Celebrity designer Domenico Vacca has released the first renderings of his new $20 million flagship “destinationˮ off Fifth Avenue.
Vacca has leased the full building from Assa Properties to create an 8,000 s/f store as well as a private café, barber shop, beauty salon, members-only club, and luxury long-term stay apartments.
“This building is a mecca of extravagance and comfort, each aspect and detail a labor of love,” said the designer.
“For the new retail space, I wanted to create a place that is not just a storefront, but a destination that draws people in to connect, shop, and relax, reviving the in-store shopping experience.”
The building at 15 West 55th Street was purchased Solly Assa’s Assa Properties for $36 million in 2013 when it was described as a “nine-story 56,005 s/f property with 36 residential units and 5,000 s/f of retail space.ˮ
Vacca — who opened his first retail boutique on Fifth Avenue in 2002 — said his new project represents “the evolution of the brand, embodied in an entire building whose façade will be instantly recognizable in a lower stratum of light Italian marble topped by rose-hued stories with brown awnings.ˮ
The new flagship and lifestyle space is surrounded by Fifth Avenue’s best-known shopping spots and most prestigious hotels, including the Peninsula and St. Regis, and is within easy walking distance of Central Park, the Museum of Modern Art, Rockefeller Center and the Broadway Theatre District.
The Domenico Vacca will feature a two-story flagship retail store for men and women as well as a private VIP area offering custom made and special order collections.
The ground level will also feature the DV Café, a replica of a typical Italian café/bar that sees as “a meeting point for shoppers, socialistas and foodies alike.ˮ
On the second floor, the DV Barber Shop will offer an “Italian-style grooming concept providing exceptional service for sophisticated menˮ and an adjacent, 700 s/f DV Hair Salon will provide women’s cuts, color and blowouts.
Also on the second floor of The Domenico Vacca will be the DV Club, an exclusive 2,500 s/f private club with a private entrance and a 1,500 s/f terrace. It will be connected by elevator to a 4,000 s/f rooftop available for club members and private events.
“I am a member of several clubs around the world and have been in many where I was unhappy with the lack of customer service and the overselling of tables,” said Vacca.
“I wanted a social club where the staff knows not only every member by name, but their choices in drinks, food and their social habits so they can anticipate their every need. ”
The upper floors of The Domenico Vacca are to be ong-term stay residences personally decorated by Domenico Vacca.
Residents of the 30 fully furnished luxury residences, available in studio to three-bedroom options, will have access to the DV Club, the rooftop, a private gym and chauffeured limousine service.
Domenico Vacca presently has boutiques in New York, Beverly Hills, Miami, Mayakoba in Mexico, Doha, and Milan.
