Although it’s an online luxury pure play, Mytheresa sees value in creating physical retail experiences — and that will be evident again when the Mytheresa x Hani’s Holiday Gift Shop opens next month.
“This will be a limited time, immersive retail experience to celebrate creativity, craftsmanship and the joy of gifting,” Carly Rosenberg, president of Mytheresa in North America, told WWD. “It will be a place you will talk about for a long time after you have left.”
The Mytheresa x Hani’s Holiday Gift Shop, opening Dec. 4 at 764 Madison Avenue by 66th Street, will offer a unique blend of festive bakery goods from Hani’s Bakery, which is located at 67 Cooper Square in the East Village neighborhood, alongside a gift-oriented assortment of high fashion accessories, fine-jewelry and home decor from Mytheresa, the luxury website that’s part of the Munich-based LuxExperience. On the sweet side — wrapped bundt cakes, tins filled with dainty cookies as well as brownies, tarts, pies and beverages. And on the fashion side, items from Alaïa, Pucci, Dries van Noten, Saint Laurent, Chloé and Khaite, among other designers.
“We try to create unexpected and memorable experiences — something truly special,” Rosenberg said.
Style suites, which are sophisticated settings in hotels, spas and other locations for by invitation, personalized shopping, as well as pop-ups, such as the collaboration with high-end food and lifestyle brand Flamingo Estate in a former auto body shop in East Hampton, N.Y., for a few summer seasons, have been part of the program. Such in-person experiences help animate the brand and bring it to wider audiences.
“We do a lot of events. People love to see the product and touch, it, so it’s important to have these in-person experiences,” Rosenthal said.
The Mytheresa x Hani’s Holiday Gift Shop, which will occupy 800 square feet, is scheduled to remain open for business until Dec. 14. Asked why not continue until Christmas, Rosenberg said many of the locals on the Upper East Side go on holiday and leave the city as Christmas nears, and many schools are on break, though she didn’t preclude the possibility of an extension.
Hani’s was founded in late 2024 by Miro Uskokovic and his wife Shilpa. Born and raised in a small town in Serbia, Uskokovic’s first pastry job was under chef Andrea Kirkpatrick in her Greentown, Ind., shop, Pastry Diva, known for modern American cakes. When he graduated from The Culinary Institute of America, Uskokovic went on to work at Jean-Georges, then as pastry chef at Aldea before being named the executive pastry chef of the prestigious Gramercy Tavern in 2013. During his decade there he was recognized by Dessert Professional as one of the top ten pastry chefs in North America, as well as by the James Beard Foundation as a finalist for “outstanding pastry chef.”
Shilpa is a senior food editor at Bon Appétit magazine and is the cohost of the popular BA Bake Club and its podcast, and is also a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America. She believes bread is the best carb, and cake is the best dessert. She was born and raised in Chennai, India.
Hani’s (pronounced “honey’s”) was named after Uskokovic’s mother. The bakery reflects the couple’s shared love for the nostalgia of classic American dessert, interwoven with elements from their backgrounds and the diverse food cultures of New York City. After only a year in business, the bakery has been widely celebrated, particularly for its playful takes on classic desserts including cookies, a passion of Uskokovic’s inspired by the macadamia nut cookies he tried as a teen at a local Walmart in Indiana. The bakery’s malted cinnamon bun was named the city’s best by Bon Appétit. The New York Times Magazine heralded Hani’s pistachio halva Rice Krispie treat as “transcendent.”
Some say Hani’s Bakery has quickly developed a cult-like following. Rosenberg put it another way. “It’s quite a sensation downtown,” she said.
Rendering of the Mytheresa x Hani’s Holiday Gift Shop.
Courtesy image
