The fashion house Badgley Mischka is in the midst of greatly expanding and moving its offices from NoMad to a newly renovated Midtown building where its name will be splashed on the façade.
The brand worn by celebs including Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Sarah Jessica Parker will consolidate its multiple product categories into 25,578 square feet on the fifth and sixth floors of the stunning Plaza 52 at 133 W. 52nd St.
The company previously had 8,000 square feet at 550 Seventh Ave. while its shoe line at 1370 Broadway will join them in June.
The new building is the former 46-story Flathotel that was reworked by CetraRuddy into 109 residential condos above a 55,744-square-foot, 6-story base of offices.
The latter is owned by Ariel Lahmi of Beekman Real Estate Investment, who negotiated the lease directly with the clothing designer. The asking rent was $78 per square foot, and the 10-year lease includes future expansion options and its name in large letters on the top of the office section.
Avison Young is now handling leasing for the remaining floors.
The base of the project has a unique, through-block gallery called “6 ¹/₂ Avenue” with lighting by Thierry Dreyfus, while, as I first told you, the Bulldozer Group is planning its high-end Italian restaurant on the West 52nd Street end.
The restyling of the “House of Badgley Mischka” inside this sparkling setting will allow the fashion giant to fully immerse its clients and retailers — like Bergdorf Goodman and Saks — in a Badgley Mischka “ethos.”
Mark Badgley and James Mischka, who with partners bought back their trademark from Iconix Brand Group in 2016 for $16 million, have been excited to be in a modern glass edifice and also spot their wares being worn around the area, including in restaurants like the nearby Le Bernardin.
But its move is also indicative of the fashion center’s turnover from garments to gigabits.
The city just rezoned the area so that office tenants can legally locate onto the sturdy loft floors once reserved for the manufacturers and associated trade businesses that deal in mannequins, sewing machine repairs, and “trims” including buttons, ribbons, lace and fur.
Yet the mayor just announced he wants buildings to become so energy efficient that those using lots of glass for the light and views that attract expanding businesses like Badgley Mischka may become extinct.
Aberdeen Standard Investments is renewing and redesigning its offices at 712 Fifth Ave., where tower floors have asking rents nearing $200 per square foot.
In 2012, the investment company leased 9,124 square feet on the 49th floor and, by 2016, had expanded onto the 50th and 51st floors for a total of 27,372 square feet.
The company is the investment arm of Standard Life Aberdeen, which was created by the 2017 merger of Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management. Last year, it had $735.5 billion in assets under management.
With five years left on its lease, Savills’ Daniel Horowitz, Jeffrey Peck, Greg Soffian, Roi Shleifer and Jacob Stern were hired to represent the firm. They have now negotiated a lease extension that allows ASI to remodel to suit its current expanded business.
The Paramount Group ownership was represented in-house by Peter Brindley, Doug Neye and Sean Kirk.
This building is fielding inquiries for the ex-Henri Bendel space in its base.
