NEW YORK — At his new shop at 405 Bleecker Street in Manhattan’s West Village, Anthony Thomas Melillo discusses the matte black paint on the rear wall.
“It’s an English black matte paint from Farrow & Ball. It’s not common,” Melillo said. “There’s a subtle but distinctive difference. This is a store with so few elements, if it wasn’t that specific, it would be commonplace. “
Even if you’re not a decorator, you might pick up on the nuance. “What draws people in are the distinctive details,” Melillo said, discussing his philosophy on retail. The details are just as apparent in his easy, relaxed, cool collection of hoodies, T-shirts, sweats, pants and bodysuits, as in the store decor.
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The $225 hoodie is the top-selling piece within the ATM Anthony Thomas Melillo brand, which was founded in 2012 and is sold at Neiman Marcus, Barneys New York, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Kirna Zabete, Moda Operanda and Nordstrom, among other stores. The hoodie has a shirttail, a very slim sleeve, a raw cut trim on the hem of the sleeve, and a double zipper so you can unzip from the bottom. The men’s hoodie has a more classic fit.
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Other core products are women’s silk sweatpants; micro modal rib crew long sleeves; men’s cuffed ponte slim pants, and men’s slub cotton V-neck Ts. “They aren’t over-designed or complicated,” said Melillo, who has his initials tattooed on the underside of his right arm. The initials are also printed under the right arm of every ATM T-shirt in the exact same location as his tattoo. “It’s important to have those little extras that make it feel personal,” Melillo said. “I want people to see it as a full lifestyle brand through the labeling, the presentation and experience.” It’s a matter of being distinctive without being pretentious.
The core ATM collection is manufactured in Peru using Peruvian cottons. “I spent months and months with the factory perfecting the weight and the fit and the drape of each of these fabrications in all of the core ATM styles,” he said. “Now I go there four times a year to review production and meet with everyone.”
The 1,200-square-foot ATM Anthony Thomas Melillo shop, located next to a Marc Jacobs store and just across the street from Magnolia Bakery, is furnished with a 10-by-3-foot ebonized black walnut dining table, priced $12,000; a $6,000 bench, and a 5.5-by-5-foot hybrid sofa/bed, in recycled black denim. There are also recycled denim pillows, as well as Peruvian baby alpaca blankets and candles in three scents.
Everything in the store is for sale, and designed by Melillo, with an eight- to 12-week lead time required on the furniture and an eight-week lead time for the couch. The store has cement and white oak floors, and white oak hangers, creating a very clean, contemporary space.
“When I look at a store and a living space, I think of it as the same thing. When it gives off the vibe of what your brand identity is, you feel as if it is your home,” Melillo said. “I know it’s just a store but it is still very important to have an environment that is actually comfortable. It goes back to the words that describe the collection — relaxed, elegant. It’s chic comfort.”
Melillo knows it’s not the most propitious time to open a store — let alone his first permanent one. He opened a pop-up on Newton Lane in East Hampton last summer, which performed better than expected, encouraging him to revive it this summer and open a permanent location. He’s currently considering Los Angeles for a third shop.
“I tend to take my head out of what is happening. But I know I don’t need 100 stores. I need three or four,” Melillo said. “It’s about self expression, creating comfort and projecting an elegant chic quality.”