Our Haute 100 list details the accomplishments of the most influential people in each of our markets—Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. These people continue to make moves, so rather than waiting for the next Haute 100 issue to come out, we thought we’d provide you with regular updates on those Haute 100 members who are making headlines. On our Haute 100 Miami list is Craig Robins, the originator whose visionary talent revitalized places such as South Beach and the Design District and who continues to progress Miami’s art scene with innovative designs.
Craig Robins
Category: Originators
Company: Dacra Development
Industry: Real Estate
What Made Him Haute: South Beach, Lincoln Road, Española Way, and most importantly, the Design District can all credit this innovate visionary for their transformative rebirth. His Dacra Development Group combines art and architecture to create extremely avant-garde projects, revitalizing neighborhoods as it goes. In the Design District, Dacra is in the midst of a $250 million expansion that will bring a boutique hotel to a neighborhood that was all but forgotten before Robins came across the causeway after breathing life back into Lincoln Road and South Beach’s dilapidated Art Deco hotels. For the ambitious AQUA project, Dacra partnered with urban planners to create a whole luxury community on 8.5 acres in Miami Beach, and through Dacra Global, Robins hopes to bring his unique eye for urban revitalization to communities around the world.
What Makes Him Haute Now: Robins definitely has an eye for style and innovation; his company Dacra has turned the once dilapidated neighborhood of the Miami Design District into a unparalleled location for international art and design. Leading and high-end retailers such as Tomas Maier, Fendi, Christian Louboutin and Marni have opened stores in the area.
Robins is also the principal of the Design Miami fair, one of the most prominent fairs during Art Basel, and is also the founder and chairman of the Anaphiel Foundation. This year, Design Miami will move to Miami Beach, next to the Convention Center, and the show tent will be designed by duo Moorehead and Moorehead. Despite being surrounded by financial woes, Robins and Design Miami were able to put on one of the largest shows this past June and expect to grow 50 percent in both sales and number of dealers in December.
The Anaphiel Foundation, which is a non-profit organization, aims to encourage art education in every form. The originator is also on the board of trustees at the Miami Art Museum, and he has been recognized with awards such as the Design Patron Award for his countless efforts in garnering attention for the burgeoning art scene in Miami and dedication to progressive design methods.
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News
October 19, 2010Haute 100 New York Update: André Balazs
