The story behind LeBron James’ UNKNWN store and its journey to Wynwood
A lot can change in eight years.
On the eve of UNKNWN’s grand opening in 2011, co-owners Frankie Walker Jr. and Jaron Kanfer were still building clothing racks, stocking shelves, price-tagging items — tasks that should’ve been completed weeks in advance. A line of customers stood outside the store and watched patiently as the pair put on the finishing touches up to the last minute.
Fast forward to 2019. The two are at ease just a few days before Thursday morning’s opening of their second store. Sitting on the ledge of a bronze basketball-themed installation inside their new Wynwood location, the two friends laugh as they reminisce how far they came.
“We now have a level of experience that we just didn’t have before,” Walker Jr. said. “We understand our retail power, our clients, our consumers. We understand what it takes to run a successful business.”
When UNKNWN first made its debut in the Aventura Mall, it was all about changing the game of fashion. The concept was to bring the the pair’s unique styles — along with that of their third partner and childhood friend LeBron James — under one roof. But doing so would mean venturing into uncharted territory.
Not many stores had a selection that included popular sneaker companies like Nike and Jordan, streetwear brands like Bathing Ape and Billionaire Boys Club, and high-fashion labels like Thom Browne and COMME des GARÇONS.
“When I travel, we’d walk in [luxury] places and not feel that comfortable,” Kanfer said, “and I knew that’s not what we wanted UNKNWN to represent.”
This mission — to combine all their styles minus the stuffy atmosphere — was informed by their past experiences. Growing up in Akron, their only exposure to fashion was through the local sneaker stores. Travel basketball, however, gave them the opportunity to see what the rest of the country wore.
“You’d see how [other teams] put together their looks for the game, what shoes they wore, what’s popping on the West,” Walker Jr. said.
Over time, their styles began to take shape.
Of course there’s LeBron, the NBA superstar, who Kanfer and Walker described as more “adventurous” (“You might see him in acid denim,” Walker Jr. said with a smile, “which you’d never see me in acid denim.”). Then there’s Kanfer, UNKNWN’s CEO and head buyer in the design world whose wardrobe consists of mostly high-end brands. Finally, there’s Walker, UNKNWN’s director of vendor relations who is labeled a “sneakerhead” by those around him and tends to rock more of a conservative look.
UNKNWN is a reflection of them.
“We wanted to create this inclusive shopping experience where we could have Thom Browne customers feel comfortable shopping next to the streetwear, the Bapes [and] the sneakers” Kanfer said.
That interaction is what makes the Wynwood store special. Rather than just bringing a new attraction to the community, they sought to make themselves a part of the community. That plays out in the store’s layout.
“The way [John Margaritis] brings sport and industrial together, it felt so right for this project because Wynwood is a very industrial area,” Kanfer said of the store’s design process. “We didn’t want to come in here and not feel like we’re part of this community so we kept the aesthetic of the original structure.”
Head of the art collective New York Sunshine, Margaritis handcrafted all of the shelving and displays as well as an installation inside the 10,000-square-foot store.
“I wanted to achieve something different and exciting,” Margaritis said, “and kind of push the boundaries of retail and what it could be.”
His installation — two back-to-back, upside down basketball goals suspended in mid-air over a reflection pool — does just that. For Margaritis, it represented what he calls a “peaceful break from retail.” He insisted that the work not be cluttered with merchandise so that shoppers could sit on the ledge and relax.
Then there’s the basketball court, which will open the same day as the store. Painted a deep blue, the court’s walls fade from red to yellow as if mirroring a sunset.
“That was my little piece of South Beach in Wynwood,” Margaritis said with a chuckle.
The court represented another opportunity for UNKNWN to embed itself in the community. Kanfer and Walker’s faces lit up when discussing the endless opportunities.
“One minute you may catch a sporting event, the next we may have a concert, we may have some type of speaking engagement or movie screening,” Walker Jr. said. “Whatever the case may be, we wanted to make sure that we were able to change with what we wanted to provide to the community.”
In the eight years since UNKNWN first opened in Aventura, the retail business model has changed dramatically. Online shopping became king. Brick and mortar suffered. Getting the customer in and out became key.
This is the climate that UNKNWN and its proprietors now find themselves in. While having one of the most recognizable faces on the planet in your ownership group surely helps, it will be their approach to retail that can set them apart.
“We went from being a more traditional retailer,” Kanfer said, “to now being able to provide a platform for brands to connect with consumers through experience.”
This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 9:55 AM.
