For the American designer, looking back is to move forward.
After years of managing the business side of creation, perfecting his craft, and developing outstanding pieces that doubled the brand’s revenue, Todd Snyder is ready to take over the fashion shows again. Since returning to the runway last year as a guest designer at Pitti Uomo in Florence, he’s realized how much he missed it. Now, he’s ready to take over—and it shows.
For this season’s show at the Academy Mansion on the Upper East Side, the inspiration was the Parisian neighborhood of Saint-Germain in the 1980s, as well as its music, nightlife, and uniforms. As Snyder once said, “If you look through the history books, everything has an interesting cycle. It’s about knowing when to bring back that look. I’m always looking at the past to go forward.” In his show notes, the New York-based designer wrote: “Undergrads loitering outside class in shorts and neckties, a writer having coffee at Café de Flore, keeping warm in a great coat he thrifted at Les Puce de Saint-Ouen, businessmen in three-piece suits ducking into Le Voltaire for dinner.”
Todd Snyder moves beyond the usual menswear by using rich fabrics, such as velvet, silk, leather, and cashmere, and bold, unexpected colors. His mastery of the basics allows him to elevate traditional silhouettes into modern, stylish designs. The result is a perfect balance of classic tailoring, elegant pieces, and contemporary flair.
