Missoni Home has teamed with Carson Street Clothiers to unveil a pop-up shop Friday.
The new store at 63 Crosby Street aims to attract a greater range of shoppers. Deck pillows, throws, towels, bathrobes, candles, socks, ties and “a really cool sofa” will be offered in the 200-square-foot pop-up shop, according to Stephanie Tulien, vice president of sales for the Americas. Carson Street Clothiers is a really cool store and it’s been a really good account for us. They love to reinvigorate their products and bring in different types of customers and it’s the same for us,” she said.
Tulien joined the company in June, succeeding Chris Philips, who left in December. While the number of Missoni Home concept shops can fluctuate, the company typically has about 10 to 15 at any given time. The Missoni Home collection is headed by Rosita Missoni. She told WWD earlier this year, “For me, Missoni Home is my life. I don’t feel the pressure of work. It’s something I do with great passion. It keeps me alive. In fashion, as soon as you have made a collection, it’s already old. You have to start again.”
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Missoni Home concept shops generate nearly $55 million in retail sales, excluding contract work or sublicensing, according to T&J Vestor managing director and Missoni’s nephew, Carlo Torrani. Between 15 and 17 percent of that figure stems from digital sales. That is another priority for Tulien, who was most recently Gilt Group’s former director of merchandising for home. “This is a great business and a great brand with a lot of history and heritage. There is a lot of potential in the U.S. We have some untapped business to go after,” she said.
The Italian company is looking to open more pop-up stores for Missoni Home and it may extend the Carson Street Clothiers’ run if the demand is there, Tulien said.
At Carson Street Clothiers, the pop-up shop will be in an area that is typically used as a lounge for shoppers to hang out though all of the adornments including the couch will be Missoni. Carson Street Clothiers co-owner Brian Trunzo said Missoni was the first real fashion presence, as in a designer, noncontemporary, nonheritage brand, that the store introduced in fall 2013 — one season after it opened. “They have been very kind to us and let us propagate the Missoni bible. For us, this is just widening the net,” he said. “We’re of the belief that there is a Missoni customer out there downtown looking for this. As we all know in New York City, uptown might as well be Westchester and vice versa.”