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A few months ago, we launched our Better Know a Store Owner series with BASE Superstore, a 20-year-old menswear shop on that has managed to not only survive the tides of Lincoln Road's changing landscape, but to introduce Miami to the concept of a lifestyle store where you can easily walk out with a T-shirt, an artsy mag, the piece of art written about in said artsy mag, and the soundtrack to your life on vinyl, all in the same day.
To be the first menswear store in Miami to really innovate the retail industry merits an award in itself, but to be the first menswear store in Miami to revolutionize the hospitality industry merits a lifetime achievement award. Steven Giles, the store's owner, has expanded his BASE empire to include a creative consultancy company called BASE IDEAS, which has helped him open amenity outposts at the Delano, the Mondrian and, soon in November, the Miami EDITION.
But it's what's inside of BASE— the collaborations, the items, the exclusives— that makes it stand out. The store is chock full of brands that you won't find anywhere else in the city, like Knomadik, Stampd LA and soon it will be the first store in the US to carry Project Pietà, a line of urban wear designed and made by prisoners in Peru. In 2014 the store also welcomed in a cold-pressed juice bar and in this month alone the store will be collaborating with PUMA for a special in-store showcase. During Art Basel, BASE will be debuting Heathen, the clothing division of iconic toy company, Blamo.
After all these years, BASE still manages to keep its cool, pioneering the menswear space without anyone even knowing it. And with menswear taking the center stage in the fashion industry as of late, it's great to know that one store in Miami was on trend before the industry even was.
· BASE Superstore [Official Site]
· Steven Giles May Be The Most Interesting Man on Lincoln Road [Racked Miami]
· Racked Awards 2014 [Racked Miami]