“So, first of all, here we are at one Bond Street,” says Barbara Torasso, casually pointing to the building. It’s an imposing building, but not opulent-it has that rugged sobriety typical of New York industrial structures of the Roaring Years. Yet in here today they sell clothes and fashion accessories, not pieces of metal.
Barbara is keen to tell the history of the neighborhood, and indeed she seems to have made it her starting point: “This area is called NoHo, North of Houston Street, to distinguish it from SoHo. But it was actually always a manufacturing area, then in the 1970s it became an artists’ neighborhood.” He says this not with nostalgia, but with the awareness of someone who has seen New York transform, and is now contributing to a new transformation.
LuisaViaRoma’s idea to open a physical store was born, paradoxically, out of the digital explosion. “We had to prove that we really exist”: Barbara repeats this as if it were a mantra. “The United States has overtaken Italy as an online user, but one of the most frequent searches on Google was Is LuisaViaRoma a real store? So it was important to be there. Physically.”
And thus was born this 1,200-square-foot space, designed by Florentine architect Claudio Nardi, made with Italian materials and put up, literally, by artisans who came from Florence. “This particular property was the home of The First Wives Club, the 1996 film starring Diane Keaton and Goldie Hawn. It was a club of ex-wives who allied against their remarried husbands. A very funny movie.”
The result is a large, bright space where the design seeks to bring aesthetics and functionality into dialogue. Every corner is designed to suggest a visual language consistent with the brand identity. The brand selection is refined and intentionally non-obvious. “You won’t find Gucci or Prada. But intellectual brands, a little more research, like Proenza Schouler or Comme des Garçons. We want to give tools, not diktats.”
Walking through the windows, one immediately notices the curated selection of items on display. “We usually put the most important pieces of the week in front here. Right now there is a selection by Phoebe Philo, the former designer of Céline. A real icon. Only we and Bergdorf Goodman have her in New York.”
The store is not all made in Italy; on the contrary, “About 30 percent of the brands are Italian. The rest is a very select mix, mostly from New York. We have, for example, Eera and Eva Fehren. All fine jewelry.” And then a selection of dresses, shoes, bags, accessories. “Seventy percent, actually 80 percent of the offer is for women. She is our typical customer: New Yorker, passionate, aware.”
One detail makes the difference: the looks are composed by juxtaposing different brands. “We want to promote LuisaViaRoma’s aesthetic point of view. We suggest how to dress you.”
Then there is the vintage corner, in collaboration with Vestiaire Collective. An idea that promotes circularity. “When Phoebe Philo came in, we had a selection of her vintage Celine garments here dialoguing with the new collection.”
The most surprising part, however, comes in the basement. “Down here is our VIP area. It’s where we bring celebrities when they come to us for private shopping.” But the basement is not just shopping. It is also culture. Art. Here LuisaViaRoma organizes exhibitions, installations, events. “We worked with Planned Parenthood for a charity auction. There were 20 works by New York artists, including a Basquiat. The store was a gallery for a month.” An experiment that temporarily transformed the space into a meeting place for art and the public.
And it is that very word that comes back often. Community.
“We hold two to four events a month, all kinds of events: a cocktail party for a book presentation, a DJ party, a charity event. They are not sales-related. They are to build relationships. To root ourselves in the neighborhood.”
A constant presence work, which found its turning point in the launch of the store, with one of the most articulated communication plans Barbara has ever coordinated. “We had to talk to three different audiences: online customers who already knew us, local customers who had never heard of us, and the neighborhood itself. So we worked on three levels: digital, print, and local.”
There were partnerships with the New York Times, with New York Magazine, and with local celebrities who came to shop and post. But most of all, there was the neighborhood. “We went door-to-door knocking from local stores. We introduced ourselves, we invited everyone. That’s how you build a presence.”
And today, if a light breaks or an alarm sounds in the middle of the night, there is someone to call. And there is always a table reserved in neighborhood restaurants for their customers. Perhaps this is the American version of a good Italian neighborhood.
When we sit down, the interview changes pace. It becomes more personal. I ask her about her role. “I helped found LVR USA Corp, the American subsidiary of LuisaViaRoma Spa. I follow operations and marketing.” She first worked for Adidas, then at a New York fashion fair called Capsule, and then opened the U.S. subsidiary of Basic Net. And the connection with LuisaViaRoma has grown over time, like the ones that really matter.
And who is Barbara? “I’m a powerhouse.” She laughs. But she means it. “I’m curious, I go everywhere, I talk to everyone. And I’m in love with New York. I even told my husband: if you think of moving, I’m staying here.”
After a stint in Boston, he has been in New York City since 2014. “He grew up outside the city, on Long Island, and as a boy he would take the train to spend afternoons in the city. A movie story.”
When I ask her about the differences between Italy and the United States in employment, Barbara doesn’t mince words: “Italy is inefficient. Too much bureaucracy, too many steps. But it has a humanity you don’t find here. Italian companies become a family. In the United States, work is a means. In Italy, it’s a bond.” The difference is all there: between a lunch that decides everything and a PowerPoint presentation.
The conversation opens to broader themes. American fiction, Christopher Columbus.
Then there is a small but telling episode. “I happened to have to do a casting call for a film. I had never done that. But that’s the way it works here in New York: if there’s something to do, you learn it. And you do it.” We laugh. But it’s true. It is one of the simplest and most concrete definitions of the spirit of the city.
Meanwhile, Barbara is studying. “I am reading all the books of Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food. That’s my next step. I don’t know in what form yet, but it will be in the food world.” She attends farmers’ markets, talks to chefs and producers, takes the time to understand. “I’m studying. When I figure out where to take this passion, I will move.” It’s an attitude that seems the opposite of the New York rush, but perhaps it’s just his personal way of keeping up.
The article Barbara Torasso tells LuisaViaRoma between fashion and community comes from TheNewyorkese.
