Snyder in front of archive fabrics at the Lyria mill in Tuscany.
Photographer: Clara Vannucci for Bloomberg BusinessweekThere’s a Sweet Spot in Menswear Today. Todd Snyder Is Designing for It
As European luxury prices skyrocket and fatigue sets in with the high-fashion set, Snyder's moderate approach and price point feel increasingly prescient. Did you know his clothes are made in Italy too?
Todd Snyder has a headache. The American menswear designer stands outside a warehouse in Tuscany, patting his pockets and trying to find an Advil.
We’ve just emerged from the archives of the House of Lyria, one of the premier mills in the Prato province, the historic heart of Italy’s fabric-making industry. Snyder has spent the last couple of days brainstorming with Riccardo Bruni, a wild-haired, elite textile maker, racing through hundreds of tweeds, twills, jacquards and linen-viscose blends. Bruni’s vast library of vintage apparel and materials, as well as a tour of his new collections, has set this gentle, soft-spoken giant (Snyder is 6 feet 3) into a bit of a frenzy. He needs a painkiller and, maybe, to sit down.