Is Versace Coming to the Mall of America?

[Update: The store opening at the Mall of America will not be Versace but a different, similarly named brand called Versace 19.69 Abbigliamento Sportivo Srl.]

Nearly four years ago, I reported on a sighting of the creative director for Versace at the Mall of America—a fact that was confirmed by MOA reps at the time, though they wouldn’t confirm or deny that the Italian fashion house would be coming to the mall. Recently, a trusted source from within the mall has revealed to me that a Versace store will open in mid-August.

Introducing Versace to the mall would fit with the mall’s ongoing expansion into more luxury shops and services, including hotels, retail, and restaurants. So far, the Mall of America has opened a pair of luxury hotels (JW Marriott and Radisson Blu) and some upscale restaurants (JW Marriott’s Cedar + Stone, Urban Table; Mexican chain Cantina Laredo; and coming June 9, burger joint Shake Shack), but no high-end retail (apart from last weekend’s opening of Minneapolis boutique Mona Williams). In other MOA retail news, chic fast-fashion label Zara and mid-range chain Anthropologie are slated to arrive at the mall in time for the holiday season.

Versace currently has 19 stores in the U.S.; this would be its first Midwest store. Spokespeople for the Mall of America and Versace did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday, June 1.

Update: On Thursday, June 2, a spokesperson for Versace called to say they are officially not coming to MOA. (But it is not unusual for reports of store openings to leak before retailers and malls are ready to make the official press announcement.)