Versace will be rolling out a new brand in the United States, and three stores are slated to open in the next few months.
Versace 19.69 Abbigliamento Sportivo Srl – or Versace 19.69 for short – will debut with two stores on the West Coast this summer, followed by a third store at the Mall of America this fall.
Versace 19.69 was established in Milan in 2001 by a cousin of the legendary Gianni Versace, the founder of the iconic Versace brand. Alessandro Versace created the concept with an eye towards the time-honored traditions of Italian elegance, quality, and style. As the 19.69 brand has evolved, the company has taken great care to insure those traditions are met, while also being mindful of new innovations and creativity in the fashion industry, as well as general trends that become prevalent.
This summer, two of the stores will open in the state of California in San Francisco and Santa Monica. As the season turns to Fall, the company will make its much-anticipated debut at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN, the largest shopping mall in the United States. The enormous mall features five anchor tenants, more than 500 stores, and 50 restaurants spread across more than four million square feet, and attracts more than 40 million visitors on an annual basis, which is more than any mall anywhere across the globe.
Versace 19.69 will take up residence on the mall’s first floor, nestled in between a Nordstrom’s and DSW. The store will span 2,000 square feet and feature a wide range of higher-end products, including handbags, jewelry, shoes and women’s apparel.
“Mall of America is the perfect property to debut the Versace 19.69 concept to the Midwest. We are excited to share this first-to-market, Italian-made brand with our local, national and international visitors,” said Heather Brechbill Swilley, MOA’s VP of leasing, via a statement.
Long-term, the massive shopping mall has plans for yet another expansion, this time in the form of a high-end shopping district known as Collections at MOA, a proposed $500 million project that the mall submitted plans for last year with an eye towards having it completed in 2018. The mall’s leasing team has been actively trying to engage high-end retailers to put down some roots in the Midwest, and the expected success of Versace 19.69 could go a long way towards helping them fulfil their goals.
