Surf The Webster!

Miami doesn’t immediately connote surfing—or sartorial savvy. But that’s all changing thanks to one-year-old boutique The Webster, which stocks the likes of Lanvin, Celine and brightly colored panama hats by way of Ecua-Andino. Having introduced Miami Beach to luxury fashion, the founders of The Webster––Milan Vukmirovic (who helped launch Colette), Laure Heriard Dubreuil (a YSL alum) and Frederic Dechnik (formerly of Gucci Group)––are upping the ante with an in-store surf-themed pop-up shop, the brainchild of fellow Frenchman and self-styled cultural entrepreneur Timothee Verrecchia. A creative director, producer and DJ (performing alongside his brother Vassili as Tim & Vass), Verrecchia was bred on the cold swells of Normandy, and his fascination with surfing lifestyle has become a bona-fide obsession. Surf the Webster, which lasts until the end of the summer, pays homage to surf culture as a whole. “I wanted to show an entire ecosystem, not just board shorts and beach towels, but photography, books, food for thought,” says Verrecchia, who has curated a selection of wares exclusively for NOWNESS.

1. Baron Wells Board for The Webster, $500

The Baron Wells store was started by two young NYC guys who design the clothing line of the same name. One of them, Dominic Volini, shapes his own surfboards. He researched the old techniques of shaping paulownia wood into alaia boards [thin, round-nosed, square-tailed surf boards]. These are amazing pieces that are a great symbol of old Hawaiian surfing.

2. Webster Beach Package, $75

A great symbol of how The Webster has succeeded in becoming a destination for luxury. I love that you can buy a Balmain dress or Balenciaga shoes, or you can walk away with Havaianas, Sex Wax and an American Apparel Webster T-shirt. I’m working with the store to develop its own merchandise and co-branding.

3. Feal Mor Jersey-Striped Sailor Shirt, $150

I hang with a core group of surfers—one is my friend, the designer and LA-based music producer JP of Feal Mor. He recently went back to the fisherman factories in Brittany that make all the old iconic items like wool hats and sweaters and big scarves, and he matched those styles with modern colors and cuts.

4. Daniel Fuller, Pipeline [Photograph], $7,000

Danny is a good friend, a professional surfer and a living illustration of a generation. He doesn’t do contests other than the big ones. He travels the world looking for the best wave. He’s also a very talented photographer and takes a lot of images at night using just the moonlight. For all of us nerdy surfers he really is “the” guy.

5. Pare Gabia Espadrille in Jean, $45

The people who created The Webster are all French. As respectable Frenchmen we can’t step out into the sun without our espadrilles. Fred [Dechnik] is originally from St Jean de Luz and he went back to the factory there that made the original espadrilles. The shoe is a timeless accessory and also an item of the heart as it links us to our childhood.

6. Saturdays Check Boardshort, $125

I have a love story with Saturdays, the coffee and surf shop in SoHo. I think it’s the best illustration of the energy in NYC right now; Saturdays is building an amazing brand and clothing line and it epitomizes the best of what surfing is about.

7. Piombo Robe in Yellow/Brown, $1,700

I really like the idea of people dedicating so much time to making the perfect bathrobe. It’s obviously a luxury item, made from the most amazing material.

8. Surfing Photography Books, from $40

Jeff Divine is a disciple of the original surf photographer, LeRoy Grannis, whose books are also in store. Both were part of the first movement to photograph surfing not only as a sport but as a lifestyle. Miki Dora is the ultimate free surfer. He embodies the Malibu 60s counterculture movement better than anyone.

9. Parabellum iPad Portfolio, $580

We’re all big iPad users, and in doing research for accessories I found that there were very few [for the] iPad. These portfolios are made from bison, and they’re the highest quality and most original cases that I’ve found.

10. Basta Surf Trestles Bikini Top and Bottom in Green, $162

My aesthetic for women’s clothing in general is almost conservative and always about very high quality, very pure, very strict design. This bikini is a great example of that.

Photographed at The Webster, Miami by Adrian Gaut