In a nutshell
A high-energy, Jibbitz-lined playground that stretches from Broadway to Mercer, this icon store turns Crocs’ foam clog from a meme into a merchandised lifestyle - using scale, drops, customisation, and local tie-ins to make personalisation the core of the experience. It positions Crocs as customisable, culture-aware comfort brand, rather than a cheap mall-purchase afterthought.
In their words
"Think you’ve seen Crocs? Think again. Our in‑store selection is the biggest you’ll find - classics, limited drops, and everything in between. These SoHo‑only Crocs are here for a good time, not a long time. Swing by before they sell out. Your Crocs are craving some new flair. Stop by our SoHo store to shop the latest Jibbitz and make your pair feel brand new. The all‑new EXP line is where we explore our most daring and unconventional silhouettes. The next era of footwear has arrived, and the only limit is how far you’re willing to go.”
•Crocs, describing the SoHo Icon store on the official 543 Broadway store page.
Brand Background
Crocs launched in Colorado in 2002, founded by Lyndon “Duke” Hanson, Scott Seamans and George Boedecker Jr., after they acquired a small Canadian clog maker and its proprietary Croslite foam resin. The original Classic Clog - lightweight, waterproof, and ergonomically shaped - became a polarising global fad, driving hyper-growth through the mid-2000s and a 2006 IPO, then crashing as overexpansion, fashion backlash, and a bloated product assortment eroded margins.
Under CEO Andrew Rees, appointed in 2017, Crocs executed a widely studied turnaround: radically simplifying the product line to focus on clogs, sandals and a handful of adjacent silhouettes; trimming fringe categories; and doubling down on the Classic Clog as the hero, supported by collaborations with brands and talents such as Balenciaga, Post Malone and KFC.
By 2024 Crocs’ revenues were nearing USD 4 billion, with the company credited in strategy case studies as an example of how to turn “ugly” into iconic through focus, humour and disciplined brand management.
Physical retail has become an increasingly important brand stage. Traditionally reliant on wholesale and multi‑brand distribution, Crocs has been rolling out a refreshed global retail concept that moves beyond simple walls of clogs toward immersive, storytelling‑driven environments.
Visit Field notes
The SoHo Icon store at 543 Broadway, which opened in July 2025, is the first location to fully express this “Icon” concept. At approximately 4,000 square feet, the store is two to three times larger than a typical Crocs unit, spanning the length of a city block between Broadway and Mercer Street. UK-based design studio Briggs Hillier, Crocs' long-term retail partner, was tasked with creating what Echochamber describes as a “future flagship template,” balancing high SKU density with clear zoning and moments of theatre.
The Broadway entrance opens into a launch zone for new releases and New York exclusives, with illuminated podiums and a large digital screen setting a more “sneaker‑drop” tone than a typical comfort‑shoe shop. Beyond this, a “served area” introduces softer seating and staff-led storytelling for key franchises and collaborations, while the main body of the store is devoted to a wall-based presentation of clogs, sandals, and lined styles, arranged by colour and collection.
Dedicated Jibbitz bars for adults and kids turn personalisation into an in‑store ritual, with pegs, trays and mirrors designed for mixing and matching charms.
Look out for the integration of customisation, a full-range product showcase, and local tie-ins and/or 'colabs'.
At the time of visit (November 2025) that comprised:
•the full spectrum of styles, from classic clogs to the more experimental EXP line, bags and accessories;
•SoHo‑only colourways and graphics framed as “straight from the city, only for the city”; and
•a programme of events and shopping moments that Crocs says are designed to “bring joy” and community into the store, ranging from launch parties to creator‑led styling sessions. For peak season run-up we had Grinch-themed range, visual merchandising and messaging.
For Crocs, the SoHo Icon store serves as both a commercial powerhouse in a high-traffic neighbourhood and a live prototype for its next-generation retail concept, which is already informing the major 34th Street flagship redesign.
This is a mass-appeal brand using design, zoning and customisation to elevate a £40 foam clog into something with genuine experiential gravity on one of the world’s most competitive fashion streets.
Checkout
- focus on customisation for clogs, bags, phone accessories - on top of an already-large range it's a place to play, customise and create
- the journey from Broadway to Mercer is to walk through the brand's story telling - hero products and newness, range exploration, collaborations and seasonal ranges, the 'bodega' (that blends a New York staple with the idea of accessories and trinkets, the build-for-instagram mirrors, customisation, recycling, service, checkout and goodbye.
- use of the narrow 'walkway' feel to create distinctive zones without feeling like a retail 'killing zone' or funnel
- brand messaging - we're used to crocs being a 'see-it, know-it' product, so note the space dedicated to brand context and values.
Other Reading
- Crocs NYC at SoHo official store page with copy on the Icon experience
- Modern Retail: “Crocs’s new retail concept blends customisation, community and a broader product mix”
- Echochamber: “Crocs Icon Store, New York” a design‑centric walkthrough of the Broadway‑to‑Mercer store with zoning, layout and material details, plus design credit for Briggs Hillier
- Yahoo Finance / Footwear News summary: “Crocs’ New ‘Icon’ Store Eyes Experiential Retail” with size, location, assortment information
- Footwear Today and 365Retail coverage of the redesigned 34th Street flagship, showing how the Broadway Icon store set the direction for Crocs’ broader New York retail evolution
- Case studies on the Crocs turnaround - “Crocs’ remarkable turnaround: From ugly shoe fad to growth star” (The Fifth Person) and “Growth Strategy Case Study: A Crocs Comeback Story” (ItoAction)
LAST VISITED
11/11/2025
Added
2025
COMPARE WITH
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