Massimo Bizzocchi Opens Boutique Fashion Emporium in Meat Packing District
New York’s Hottest Gritty-Chic Retail District Welcomes Classic-with-a-Twist
NEW YORK - In the shadow of the historic High Line, in the city’s gritty-chic Meat Packing District, Massimo Bizzocchi has opened an eponymous 2,000-square-foot retail emporium that will feature the very best men’s and women’s fashion from Italy.
Tourists, residents, tire kickers and the fashion cognoscenti may do double takes at the store that is sandwiched between some decidedly fashion forward names such as Stella McCartney and Jeffrey. Unpredictability, however, is part of the equation at the new Massimo Bizzocchi.
“The Meat Packing District is a discovery place right now,” says Bizzocchi. “This is where people come to see and experience new things. And even if they know our collections and our designers, they may be surprised by how we put it all together.”
Putting it together is something Bizzocchi knows quite a bit about. He has built an unparalleled reputation for cultivating interest in Italy’s super luxury brands with unrivaled heritages, including Kiton, Lorenzini, Avon Celli and Silvio Lattanzi’s Zintala footwear, which are all carried in the new store. He has partnered with North America’s leading retailers, wearing hats as a designer and stylist, merchant wholesaler and, now, retailer.
The Massimo Bizzocchi store, with clear sight lines and clean, cool surfaces, will be a place for some risk taking and statement making, a venue that won’t turn the classics upside down so much as a store that will update classic clothing, sportswear and accessories for a wider audience in a changing world. “The customer who knows these brands may be used to seeing them presented in a certain way, in a classic context,” Bizzocchi says. “That’s an excellent approach but there are a variety of ways in which our clothing can be worn and enjoyed. Color, pattern, texture, fabric and attention to detail are all variables and when we combine them and mix them, we expect our products to take on another dimension.
“This project has it roots in our enthusiasm and passion for trying to communicate with our customers. With our own retail location, we can talk to the consumer and understand their reaction to the way we are presenting our merchandise.”
Many of the store’s collections continue to be available in North America’s elite retail stores including Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys, Neiman Marcus, Wilkes Bashford and Louis, Boston. Visitors who have shopped Milan, Rome, Naples, Paris and London will likely recognize the labels. What is entirely new to the general population, however, is Bizzocchi’s ability to mix all these lines to make a coherent, compelling lifestyle statement, for both men and women.
The inspiration for him has come from both the storied houses he represents and the customers. “We buy exclusive fabric in Como, London, Milan and Paris,” Bizzocchi says. “We study the younger generation to understand how they feel about style and what makes them feel good. Their fashion influences range from the flea market to their fathers’ closets.
“A flea market and what’s found in a closet have something in common - heritage. That means a customer enjoys knowing the story behind the item or behind the name on a label.”
Bizzocchi is largely responsible for the North American success of Kiton, the great Neapolitan hand-tailored clothing line under the direction of Ciro Paone. In recent years, Kiton’s has blossomed into a lifestyle brand, with shirts, ties, pants, shoes, knitwear and outerwear for both men and women.
Lorenzini, based outside of Milan, is the favored and favorite for both updated sartorial luxury dress shirts and sophisticated sport shirts. Controlled closely by the family’s fourth generation, Lorenzini is produced in one of the most modern shirt-making facilities in all of Europe, and, with an emphasis on both quality and detail, retains the cachet of the smallest custom shirt makers.
Avon Celli, based in Longastrino, Italy (outside Bologna) has produced luxury knitwear since 1922. Characterized by superfine gauges, much of the knitwear is produced on old hosiery looms, but the house also produces luxurious items and one-of-a-kind hand-knit cashmere sweaters.
Founded in 1865, Napoli-based Tramontano applies old-world artisanship and natural tanning method to hand-selected leathers to produce distinctive luggage and carry-wear. With its own stores in Milano, Capri and Napoli, it is already known to the cognoscenti. Special productions include a leather satchel, or doctor’s bag, that is a collaborative effort between photographer Timothy Greenfield Sanders and musician Lou Reed, under the name Lou’s Views.
Bizzocchi has represented world renowned shoe artisan Silvio Lattanzi’s company Zintala to the wholesale community since 1996. With stores on Madison Avenue and in Rome and Milan, Lattanzi is the preference for men who enjoy a fashionable accent on classic footwear.
Gallotti, based in Montelupo (outside of Florence), has been family leather and outwear firm since 1962. Now a second generation has expanded on an artisanal foundation, with leather blazers, outerwear, shearlings and collection that includes cloth and cashmere.
Belfe, based in Marostica outside Vicenza, is a luxury line of sportswear for men and women. The company also owns Postcard, which has its roots in technical ski wear for the fashion minded, but has expanded to include active-inspired sportswear.
Jeckerson has its origins in golf sportswear but with its distinctive details and styling is positioned to be offered in North America as an updated sportswear pant in luxury cotton twills.
The store, Bizzocchi says, is a work in progress. While catering to the customer seeking new fashion ideas, Bizzocchi expects to welcome his retail customers to the store-cum-showroom. “We want to share our ideas and point-of-view, but fashion is evolution and the only way we can continue to grow is if we share ideas.”
The store hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 12:30 to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
For more information, please contact Dan Wolman at 917-553-6746.