Designer Phillip Lim rents $12.5K a month West Village condo

Contemporary fashion designer Phillip Lim has rented a $12,500 a month apartment in the West Village while waiting for the renovation of His Greene Street loft to be completed, The Real Deal has learned.

The garment guru, whose affordable collection for Target is slated to hit the racks Sept. 15, inked a six-month lease at 35 Bethune Street, a factory-style loft building with 22 units known as Pickwick House, according to a source close to the deal.

The property, a 1,195-square-foot condominium with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, has been on the market for sale since March, asking $2.99 million, but was also available as a rental. David Salvatore of Town Residential had the listing while Esteban Gomez, of the same company, brought Lim to the deal.

Salvatore declined to comment. Gomez could not immediately be reached. A spokesperson for Lim was not immediately available.

The loft, between Washington and Greenwich streets, features a fireplace, a terrace, exposed brick walls and walnut flooring, according to the listing, as well as modern conveniences such as a dual temperature wine fridge and a premium sound system. The apartment is owned by Terrence Meck, the president of human rights non-profit organization the Palette Fund, public records show.

Lim is leasing the apartment temporarily while his combination unit at 19 Greene Street undergoes some work, a source said. He reportedly bought the Greene Street pad for $1.85 million last year.

Lim may have wanted to be close to his new store at 48 Great Jones Street, which is slated to open next year. Lim signed a lease for the 3,500-square-foot store, his second New York City location, earlier this summer. His eponymous label already has a location at 115 Mercer Street.