Domenico Vacca’s new Flagship Store In NYC
The designer and expert tailor opened a 10-story flagship store where you can not only shop his latest men’s, women’s and accessories collections, but you can also fuel up at the Italian espresso bar, get your hair cut, grab a drink at the bar, soak up the sun on the rooftop terrace and much more.
“I started thinking about what is really the future of fashion and fashion retail. Online is pretty big, and people are changing their way of shopping, so for somebody who still loves to have a real store where people come and interact with the brand, the point was what should we do to make it interesting,” Vacca told us during a preview of his new store.
“The thing that we need to do is create an experience. I want my clients to come here, have an espresso, look at our collection and eventually shop, then come upstairs and have a shave or a haircut,” he added.
The 8,000-square-foot ground floor of the store, which will have its grand opening on May 3, features men’s and women’s clothing, accessories and the espresso bar.
The second floor features a barber shop for men and a hair salon for women, in addition to an area for custom services.
Also on the second floor is a private club that costs $1,800 a month or $20,000 a year to be part of. The club includes a bar, lounge, outdoor terrace and a rooftop kitchen, and each member can visit with three guests to enjoy free food and drinks. The club space, which is open to members from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., will also act as a venue for Vacca’s fashion week runway shows and other private events during the day.
“The idea was to create a place where people go for many reasons, Vacca said.
“My idea was I don’t want to create another store like every other store on Fifth Avenue where the sales associate is standing at the door waiting for somebody to come in,” he added.
The rest of the building’s floors house 30 long-term-stay apartments, which will be ready in September and have their own entrance separate from the retail space. The one-, two- and three-bedroom suites come fully furnished with Domenico Vacca furniture, tableware and linens and range in price from $12,000 to $18,000 per month. Tenants will have access to the private club, as well as limousine service.
The flagshipn store is located at 15 W. 55th Street.
