The Tommy Hilfiger/One57 rumors remain unsubstantiated, however, the two men responsible for making Hilfiger a billion dollar brand have been confirmed by the Post as the second and third known buyers in New York's most secretive residential building. (The first was Michael Holtz, earlier this week.) Silas Chou and Lawrence Stroll have each purchased a full-floor $50 million pad above the 80th floor, paying 25 percent up front, according to the Post. This lines up with some of the information released by Extell's Gary Barnett to the Times a few days ago, in which he revealed that nine full-floor units had been sold and that the buyers included "several Americans, two ... from China, a Canadian, a Nigerian, and a Briton." Stroll is from Canada and Chou is from Hong Kong, so that leaves one Chinese buyer, the Nigerian, the Briton, and approximately three Americans. That certainly narrows it down! Who do we know who's American...
Stroll and Chou purchased the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation in 1989, and together built it into the global fashion empire it is today. They went on to purchase Michael Kors Holdings, which went public last fall, turning the two into billionaires. Stroll is described by the Post as a "flashy billionaire," which seems pretty accurate. He has a history of annoying neighbors by doing things like building an underground garage for his Ferrari collection and frequently using his helicopter. He also has a son that he is grooming to become a Formula One driver (the son was signed to a team in 2010, at age eleven.) Chou does not have a Ferrari-driving eleven-year-old, and, as such, is describe as "[Stroll's] low-key Hong Kong business partner." Let's hope he knows what he's signing up for being his non-low-key partner's neighbor.
· Fashion moguls buy $50 million pads at One57, NYC's tallest apartment building [NYP]
· One57 coverage [Curbed]
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