Todd Snyder on Building His Brand

Todd Snyder was unabashed about how abandoning his collegiate plan to become an architect allowed him to build a house of a different kind. Having worked in the industry for 20-plus years at companies such as Ralph Lauren and J. Crew, the designer, a three-time CFDA award nominee, ventured out on his own four years ago to launch his signature brand. “My dad always told me, ‘If you want to be the best, work for the best,’” he said. “For me, there was nothing better than Ralph Lauren. And when I met Mickey Drexler, there was nothing better than his vision and what he’s done. I started my own brand because I saw a real void in the marketplace. Throughout my career, I was able to shop the industry to see what was missing.” Snyder said he aimed to build a brand around updated American classics such as a sweatshirt, chinos, “a great jean” and a suit — essentially the go-to items in his own closet. “But I wanted to reinvent that and update that. I felt that the American designer especially is always getting eclipsed by the Europeans,” he said. “J. Crew really showed me there’s a customer out there who

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