Frescobol Carioca is testing the retail waters in the U.S.
The high-end Brazilian swimwear and casual sportswear label will open its first brick-and-mortar pop-up, a Summer Cabana, in Greenwich Village on May 20. The 600-square-foot shop at 400 Bleecker Street will be open through mid-August but may extend its stay if successful, according to cofounder Harry Brantly.
“We’re trying to be a premium luxury resortwear brand and that’s hard to do without an outpost in the U.S.,” he said. Brantly said the company did a comprehensive analysis of its business and saw that nearly 40 percent of its sales come from the U.S., “and the vast bulk of that is in New York.”
Although the sales are scattered throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn and other areas, the brand will start its retail experiment on Bleecker Street. “We’ve always loved the area and aspired to have a shop there,” he said.
Related Galleries
He said if the pop-up is successful “we’ll go to the landlord with cap in hand” and extend the lease. “That’s the way retail is at the moment, and we’re keen to maintain our flexibility.” The brand is also considering pop-ups in Miami and Los Angeles.
In the States, Frescobol Carioca is also carried in Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys New York, Forty Five Ten, Moda Operandi, the Soho House in Miami Beach, Wynn Las Vegas, the Ranch at The Pier in Malibu and the Sunset Beach hotel on Shelter Island in New York.
The brand had a pop-up at Sunset Beach — “One of our best customers,” according to Brantly — last summer and will be heading back there this year. It also had a pop-up at Bergdorf’s a few years ago. But this is the brand’s first independent outpost. It will present the label’s laid-back, colorful, tropical vibe inspired by Rio de Janeiro in both its design and staffing, he said, adding that the employees will be Brazilian.
The company operates three permanent stores in London, in Notting Hill, Marylebone and Soho. Brantly said there are no plans to add more stores in that city, but Summer Cabanas are a possibility.