The Wilde Members Club will open in Milan this autumn

MILAN — A villa formerly owned by Santo Versace and his family, located on a quiet, leafy street in central Milan, is being transformed into the first The Wilde members’ club.

The brainchild of founder and chairman Gary Landesberg, it is due to open in October under the creative direction of Alasdhair Willis and to design by architect Fabrizio Casiraghi. The quality of the team reflects Landesberg’s experience, with the entrepreneur having long been a major investor in both the leisure and hospitality sectors in the UK and Europe. He was previously executive chairman and shareholder of The Arts Club for ten years, leading the repositioning of the London-based club and the opening of The Arts Club Dubai.

After “The Wilde” in Milan, openings are planned in London, New York and Los Angeles, each with a site-specific art collection.

In an interview in Milan, Landesberg explained that he felt the Italian city was lacking a good private club. “Milan is a very international city with great culture, good food and importance in the fashion industry,” and that finding the right building was key to securing the first outpost for the new project.

Keyword: Villa Del Platano, built between 1953 and 1954 by the architects Carlo De Carli and Antonio Carminati. It is located in a strategic position on the luxury street Via dei Giardini in the artistic district of Brera, a few steps from Via Montenapoleone, not far from the headquarters of Giorgio Armani and overlooking the adjacent park of Palazzo Borromeo d’Adda.

“It’s a fantastic street. Of course, there are residents living nearby and we have to be very careful about what’s happening in the area. But as a location, it’s fantastic. Because you’re right in the center, but you don’t feel like you’re on a busy street. It’s something very special,” Landesberg said.

“Finding the right place is perhaps the hardest thing. It has to have its own entrance because you have to feel like you’re arriving. You can’t be a member of a club and walk through the reception of an office. And we need an outdoor space, which for me is essential. The truth is that the world has changed since COVID-19. Even if the weather is a bit unfriendly, people want to be outside.”

Villa Del Platano, whose interior covers more than 2,000 square meters, is actually surrounded by a lush garden.

Landesberg said the villa was restored with energy-efficient measures such as LED lighting, water-saving fixtures and energy-efficient appliances to reduce resource consumption, reduce waste and introduce recycling programs.

He praised Casiraghi for being “very respectful of the building,” which has “a bit of an Art Deco flair.” “His design is very elegant, but he doesn’t overdo it. He doesn’t make it too cluttered. And I think he did a really good job,” the entrepreneur said.

Casiraghi has worked over the years for French architect Dominique Perrault and at Dimorestudio, renovating the famous Drouant restaurant in Paris and curating the concept of the Cassio bar in Hong Kong and the Ftelia Beach Club in Mykonos, among others.

In addition to dining concepts, members and their guests will have access to artistic and cultural experiences and programs. Dining options range from the Club Room, which features weekly DJs, live music, theater performances, cabaret and more; brunch and aperitivo in the Garden; Arturo’s, with a wide selection of cigars; The Library, which serves breakfast and all-day dining in a space for quiet reading and work or a casual lunch, and is also expected to feature live music, performances, lectures, readings and more; Nina, a Japanese-influenced Latin American restaurant and bar, where weekly DJs play Latin music and a guest chef performs; and Ava on the third floor and Ava Rooftop on the fourth floor, which features seasonal Mediterranean cuisine. Each floor is identified by a different color.

“It’s a cliche, but clubs should feel like home. Even if you just want to come in and sit down and have a coffee or a drink or just hang out because you want to read a newspaper or the news. You know, that’s how a club should be. I mean, the food is important and so is the experience.

“I don’t think we should offer fitness or sports, because there are specialists for that. And do people who go to a club and have a nice dinner or lunch in a nice suit or dress want to see people walking around in sports clothes?”

Membership fees range from €2,000 to €3,500 per year and members, who are under 40, should “cover the whole spectrum, whether it’s fashion, business, finance or real estate. The doors aren’t closed to anyone from any industry, but you have to be recommended,” Landesberg said, adding that demand is high. “The idea is to start with a good base of founding members who can really represent the kind of people who will be part of the community we want to build.”

When asked about the name, he said he believes “clubs should stick to old-fashioned hospitality. And it should feel special, but you also have to bring it into the new world. We’re digital, everything is evolving. So it was kind of a collision of two worlds. And that was the challenge, how could the old and the new come together. And then (Willis) came up with The Wilde because it was kind of a nod to Oscar Wilde, but in the wild everything comes together, whether it’s people, animals, everything.”