Shabtai and Gedinsky of Winick secure 900 s/f at 1011 Madison Ave.; Moamem of Plaza Realty assists

Designer Yigal Azrouël is bringing his women's wear brand to Madison Ave. The new boutique, set to open in the fall, will be located at 1011 Madison Ave., on the corner of East 78th St. A retail presence since 2003, when the brand opened its flagship store at 408 West 14th St. and pioneered the Meatpacking District, The Yigal Azrouël Boutique recently decided to find new locations that best suited the brand's concepts and clientele. "It is always my goal in retail leasing to find the perfect location and tenant match. Working with Yigal posed an even greater challenge as retail opportunities that match his refined sensibilities and taste are few and far between," said Winick Realty Group LLC executive vice president Lori Shabtai, who worked with associate director Kelly Gedinsky for two years to find the ideal location for Azrouël's boutique. When the corner retail space at 1011 Madison Ave. opened up for the first time in more than two decades, Shabtai and Gedinsky were able to secure Azrouël a location on what is becoming the new destination for upmarket apparel. "Fashion has moved to the north end of Madison Ave.," said Gedinsky, citing neighboring tenants like Missoni, Intermix, Sandro, and J. Crew, who opened men's and women's stores on the Northwest and Northeast corners of East 79th St. The clothier will occupy 900 s/f of ground-floor space, as well as 900 s/f in the basement. Shaun Moamem of Plaza Realty represented landlord, Dr. Soufer, in the lease. The store will house Azrouël's lines, serving not only as a complement to Madison Ave.'s retail tenants but also a destination for residents. Azrouël collaborated with design artist Dror Benshetrit on the creative concept. "A modern, modular and scalable concept was what I envisioned for the Madison store; an aesthetic that is sleek yet with warmth. I have been looking for some time on Madison and this store was what I was waiting for," said Azrouël, who serves as president and creative director of the company. "When we saw this jewel box corner store, we knew it was perfect for our retail strategy," said Donata Minelli Yirmiyahu, CEO of Yigal Azrouël Inc. "The store, which will bear the new design concept for shop-in-shops and international retail opportunities, will offer a tightly-edited, 'best of the best' assortment including exclusives in a handful of product ranges." "Yigal's patience and superb ability to execute made this two-year mission a success and allowed us to find an incredible Madison Ave. location that is perfect for his brand," added Shabtai. "We look forward to the opening of the new Yigal Azrouël Boutique in fall 2012, along with the many other seasons and collections to come." Born and raised in Israel of French-Moroccan descent and having traveled to locations metropolitan and remote, Yigal Azrouël draws inspiration from everything and everywhere: art, culture, architecture, nature and his hometown, New York City.