Until next Wednesday, Yale students can pass up Broadway’s chain retailers in favor of clothing from a bygone era.
Wednesday marked the relaunch of {Cut.Cloth}, a New Haven-based vintage pop-up boutique that has opened three times in storefronts around New Haven and once in New York’s TriBeCa neighborhood since its establishment in December 2011. Currently located on Chapel Street, the shop was conceived by Janis Foo LAW ’13. When the idea of practicing law after graduation was no longer appealing, Foo said, she decided to dabble in business, creating a model she felt was lacking in New Haven.
“I saw clothing as an opportunity in New Haven. Many of my friends grew up shopping in secondhand clothing stores but are unable to do so here. There’s a huge gap in the market for vintage clothing,” Foo said.
Foo sought the help of Danyel Aversenti, the owner of Our Empty Space, a company with the intent of transforming the lifeless storefronts lining the New Haven streets into thriving businesses. Among Aversenti’s previous clients are Apple Inc., Chocopologie Cafe and the Tacky Christmas Sweater Shop, which sold out of its merchandise just days after its opening in December 2011.
After the nearly overnight success of the Tacky Christmas Sweater Shop, Aversenti was left with an empty storefront, already rented out and paid for. It was a perfect opportunity to take a chance on Foo’s boutique, she said.
“I asked Jan if she’d like to pop-up within my pop-up and together we hosted her first pop-up,” Aversenti said.
The first opening of {Cut.Cloth} proved a success, with 80 percent of Foo’s dresses — styles handpicked from her travels to thrift stores in the New York and San Francisco areas — sold in just a few days.
“That’s when I knew that this could actually be possible,” Foo said.
Foo said the styles she sells provide Yale students a welcome change from a local retail industry dominated by chains like J. Crew and Urban Outfitters.
“With only two major stores on campus catering to students, you always run the risk of dressing like your classmate. But when you buy a vintage piece, that problem just doesn’t exist,” she said.
Aversenti echoed this sentiment, noting that it’s not uncommon for her to walk down the street and see her same outfit “strutting in the opposite direction.”
“To me, this is frustrating,” she said.
Foo keeps this sentiment in mind as she travels with one big, empty suitcase ready to collect items for the next season. When hunting for clothing, she said she prefers to search for what she prizes as “contemporary clothing with vintage flair.”
Much vintage today is too costume-like to appeal to a wide market, Foo said. Part of her inspiration, she said, derives from her grandmother in Hong Kong.
“My dad’s mom was incredibly stylish, and loved wearing Jackie O-style sunglasses. I’m always trying to find pictures of her to look to when buying,” she said.
This week’s flash sale, Foo’s fourth pop-up, ranges from winter coats to party dresses. Bags, shoes and men’s ties are tastefully aligned throughout the store’s airy expanse. Before the store officially opened at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, the sidewalk outside the store was busy with Yale students and New Haven residents waiting to shop.
“It’s nice to shop in a store that’s both student-run and not a chain. I really like the idea of bringing student entrepreneurship to the spirit of the city,” said Sheela Ramesh LAW ’14.
Foo’s next goal is to scale the business, with the hopes of designing her own clothing line and later mass-producing it. Though she doesn’t envision herself remaining in the industry for a long time, {Cut.Cloth}, she said, has been a valuable stepping stone into the business world.
“It’s been a fun learning process.”
{Cut.Cloth} will be open through next Wednesday.