs and upholstery along with a capsule collection of apparel pieces sporting co-branded artwork that ties back to the vessels.

All told, Kith operates 16 freestanding stores globally as well as three shops-in-shop. Locations Beverly Hills and Malibu in California, Miami and Honolulu in the U.S., as well as Toronto, Paris, London and Seoul.