“I’ve always wanted to have a corporeal store because my clothes are so textural and visual. I do my best to represent that online, but there’s nothing like touch and feel,” she said of the line, which consists mostly of fashions made from vintage and deadstock materials. “The Lower East Side is really an enjoyable demographic to sell to — I love that crowd and the vibrance of that neighborhood. However, I knew that there was only one block in all of the Lower East Side that I was willing to take my chances on and spend money on, and that was the block on Orchard between Grand and Delancey. So I basically just have been waiting for years for the right space to open, and then it did,” Vesper told WWD of the former pool-hall space.
The storefront is Vesper’s first longer-term lease (signed for three years), after holding a six-month-long pop-up on Lafayette Street when she launched her brand in 2019.
Vesper, who dropped the wholesale leg of her business, said products are selling well online direct-to-consumer. She said she hopes the space will allow her to step away from administrative roles and expand this model by giving her the ability to continuously experiment with and drop new designs several times a month.
“I’m hoping that by having cut out wholesale for the most part, I can really change my model to be at least 50 percent or more in 2024 of used material or deadstock,” she said.
“I am a designer, I am a brand, but I’m also a human being whose taste changes. When I started, I was really into florals and maybe even a little bohemian wilt, and now I’m more into subverting bohemia and sport-ifying — doing decadence,” she said, adding prices for ready-to-wear range from $100 to $3,500; jewelry from $50 to $350.
In the future, Vesper is planning to expand her one-of-a kind styles and venture into home decor while introducing community programming.
Reports /TrainViral/