The Real Deal New York

From the April issue: For developer Yair Levy, real estate is Act II. After emigrating from Israel in 1972, at age 22, the current president of YL Real Estate teamed up with his brother in the garment business and established himself as a presence in the fashion world by creating a successful line of women’s sportswear. Levy sold the apparel line, called the YL Collection, to several department stores. In a 2007 interview with The Real Deal, he noted that his work in the garment industry helped him develop an eye for real estate. “You are always looking for good retail locations, so that gave me a sense of what’s going on in the real estate industry,” he said at the time. Until recently, his sense was good.