Miami Vice

In the central courtyard of the spanking new Miami Design District, a gargantuan fibreglass torso-statue of world-famous architect and city planner, Le Corbusier, emerges from the ground, and towers over shoppers, in an almost surreal fashion. That said, French artist Xavier Veilhan’s eye-catching interpretation of Le Corbusier, is not without context. After all, one of the world’s most renowned urban planners finds himself at the centre of a brand new district in Miami, recreated and redesigned to become North America’s trendiest art, design and luxury retail hubs. A few metres away, enjoying pride of place, in the central courtyard of the district, right next to Le Corbusier, is a massive, surrealist dome, with a staircase leading to the basement and parking lot. Design enthusiasts will quickly recognise the ubiquitous Fly’s Eye Dome patented by the late American architect, Buckminster Fuller, famous among architecture-lovers since 1965. With such heavyweight names from the art and architecture space, placed at the centre of the Miami Design District, it is only natural that the fashion retail brands that stand around the courtyard are of the highest calibre — Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, Bulgari, Vacheron Constantin, IWC Schaffhausen, John Lobb, Dior and Valentino, to name a few.

Owned by Miami Design District Associates, in collaboration with L Real Estate, a real estate company that specialises in conceptualising luxury retail quarters, the Miami Design District is an attempt to place the world’s best luxury brands right next to the world’s most significant art collections and installations. The result — a design district that is a perfect representation of Miami’s art and design scene, and a fashion precinct that has got the international luxury industry raving. Maria Ruiz, Director of Community Communications of DACRA, the firm behind the expansion of the district tells me, “We have created a neighbourhood dedicated to high fashion, art, design and architecture. It takes the luxury experience to a new level. In keeping with Miami’s rich architectural tradition, we asked each of the brands to create their own facades. The result is absolutely stellar. There is a beautiful juxtaposition of facades in different styles and colours, and the Art Deco style has been recreated generously.” It indeed is interesting to walk through the crisscrossing streets of the district, admiring each brilliantly-orchestrated facade. Hermès, for instance, recently opened their gigantic flagship store here, their third in the USA. “At the top of the building, you will find a replica of the famous Hermès horse and flag-bearing rider, which stands on the rooftop of the historic Hermès headquarters at 24, Faubourg Saint Honoré in Paris,” Ruiz says. The 13,000 square foot store, whose facade features tall vertical columns, has an allegorical sculpture of two water horses, which once were part of the building at The Lombardy Hotel in Miami. Similarly, Louis Vuitton, whose store overlooks Buckminster’s dome, stands out with its retro-chic facade, fashioned along the lines of the Damier checks, a house signature. Art Deco reigns supreme, once again, at Louis Vuitton, with its trademark terrazzo floors, reminiscent of this style. The brand has designed this store to be like a museum. It is currently hosting its famous Objets Nomades exhibition, till the month of February, to coincide with Design Miami Art Basel.

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The Miami Design District houses over 100 brands, of which no less than 35 are flagship stores. Tom Ford’s flagship store is a must-see, while Emilio Pucci has gone and splashed its immortal ‘Torre’ motif across its entire facade. The interiors of the Pucci store are bathed in an Art Deco design sensibility. Arguably the most striking store in the design district is the new Fendi flagship store, a concept store of sorts, which is characterised by its bright, fluorescent orange colonnaded arcade. The concept store houses Fendi’s fashion collections and is decorated in Fendi Casa furniture, besides being dotted with artworks by the likes of Marc Newson.

The district now houses a bevy of international design stores — British Khako, Kartell, Luminaire Contract, Poltrona Frau — and art galleries — Etra Fine Art, Galeria AQUA, Diaspora Vibe — as well as the new Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami building, with architecture by Zaha Hadid and John Baldessari. Word on the block is that, in the near future, the district is going to see a few culinary stars setting up shop here — read Joël Robuchon and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. During the course of the year, a luxury boutique hotel is also slated to open. Move over Rodeo Drive, the Miami Design District is the hottest new block in town!

Miami Design District Highlights

Hermès Flagship Store

Louis Vuitton Flagship Store

Fendi Flagship Concept Store

Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami

Statue of Le Corbusier by Xavier Veilhan

The Fly’s Eye Dome by Buckminster Fuller