NEW YORK — The Todd Snyder brand has grown quite a bit since the first City Gym opened in collaboration with Champion Sportswear in NoLIta in 2013.
Not only has the label been sold to American Eagle Outfitters, but the designer has operated his own eponymous store in the Madison Park district for the last year. He has also kept busy working on collaborations with brands as varied as Timex and New Era.
But Snyder still found the time to whip up the second iteration of his original retail concept, a pop-up called City Gym 2.0 that opens today at 108 Fifth Ave. at 16th Street.
“The first one did so well, it was open for 1 and a half years,” he said during a walk-through of the store on Thursday. “We had an opportunity to take over this space, so we decided to open City Gym 2.0, a more modern take on what we did downtown.”
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The original pop-up had more of a locker room aesthetic, but this has “more of a heritage vibe,” he said.
The store, located across from the Google pop-up, formerly housed North Sails. As a result, Snyder said the location didn’t require a lot of heavy lifting to convert to a City Gym concept.
“I liked the exposed cement and the wood flooring,” he said. These elements are complementary to the merchandise, which skews more toward street style, blended with a little tailoring. Snyder pointed to a mannequin wearing a tailored topcoat over a hoodie and a track pant as an example.
About 70 percent of the mix is Snyder-designed Champion product — the two companies have had a partnership for around six years — and the rest consists of other brands with which Snyder collaborates including New Balance, PF Flyers, Vans, New Era, Timex and Rocky Mountain Featherbed. Snyder recently teamed with Timex on a special-edition Ironman watch that will be offered at the pop-up. His popular British tweed hats for New Era are also part of the mix along with the Rocky Mountain Featherbed down-filled jackets and some Mack Weldon underwear.
Additionally, the store will carry selections from the Todd Snyder men’s wear collection including chinos, denim, overcoats, ski sweaters and cashmere pocket tees.
There will be a juice bar from Juice Served Here, treats from Milk Bar, a digital mood board, an Aesop shop, bikes from Tokyo Bike and a ping-pong table.
James Mills worked with Snyder on the store design and graffiti artist Edward Granger created a work for the space.
Snyder said there are no plans to keep the shop open after three months, although the concept may one day lead to a permanent store. “We’re doing so well at the Madison Park store, that’s where the focus is,” he said. “But we wanted to test other concepts and see what works.”
He said that despite all the doom and gloom surrounding retail these days, he believes stores can find success if they think outside the box. “You’ve got to keep it fresh,” he said. “People want more and more and more, so we try to give them quality things that keep them interested in the brand.”