Heroine x Treasures of New York: The 90's-Monogram Archive Sale

Thanks so much for chatting with us and selling some of your coveted pieces on Heroine! For those unfamiliar, can you please introduce us to Treasures of NYC and how you came to be?

I worked in fashion my entire career and myself and my girlfriend loved what we called "treasure-hunting"- going to thrift stores, flea markets, antique stores and just finding unique, one of a kind pieces (specifically vintage designer). We started posting some of our "retired" pieces from our personal collection and also new things we found, online to sell, and that's when we stumbled upon the crazy market that is vintage designer. We are not your textbook, designer-collecting couple. We want to USE and love our pieces. When we were creating the image of the TNYC brand we just kept saying we need to figure out how to "redefine fashion" and so that became our unofficial motto. We do not keep our rarest Chanel bags as museum pieces; we love them and use them to travel and carry our dogs and hold our metro cards. TNYC organically just expanded from there. I left the fashion world and decided to run TNYC full time. My girlfriend still works in advertising and acts as our Creative Director. It started as a hobby we loved to do together on weekends and turned into our life…it is something we are still so actively passionate about so it just works.

How long have you been collecting pieces in your wardrobe?

It has been a long, long time that we have been growing our personal collection. We really do love all of the pieces we find and then re-sell so it is always a challenge to try not to get hung up on keeping something for ourselves. There sometimes is that one piece that comes along that we have to put into our personal archive- like the vintage Goyard steamer trunk that is now our coffee table cough cough.

What do you love most about the pieces you’re selling on Heroine?

Honestly, the level of passion behind every single business decision we make and every item we source/sell is a whole other level. We genuinely try to find pieces that are not your typically designer. We love all brands but we strive to stay ahead of the trends and really have fun with high-end designer. When we buy each piece we think of its' entire lifespan: What are people wearing with this? Where are people carrying this? What's the vibe it gives off? Who would love this? It is a whole process that is so much more than just the piece. We get super involved in the lifestyle.

We've been seeing brands like Prada, Louis Vuitton, Chanel Sport and Dior come back into the spotlight. What are some of your best-selling pieces?

Right now classic logo cross-bodies are doing well for us. When it comes to Chanel, people really love the one-of-a-kind, themed pieces. Dior and Fendi shoulder bags we cannot keep in stock. Logo-visible pieces are really having a moment. Step and Repeat logos on jackets, pants, bags…

What are some of your favorite Grails that you’ve collected over the years?

A Chanel basketball, Goyard trunk, and Louis Vuitton boxing gloves.

Your pieces have been worn by talented tastemakers, singers and models ranging from Bella Hadid and Kourtney Kardashian to Ariana Grande. When sourcing pieces, are you keeping your clientele in mind?

24/7. Not a minute of the day goes by that we are not thinking of our clients and who would love what. We immediately see a piece and say "Oh, perfect for so and so..". We do that not just for well-known clients but also just people who have been buying from us for years. We start to see their style and aesthetic evolve and develop so we see pieces and we immediately say "this is so ____.." OR "We see someone like ___ killing this".

What's some advice you have for first-time buyers and sellers looking to get into luxury? And how do they approach pricing, is there a rubric to follow?

The most important underlying part of our business is authenticity. There are so many (way too many) knock-offs out there are getting more and more sophisticated and harder to tell if they are real or not. You cannot risk tarnishing your name or image but selling a fake piece. You have to do your homework, know the brands, know the histories of the brands, know when patterns changed, when serial numbers are applicable, etc. You have to become an EXPERT at knowing what to look for. We spent a lot of time working with some of the best resources out there and spending countless hours of educating ourselves on what is right/ not right. It is your insurance policy. Also, you have to price fairly. There is a happy price-point where you want to marry the quality and value of your piece with the consumer feeling comfortable with what they are paying.

What are some of your favorite collections?

It’s hard to pinpoint full collections. Sometimes you just have that "HOLY SH*T" piece each season from a few different designers/collections that stops you in your tracks and sets the tone for a new trend. A few years ago, we had that A-HA moment with the Dior Rasta Collection (2004). We loved everything. We really like following the evolution of certain brands over the years- their use of fabrics, patterns, silhouettes and how they have changed. We try to find vintage items that are inspired by current runway trends. Right now we are into anything with a structured silhouette, ring or metal handle and any clear or transparent materials.

You conduct most of your sales through your Instagram and your site. Would you ever sell your pieces IRL?

Of course! It is something we talk about all the time. As our brand continues to grow and evolve, we would love to start doing collabs with amazing brands that inspire us (both inside and outside the handbag and designer industries). We are constantly inspired by all of the power-house brands popping up every day. We can all learn from each other.

What's your vision for Treasures of NYC over the next few years?

We just want to continue growing and offering as many unique pieces as possible. As we grow our team and outreach and collabs, we just hope to be known as those crazy New Yorkers with unreal pieces. Most importantly, bringing the edge back to high-fashion. Let's not be afraid to have some fun…