A Brief History Of Kith's Retail Excellence, As Told By Ronnie Fieg

In under a decade and a half, Kith became the king. It's been a mere 15 years since Ronnie Fieg conceived of Kith and and 14 since his homegrown imprint evolved from a small shoe store in the rear of local retailer Atrium into a world-conquering lifestyle label. "World-conquering" might actually be an understatement.

Kith still sells shoes but also an astonishingly expansive collection of clothes, sweets, home goods, and collaborative product as disparate as comic books and BMW SUVs. Kith is a lifestyle, baby, too big to be contained to a single store.

There is, however, a single store at the heart of it all.

The Kith flagship store at 337 Lafayette Street, opened in 2017, is the crown jewel of the Kith empire that has since spread to Hawaii, Osaka, Seoul, and Paris.

In 2025, the store was remodeled from top to bottom, transforming into a space deserving of its status in Kith's operation. 337 Lafayette was once shiny and modern but it's now outfitted like an aristocrat's dusky salon, trimmed with marble, walnut, oak, and gleaming brass.

As the reborn Kith Manhattan flagship reopens its doors on May 16, we caught up with Ronnie Fieg for a brief trip down memory lane. Here, Mr. Kith himself succinctly recaps a decade of retail excellence.

Kith Manhattan 2.0 Flagship, 2014

"This was our first expansion into a lifestyle space. I would consider it our first real proof of concept, as we evolved from a footwear shop to offering a holistic brand experience."

Kith Women Flagship, 2015

"This was our smallest space, but at the time, I thought it would live long enough to grow our women’s business. We found out shortly after that the women’s category was going to become a much bigger opportunity for us. It then became our first Kith Kids flagship, which a few years later wound up expanding."

Kith Manhattan Flagship, 2017

"337 Lafayette means everything to me. It was our first standalone building, which allowed us to dream bigger and offer a much more evolved and fulfilled experience for our guests."

Kith Kids Flagship, 2019

"I couldn’t have imagined what this block would become for not only our brand, but for the community of New York. Today it is surrounded by our men’s and women’s flagships, which has led to this block becoming a center for families to experience the brand as a whole. Seeing full families walk along Bleecker Street to leave one store and enter another is a truly incredible feeling."

Kith Women Flagship, 2023

[This space was the original Kith flagship store] "This is the building where it all began. The true center and core of our company. This is the space that built the community which then helped build our brand. A very historic and nostalgic location that once housed the denim mecca of the US: Atrium."

Kith Manhattan Flagship, 2025

[The building at 337 Lafayette was constructed in 1922.] "The redesign of this building is the true meaning of new luxury, redefined. We consider this space to exist on the same level as the world’s leading fashion houses and luxury retailers."

8th St by Ronnie Fieg & Clarks Originals, 2025

"I remember working on the sales floor and selling Clarks fisherman sandals back in the 1990s. That aesthetic has always stuck with me and was a large inspiration for this season’s evolution of our 8th St collection. Because of this, evolving our category into summer product and sandals felt organic and authentic."

Kith Summer 2025

"This year’s summer collection is an expansion of our product spectrum. [It] has really evolved and features our biggest selection of fabrics, textures, silhouettes, and fits to date."

Kith for Cigarette Racing

"This partnership adds a new dimension to our brand. My good friend Alex Pirez introduced me to [Cigarette Racing] over two years ago. I fell in love with their product, their craftsmanship and their rich history. Applying my lens to this was some of the most fun I’ve had in recent times. The boats came out more beautiful than I could’ve imagined and we also created a capsule inspired by the palette of the three boats we designed."

Kith Treats & Dominique Ansel

"Working with Dominique, a trust artist and genius, to create our own flavor of his iconic Cronut was an incredible experience. This is the 12th year since he first debuted the Cronut, and it is as desired today as it was then, if not more so. Launching this with him for the reopening of our store is a true New York moment."

Ronnie Fieg & New Balance ABZORB 2010 Sneaker, 2025

"Over a year ago, I began having conversations with New Balance about debuting a brand new silhouette, the 2010. It’s a model that feels as relevant today as it would have back in the year 2010. Working on new silhouettes is one of my favorite things and experimenting with different color blocking and storytelling elements. I’ve been holding onto these for a while and I wanted to wait to launch them with the reopening of our Manhattan flagship."

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