Alchemist has been—and continues to be—a high-end fashion boutique located in Miami Beach, Florida. (Its current home is in the Herzog & de Meuron–devised parking garage at the juncture of Alton and Lincoln Roads). But its owner, Roma Cohen, has been re-evaluating both the practice of retail and his purpose in it, seeking out ways to be more innovative in a changing, challenging game. He’s done product drops and special-edition pieces (examples include tees and bucket hats with the South Korean superstar G-Dragon, and candles made in partnership with the late architect Zaha Hadid). But inevitably, hype fades. So, with his experience in cultivating and witnessing consumer desires, he has created his own in-house line. It, too, is called Alchemist. It is three seasons old. And it is great.
You’ve got to admire the gumption of someone who calls a duffel, made of rugs sourced in North Africa and appliquéd with a skull-headed octopus patch, the “Global Express.” That name references a cream-of-the-crop corporate jet manufactured by Bombardier—the sort of transport that Alchemist’s wearers, like J Balvin and Playboi Carti, might get around in. (These bags, among similarly bohemian-styled totes, will each be one of a kind.)
“It’s a little bit Talitha Getty in Marrakech, that ’70s Moroccan vibe,” said Cohen. “This became a very happy rainbow Alchemist collection.” It also marked the first time he has introduced dedicated womenswear, which includes flared pants in star-patterned sequins, and for those less adventurous but still wanting a bit of the luxe-factor, denim with scraps of that sequined motif sewn on.
Ultimately, though, the label has a lot of unisex overlaps, and most of it looks meant for plush basking. Distressed jean jackets have fur collars, patched on the back with Miami neighborhoods, including “Little River,” the buzzy area where Cohen’s studio is located. Sweats are washed and faded; featherweight button-downs have polychrome sketches of mushrooms and butterflies and daisies. And, the ubiquitous hoodie, seen nearly everywhere for seasons on end? Cohen has found a way to tamper with it: Destroy it at the elbows, and patch it from within with neon-rainbow tweed, sourced directly from the same factory that supplies Chanel with its woven yarns. Get comfy, and get the Global Express fueled up.
