Mr. Faena established his bold point of view first through his eponymous hotel in Buenos Aires and later at his two properties in Miami. Then he did it through entertainment in the form of the Faena Theater and his community-based Faena Forum. Now, Mr. Faena is seizing on today’s climate of experiential retail with Faena Bazaar, a kaleidoscopic shopping spectacular, where, like his hotels, every corner, every wall, every inch of space is a feast for the eyes and the imagination, a narrative journey curated as precisely as anything that’s bared his name. Inside what was once the Atlantic Beach Hotel, Mr. Faena translated his vision into commerce with the help of Maris Collective, a Los Angeles-based firm that curates bespoke, high-end retail experiences.
“My goal is always to introduce unique experiences to the community and I wanted Faena Bazaar to be a space unlike any other retail experience, where our visitors would enjoy true discovery and be inspired,” says Mr. Faena. “Myself and Maris Collective wanted the Bazaar to be a place that would bring the community together, and while Faena Bazaar is a permanent space, it will be ever-evolving and changing so that there is always a chance to uncover new curiosities.”
Curiosities exist on every floor of the Faena Bazaar, which from the outside attracts bystanders with its white mid-century facade that further benchmarks "mid-beach" as the ever-evolving Faena district. Mr. Faena worked closely with OMA, the firm founded by Rem Koolhaas, and Shohei Shigematsu, partner at OMA and director of the New York office, who served as the lead architect for the building.
Once inside, the courtyard level features a high-end women’s shop awash in leopard and lit by a glistening Turkish chandelier, where brands like Sonia Rykiel, For Restless Sleepers and Harley Viera-Newton line the walls. Nearby, the men’s corner offers the perfect lineup for a weekend in Miami, where brands like Cobra S.C., Eton, J.W. Brine and Parioca fit perfectly with the rolling papers and cigars for sale near the cash wrap. The courtyard in-between features murals by artists also represented in the gallery space next door. Curated by Faena Art, Guest Galleries launched in February in partnership with Dot51 gallery, which will be in-residence until the middle of May. Featured works includes those by Juan José Cambre, Graciela Hasper and Gonzalo Fuenmayor. Dot51 gallery also engaged artist Juan José Cambre to create a site-specific commission of a new mural that hangs in the courtyard.
“The intent was to create a layered spectacle of retail, a deconstruction of the traditional shopping mall and to create a platform for transcultural conversations which redefine the shopping experience,” says LeeAnn Sauter, founder and chief executive officer at Maris Collective. “It's a bit of retail as theater, a mall without walls and a site for high-concept, small scale pocket shops.”
Other rooms throughout the bazaar reflect the more-is-more Faena aesthetic in the form of Gucci wallpaper, Kimberly McDonald geode furniture and vibrant trunks by fabric house Voutsa. There’s a custom embroidery shop by artist C.Bonz, and the perfect array of Miami must-haves like caftans, cover-ups and beach dresses by Carolina K, Miguelina, Zimmerman and Rosa Cha. There’s decadent jewelry by Ms. McDonald, eyewear by Dita and Super, and exotic skin handbags by Ximena Kavalekas x Margherita Missoni. In a nod to the wellness movement, the top floor features an immersive space by the Tribeca-based Goldish boutique. There, founder Yafit Goldfarb offers meditative journeys and sacred healing rituals set among fine jewelry, works of art, and German hand-crafted gongs, all for sale.
“The curation was a focus on bringing together like-minded designers that did very different things like women’s apparel, accessories, jewelry and shoes, but they all have this common connection of the way they think about creation,” Ms. Sauter says. “We wanted to fill this space with like-minded thinkers that could create floors of exploration, from product to styling.”
The Faena Bazaar isn’t the only initiative keeping Mr. Faena busy. On April 25, he'll release his book, Alan Faena: Alchemy & Creative Collaboration: Architecture, Design, Art. Published by Rizzoli, the tome is a look into the hotelier’s story, beginning as a boy in Argentina and chronicling his years as a fashion designer, a gardener in Uruguay and his role as an “urban alchemist.”
Mr. Faena began his career in fashion with a line called Vai Vai. He later sold the company and retreated to the coast of Uraguay in Punta del Este to grow roses. After two years living in the gardens of Tierra Santa, he decided to create a multifunctional cultural destination in the then-derelict dockland of Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires alongside designer Philippe Starck. “This new space, I knew, would encompass all of my passions: design, culture, technology, art, architecture, food, taste, dancing, music, meaning, life,” he writes in his book. “From day one, I saw it as building another paradise, just as I had done with Tierra Santa.”
Mr. Faena later turned his focus to Miami, the coastal city he first visited as a child, where he fell in love with its unique cultural codes, its glamour and its sense of familiarity. Since then he's carved an entire region of mid-beach into his own universe, featuring two hotels, the Faena Forum, the Faena Bazaar and a series of condominium units. What's to come next? Fans of Faena world will have to wait and see.
