With a new SoHo store and Puma collab, 10-year-old Guizio hits the gas on growth
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“It’s like Guizio-palooza,” said Danielle Guizio, five days before the opening of her 10-year-old brand’s first-ever physical retail location, on September 10.
Guizio was referring to the multi-faceted moment for the brand, which — on top of the store opening, in the heart of SoHo, no less — included its 10th-anniversary celebration, a fashion week dinner and the launch of a sneaker collaboration with Puma.
“It’s been a long time coming,” she said of the store, which has prime positioning across from a Saint Laurent location and next door to a Loewe, near the corner of SoHo’s bustling Greene and Spring Streets. Guizio also considered a SoHo store location situated further west but decided against it after realizing its lack of foot traffic.
The NYC real estate market presented an opportunity — after which an “amazing realtor and real estate broker worked his magic” to secure the space, Guizio said. Then, the option to open the store during New York Fashion Week was a no-brainer.
“[NYFW] has the biggest buzz, plus everyone's in town — I know a lot of my L.A. friends will be in town, so it's kind of a coast-to-coast [opportunity],” she said. “Also, the foot traffic in September, after the holiday, really picks up — we’re looking forward to that.”
In addition, Guizio is counting on the brand’s local shopper base to turn out. “I really believe in our customer, and I know she’s going to want to come in person and enjoy the store,” she said. “We're based in New York City, and our strongest customer base through e-commerce is in New York City, so we're confident it's going to be great.”
While Guizio has not hosted pop-ups, its handful of IRL sample sales held in NYC saw “really great success,” Guizio said.
“We expect a lot of sales volume, but at the end of the day, the store’s success will really be based on how strong our customer is, how much she loves the brand, and how excited she is to shop in person and have that experience,” she said.
The Puma shoe is a store exclusive and expected to drive foot traffic to the store. In addition, for several days after the opening, the beauty brand Laneige has a setup in-store offering products including its cult-favorite sleep mask. Among other activations, a florist has popped up to distribute bouquets.
The store is being promoted on social media and with geo-targeted digital ads. Guizio said she’ll likely also invest in taxi cab signage and wild postings. “We’re just getting the buzz out however we can — across all channels, in every single way,” she said.
She added, “I went into this whole experience being very self-aware, like, 'OK, Danielle, this is going to be one of the biggest challenges and obstacles of your career.' I definitely didn't go into it thinking it was going to be a breeze.”
Next, Guizio plans to expand the brand to new product categories and international markets. Guizio’s investors include Chris Burch.
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