By Paul Rubio
Step aside Fifth Avenue, and move over Rodeo Drive. Thanks to the opening of retail-mecca Brickell City Centre (701 S. Miami Ave) in downtown and the expansion of the Miami Design District, Miami is quickly becoming America’s hub for the sole US outposts of high-profile international brands. Amid unprecedented growth, you no longer need to go Italy to buy the latest products (or travel accessories) from Acqua di Parma or to Israel to get the latest baroque pearl necklace from YVEL – simply head to Miami!
Here, six high-end retailers found exclusively in the Magic City, all just a short drive from Acqualina Resort & Spa.
Acqua di Parma
In March 2017, Italian fragrance and skincare brand Acqua di Parma celebrated its first and only standalone store in the US at Brickell City Centre. The 1,000-square-foot, marble-clad boutique showcases the full range of Acqua di Parma’s premium products with a dedicated salon area to test scents and fragrances. They also sell Parma’s hard-to-find Home Collection as well as travel accessories, leather bags, room sprays, and candles. What’s more? There’s an in-store barbershop where master barbers specialize in razor shaves using Acqua di Parma’s Collezione Barbiere (the shaving and grooming collection for men). Brickell City Centre, Level 1, 786-220-8840.
Photo: Acqua di Parma
COS
In November 2016, Scandinavian fashion label COS – the most exclusive arm of H&M brands – made its US debut in Miami’s flourishing Design District. The 3,703 square feet space is oh-so-Scandinavian minimalist inside and out: A facade constructed from locally sourced solar screen tiles opens to an interior amalgam of wood, concrete, and glass. Shop for women’s, men’s and children’s understated wardrobe essentials, designed for a timeless look. Miami Design District, 786-857-5923.
Photo: COS
Fabiana Filippi 
Founded in 1985, Umbria-based womenswear brand Fabiana Filippi is best known for its simple elegance and neutral color palette in collections that often include classic coats, hem tanks, silhouettes, jersey joggers, skinny jeans, knitwear, and canvas kicks. Historically, select items from the Italian womenswear brand were available only at high-end department stores in America. But since the November 2017 introduction of Filippi’s first standalone US boutique at Brickell City Centre, look forward to sampling a far wider range of the current season’s collection. Brickell City Centre, Level 1, 786-574-9621.
Photo: Fabiana Filippi
Hublot
Though Swiss watch brand Hublot can be found across the United States, the outpost in Miami’s Design District stands apart from its counterparts: It’s the only store to carry the brand’s most exclusive limited edition and high complication pieces (read: these pieces are not sold anywhere else in the country nor online). Recently, the store carried special pieces from The Classic Fusion Orlinski collection, an edgy, 400-piece titanium-and-ceramic collaboration between Hublot and Richard Orlinski, France’s best-selling contemporary artist. Miami Design District, 786-762-2929.
Photo: Robin Hill
MIRTO
After six decades in Madrid, Spanish menswear label MIRTO has crossed over to the United States with the opening of a boutique at Brickell City Centre in downtown Miami. Known for its form-fitting button-downs constructed with special fabrics to show off diesel bodies, MIRTO is a dream for the in-shape Miami man. The boutique not only houses the MIRTO signature collection of men’s luxury shirts (from pinstripes to denim) but also blazers, ties, and suits to complement the look as well as furnishings and sportswear. Brickell City Centre, Level 3, 786-899-5125.
YVEL
Jerusalem-based luxury jewelry brand YVEL, a favorite of celebs like Scarlett Johansson, Rihanna, and Selena Gomez, debuted a US flagship store in the Design District in 2014 and hasn’t looked back since. The brand is synonymous with the highest of high-end pearl jewelry using a variety of rare, organic baroque pearls set in 18K gold. Shop for exquisite bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and rings at the Miami outpost and be sure to ask about the ever-changing, one-of-a-kind pieces being sold exclusively in Miami. Miami Design District, 305-573-9835.
Photo: Robin Hill
Featured Photo: Mike Kelley, courtesy Brickell City Centre
About the Contributor
Travel journalist Paul Rubio is a Miami native who has lived in nine countries and traveled to 110 (and counting). Rubio’s writing appears in Condé Nast Traveler, LUXURY, Robb Report, Private Clubs, and ultratravel.