Valentino in O.C.
There may be no better place to witness the high competition for the luxury dollar than the South Coast Plaza shopping center in Costa Mesa, Calif. Iconic design houses such as Cartier, Chanel, Christian Dior and Versace already maintain boutiques there. This year, John Varvatos, Co-Op Barneys New York and Valentino moved into the blue-chip mall. Valentino celebrated its grand opening with a party Nov. 9. Although more brands are crowding the luxury market, Graziano de Boni, president and chief executive officer of Valentino USA (pictured) said that getting to the top of the heap in luxury retailing was not a struggle. “It’s not a matter of competition,” de Boni said. “It’s a matter of fulfilling customers’ expectations of luxury.” Valentino currently operates six stores in the United States. Eventually, de Boni hopes to bring that number up to 15. And Orange County’s luxury market will welcome another member this week. A Louis Vuitton store was set to open in South Coast Plaza on Nov. 16. —Andrew Asch
