Tony Melillo Talks Miami Life With AS IF

CULTURE

WELCOME TO MIAMI WITH TONY MELILLO

PHOTOGRAPY

COURTESY of PURPLE PR

INTERVIEW

by KRISTOPHER FRASER

Anthony Thomas Melillo, better known as Tony Melillo, is the founder and designer of ATM Anthony Thomas Melillo Collection. In 2012 he launched his namesake label with his T-shirt, and has built it into a full lifestyle collection since then. While the designer is well known around the bustling metropolis of New York City, he also spends half the year in the sunny, tropical paradise of Miami. AS IF had the pleasure of sitting down with Tony and discussing his plans for Art Basel, his favorite things about Miami, and his approach to fashion.

AS IF: You split your time between New York and Miami, why did you choose Miami?

Tony Melillo: I’ve been in Miami so many years, I’ve been going since the early 90s. It’s one of those things I just got so used to, it’s like a second home. I just love it. You get off a plane, and in 15 minutes you’re on a beach. It seems so far away compared to just getting off a plane and being in the city. In a 2 ½ hour plane ride you can be somewhere exotic. You really do feel like you went somewhere foreign.

Miami is typically a very maximalist city when it comes to art and fashion, how do you see your minimalist aesthetic fitting into the culture?

It’s interesting, because I think when I first started going the only hotel was the Century Hotel on Ocean Drive. So, I’ve known Miami for what it is, and simple things like Third Street Beach. It was a simple, easy lifestyle, with nothing too flashy. Even though there’s a culture of maximalism and flashiness now, I do the same things. I go get my açai bowl at Pura Vida, I go get my morning coffee at Panther, and I find places that are more what I know Miami for. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy the crazy people, fancy hotels and funny fashion, but I tend to live my own life. You learn to kind of block out a lot of the stuff that goes on. If you’re not on hotel row, it’s not as in your face. You find your niches, and places you like.

How are your Miami customers different from your other customers around the globe?

Our biggest areas of distribution are New York, California, and Florida. If there’s a Neimans, Saks, or Nordstrom there those are the three points of sale that we have the most distribution and best sales. When we look at the sale rankings of stores, in Florida it’s either Bal Harbour or Nordstrom Coral Gables doing best out of all the stores we sell in. It’s an interesting place for us. Do I understand that 100 percent? No. Who would really expect ATM to do well there. Another place we do well is Las Vegas. I think it’s perhaps because we have a limited amount of what we do in those areas, so we dominate the market. In Bal Harbour our customer is different, but there is that Latin woman who wants the perfect fitting t-shirt. She wears it differently, but she’s shopping for those things. The quality of customer is still the same level too, they are in the upper echelon of lifestyles and they spend money, they just dress differently.

ATM Anthony Thomas Melillo fall/winter collection

With Art Basel around the corner, talk to me about your personal relationship to art?

I’ve been to many of those Art Basels since day one. It’s become a thing where if I’m there, I’m there, if not, I’m not. The Convention Center opening night is amazing. It’s an interesting night of people. I remember back in the day, you would just see such a different crowd of people walking through Miami. Now it’s become more about the party circuit rather than the art. I still love walking through the convention center on opening night though. Opening night has become such a way to describe Miami as not minimalist, it’s become very maximalist. I do think it’s changed an enormous amount. In terms of me, it’s still all about finding interesting things. I still like to see the furniture fair. Now it’s sort of shifted to being art people to being a party circuit place, which is kind of how you describe Miami.

How do you see the world’s of fashion and art intertwining?

I think in terms of creatives, I myself and the artists, I love the fact there is sort of that energy of being creative and business smart. That’s the way you have to run any business, whether you are an artist or a designer. I like to put myself in a bubble, and not have to deal with the business part of it. I think in terms of art and fashion intertwining; we have all learned to play the game a little differently. Just like we see the high sales at Christie’s auction, they are interested in art, but you also need a business mindset too. It’s the way of life. You can’t just say I’m going to do what I want do do, and that’s that. You have to think about how you get yourself out there, and how you market yourself. I think that makes you more well rounded person within your occupation.

What are some of your favorite spots in Miami?

I love going to the Point on 1st and Ocean. Then I get Joes Take Away for sunset dinners there, which is one of my favorite things to do with my son, and we go to the dog park. It’s always so pretty on the water there. I think the redevelopment is so beautiful down there. I also do the Perez Museum, which is great for kids. We go to Soho Beach House as part of our Sunday routine. We always do the pool and beach. Everyone knows my son Max at Soho Beach House and they love him. We just moved into this great building designed by Thomas Johanson, that has a really amazing salt water pool. On Friday nights, we do family dinner at Stiltsville.

Will you be visiting any of the art conventions this year? Which artists are you interested in checking out?

They used to do these trucks they’d having parked in the parking lot on 23rd Street, and if those are still there I’d love to check them out. I also love to wander through the convention center just to see what new artists I’ll discover, because I always come across someone knew and exciting. I’m also into really old stuff like the Picasso’s and Bacon’s. The old stuff is pretty amazing.

“Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy the crazy people, fancy hotels and funny fashion, but I tend to live my own life.”

ATM Anthony Thomas Melillo fall/winter collection

SHOP ATM ANTHONY THOMAS MELILLO

Garment-Dyed Cotton T-Shirt

ATM Anthony Thomas Melillo's T-shirt is composed of pink stretch jersey with a fluid drape.

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Tiered Gauze Maxi Dress

Constructed in tiers of white cotton gauze, ATM Anthony Thomas Melillo's maxi dress is detailed with raw-edge seams.

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Leopard Print T-Shirt

ATM Anthony Thomas Melillo's T-shirt is crafted of light pink and brown leopard-print medium-weight slub cotton jersey.

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$125

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