Store of the ish
Issue #20
NYC's Forward
By Barbara Rushkoff
Published: June 1st, 2004 | 12:00am
As I walked through New York's Lower East Side, bummed out because I couldn't find a cute outfit in my size and not a hundred million dollars, I glanced at my favorite store sign for Lolita Bras. This storefront had been on Orchard Street for years, and I liked knowing it was there. But what was that next door? It was a store called Forward, and they had some pretty cute things in the window.
As it turns out, Forward is more than just a shop. Located at 72 Orchard Street (forwardnyc.com), it's a collective that allows new designers to learn the ins and outs of business — a fashion incubator, if you will. Every six months, designers are invited to submit four pieces from their current line. If the pieces are chosen by a committee, the designers get to sell their wares for six months at Forward. They'll also work at the store, pay rent on the space (upwards of $4,000), and participate in business training.
While browsing the racks, I realized that I wanted everything in the store — things like hand-painted ballet slippers by design duo La Voleuse (see Venus ish No. 14), the sexily adorable hand-sewn tanks by Phyl, and sophisticated leather and cloth bags by Alyssa Graves.
Graves has been producing bags for more than two years, and she says that Forward allows her to see what appeals to shoppers. “You get to hear feedback,” she explains. “It’s not just what you read in the fashion magazines; you actually see what people want.”
Forward also allows fledgling designers to do their own thing creatively. "I was burned out working in the denim industry, designing really tight pants for women and really baggy pants for men," says designer Dina Magnes. At Forward, she seems to be in her element, producing kicky denim skirts with girly details and see-through, naughty-but-nice tops in delicious melon colors.
As Magnes rung up my purchase (a corduroy miniskirt by veteran Forward designer Johanna Barthe), I asked her why she is a part of this venture. She smiled. "If I’m going to work this hard, I’m going to do it for myself. This is my master's degree."
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