Faherty And Bloomingdale's Team Up To Bring Coastal Cool To Midtown

Forbes

12-05-2025

Over the weekend, Bloomingdale's 59th Street flagship started to look and feel a little more like Spring Lake, New Jersey, thanks to a new collaboration with Faherty, the family-founded lifestyle brand known for its laid-back, surf-inspired aesthetic. In an innovative twist that blurs the lines between retail, hospitality, and experience, Faherty is taking over the department store's in-house restaurant space—Flip—to launch its first-ever Sun and Waves restaurant pop-up in New York City.
The partnership, which runs through June, is timed to coincide with Father's Day and the start of summer. 'At Bloomingdale's, we're always striving to dream big—and few brands reflect that spirit better than Faherty,' said David Thielebeule, Fashion Director at Bloomingdale's. 'As we looked to enhance our in-store experience for Father's Day, partnering with a brand known for bold ideas and effortless, beach-inspired style felt like a natural fit. After all, who doesn't love the beach? Bringing Alex and Mike's signature blend of relaxed sophistication and excellent vibes into our stores was an easy decision. I cannot wait for our customers to experience the results."
For Faherty, this moment represents more than just a creative partnership—it's an extension of a vision the brand has been building since its earliest days. "This is a major milestone for us—our first-ever window takeover at Bloomingdale's 59th Street, one of the most iconic shopping destinations in the world, along with a Sun and Waves pop-up inside Flip. We're thrilled to share the full Faherty experience—style, spirit, and flavor—right in the heart of New York City,' shared Alex Faherty, cofounder and CEO.
The company's first venture into the physical space was a Mobile Beach House back in 2013. It's a traveling mobile store that still exists today. That beach house-on-wheels is hitting the road again this summer, with upcoming stops planned for White Plains (May 31) and Huntington, NY (June 7). But this time, it's accompanied by a broader concept that includes immersive dining and lifestyle touchpoints.
The Bloomingdale's takeover is a natural next step for a brand that has steadily grown from a two-person vision to a national retail presence with 78 stores across the U.S. Though Faherty started as an online and wholesale business, the founders always believed in the power of physical retail.
"We opened our first store in New York's Greenwich Village by moving our office there. We had a little store on the front. There was not a lot of traffic down that street, but it was a great way for us to get product feedback,' Faherty said. The brand then opened in Malibu, a dream they had always had since visiting California as kids.
Even during the uncertainty of the early pandemic, Faherty succeeded due to some unique locations. The brand had stores in Sag Harbor, Jersey Shore, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard. When people were finally allowed to go back to shopping, the business in those towns was positive. This made the brand confident about continuing to look at retail and began opening more stores shortly after.
Combining shopping and dining began to take shape when Faherty and his wife moved back to Spring Lake and found themselves missing Brooklyn's all-day cafes and health-forward eateries. 'We took over this old bank in town, totally gutted it, and transformed it into this really cool hangout spot,' he said. It's been open since last fall and is now a town staple.
The NYC pop-up version of Sun and Waves brings that coastal vibe to the city with special decor, a refreshed menu (think Bondi avocado toast and Spring Lake tuna salad), and an exclusive apparel capsule collection designed as summer mementos. There's also a two-month window display on Third Avenue celebrating the partnership.
Today, about 40% of Faherty's business comes from retail, with the rest split between e-commerce and wholesale. The brand's largest wholesale partner is Nordstrom, but it also works with a vast network of specialty stores. "In the first few years, the majority of the sales were in the wholesale channel, so we had that benefit of learning a lot from that initially," Faherty said.
As it opens eight more stores in 2025, including locations in La Jolla, Boulder, and downtown Nashville, the company is also thinking more holistically about how to turn its retail spaces into destinations. Every store is designed to reflect the local community, blending reclaimed materials and a beach house sensibility with nods to regional architecture and culture. 'We never want the stores to feel cookie-cutter,' he said. 'It's all about creating a place people want to hang out.'
That philosophy extends to the people, too. 'We think of ourselves as a hospitality business, Faherty shared. 'We're running a business, so it's important that we hit our metrics, but at the same time, it's just as important that the customer leaves saying, I just had a great experience.'
Faherty is also investing in sustainable innovation. One recent product highlight is its new line of T-shirts made from regenerative organic cotton sourced from farms in Peru. Unlike traditional cotton, the regenerative approach uses rainwater and intercropping techniques that are significantly better for the environment.
While the move into hospitality may seem like a departure, it fits perfectly within the brand's broader ambition to create an ecosystem around its lifestyle. With the Bloomingdale's activation, Faherty is doing just that—meeting customers where they are and inviting them to linger a little longer.