LuisaViaRoma Opens Mega Flagship in New York’s NoHo, Its First International Unit

MILAN — A year-and-a-half after news circulated that the luxury e-tailer was plotting a retail push into the U.S., LuisaViaRoma on Monday will open its first international brick-and-mortar flagship — and second physical unit overall — at 1 Bond Street in Manhattan’s NoHo.

The 11,300-square-foot, two-story space joins the storied existing unit on Florence’s Via Roma, which opened in 1929, and a VIC and press suite in Milan, in addition to LuisaViaRoma’s e-commerce platform.

The move reflects both the dynamism of the U.S. market for the retailer and its growing ambitions for the region.

“LuisaViaRoma generates 25 percent of its online sales in the U.S., and New York is its biggest market. We hope to continue this forward momentum by pouring our energy toward the American consumer,” said Tommaso Andorlini, chief executive officer of LuisaViaRoma since late July 2023.

The executive said that since starting its online business in 1999, LuisaViaRoma’s American audience and consumer base have grown steadily over time.

In 2024 LuisaViaRoma’s sales generated in the U.S. are poised to increase 50 percent, Andorlini revealed, and are expected to double by 2026 “helped by brand awareness generated through the Bond Street store and further development of the digital platforms,” the executive explained.

The Italian retailer is reportedly paying $3.2 million in annual rent for the space, according to leasing advisory firm Mona.

The New York flagship replicates the format of the Florentine flagship, which boasts a minimal interior concept, and will blend custom-made and vintage furnishings. About 2,200 square feet of the new store will be dedicated to VIP clients, who will have a dedicated entrance and get access to key services including concierge styling sessions and selections of curated products.

The unit will sell men’s and women’s ready-to-wear with selection geared toward local customers. For the opening the flagship carries luxury brands including Maison Margiela, Jil Sander and Chloé, as well as New York fashion darlings Gabriela Hearst, Proenza Schouler and Helmut Lang.

“The New York store features a curated, full-look product edit that combines globally dominant true luxury brands with iconic New York designers and international emerging talent,” Andorlini said, adding that he expects the selection to eventually include about 100 brands as the store reaches full execution.

“We will continue to refine the brand mix based on our interaction with the local audience. Our product curation strategy is continuously evolving, and we see the next phase of our business as a shift toward quality and creativity, rather than irony and hype,” he added.

In keeping with its existing partnership with Vestiaire Collective on secondhand fashion, the Manhattan flagship will also carry an edit of vintage pieces in-store, in addition to providing clients with a consignment service for their pre-loved luxury goods in exchange for LuisaViaRoma credit.

Asked about balancing its on- and offline presence in the country, Andorlini said that LuisaViaRoma is “continuing to build an omnichannel ecosystem that combines the ease of digital access with the tactile joy of our true luxury physical environments.”

To this end, at the onset of 2024 the retailer acquired Holding IT, a firm helmed by Andorlini and the parent company to FFW Srl, which has created and managed e-commerce sites for fashion brands since 2011, and Playground Srl, which operates luxury sportswear stores under the banner SOTF. In light of the deal, which was seen as further fueling LuisaViaRoma’s digital capabilities, the LuisaViaRoma Group, a new entity, was established.

Aimed at boosting awareness in the U.S., LuisaViaRoma is plotting a “LVR Digital Catwalk” in coming months. Conceived as a multibrand digital fashion show to showcase the store’s and e-commerce’s curation and product assortment, the activation is seen as a combination of the retailer’s physical and digital prowess, the CEO said.

LuisaViaRoma already tested the brick-and-mortar waters in Manhattan, opening a pop-up store in 2018 in partnership with Spring Studios and Spring Place.

Elsewhere on the physical retail front, the company is planning to revamp its nearly 100-year-old flagship in Florence at the end of 2024 and will open the first LuisaViaRoma Kids unit in its hometown in September. But Andorlini sounded cautious about opening more physical stores.

“LuisaViaRoma recognizes an opportunity in this [physical retail] consolidating business sector. We will address this market trend with a focus on steady, sustainable growth and meticulous cost optimization. We have the team, product selection, omnichannel ecosystem, and the financial backing to remain a leader and excel in the business while the market finds its footing,” the CEO said.

LuisaViaRoma was established by president Luisa Jaquin — the grandmother of the retailer’s president Andrea Panconesi — who planted the seeds of the family company’s success by opening the concept store in 1929.

Following Style Capital’s investment of 130 million euros to acquire a 40 percent stake in the retailer in 2021, Panconesi left his post as CEO — now held by Andorlini, who succeeded Yoox veteran Alessandra Rossi — to be president of the company, while his daughter Annagreta serves as creative director of both the website and physical stores.