Italia Independent opens its first store in New York

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Nov 27, 2014

Listed on the stock market since June 2013, Italian eyewear brand Italia Independent is accelerating its expansion. After choosing Paris last year as the location, notably on Rue du Four, for its first mono-brand store outside its borders, it has now announced the inauguration of its first store in the United States, where it first appeared two years ago via a subsidiary in Miami.

The 1,000+ ft²store consisting of one floor and a mezzanine is located at the heart of the Soho neighbourhood, at 85 Mercer Street in New York. It not only offers its eyewear collections but also clothing and accessories, such as the capsule collection recently created with Adidas Originals.

New York represents an important step for the group. The small niche company launched in 2007 by Lapo Elkann, grandson of Gianni Agnelli, with Giovanni Accongiagioco and Andrea Tessitore, which achieved less than 10 million euros in revenue in 2011, is counting on that number rising to nearly 35 million for 2014, and should reach 59 million in 2016, according to analysts.

Other openings are to follow New York, such as in Miami and Los Angeles. And for 2015, Italia Independent plans to also open stores in Spain, Turkey, Japan, Russia, and Brazil.