Today we're chatting with Gianna Corvino — the founder of The New York Archive, which has just opened The New York Archive Collective, a brand-new flagship vintage collective in the heart of Chelsea. Gianna is a vintage shoe specialist turned store owner, and I'm so excited for you to hear how she went from playing dress-up in her mom's closet to curating 15 vintage vendors – across the range of the fashion dress up closet – under one roof.
Gianna grew up in New York City, completely enamored with her mother's shoe collection — pink, sparkly heels that felt like the coolest thing in the world to a little girl. That early love of nostalgia, accessories, and on-screen icons from movies like 13 Going on 30 and The Devil Wears Prada eventually became the foundation for The New York Archive, which Gianna started as a portfolio project while applying to fashion school.
Amidst starting the archive, though, her story took a wild turn — after a startup equity deal fell through she felt the push to go all-in on vintage. She landed her first Manhattan Vintage Show spot, started sourcing pieces for celebrity stylists and television shows, and built a devoted online community through sharing radically transparent "building in public" content on social media.
Just one week ago, Gianna opened the doors to The New York Archive Collective — a brick-and-mortar space she built out with her building's handyman, Angel and with help from his son, almost entirely through DIY, donations, and Facebook Marketplace finds.
On today's episode, we get into all of it — why the vintage shoe niche was a space nobody else was filling, the holy grail hunting and sourcing stories – including for pieces worn on the recent Love Story show about Carolyn Besette Kennedy, and what it's like to watch your wildest dream become a physical space you can actually stand in.
Let's dive right in!
DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:
- [4:46] Gianna grew up in New York City, completely enamored with her mother's shoe collection.
- [10:11] Why she talked herself out of fashion and into business school instead
- [15:43] A DM that changed everything
- [18:01] Starting NY Archive as a portfolio project while applying to fashion school.
- [23:11] Landing her first Manhattan Vintage Show spot — and nearly selling out her inventory
- [26:14] Working on stylist pulls for the recent Love Story show about Carolyn Besette Kennedy.
- [32:47] Choosing to specialize in vintage shoes when no one else was.
- [33:26] Her love of Manolo Blahnik — and wanting to democratize luxury through vintage
- [35:46] "Building in public" by sharing content on social media about her founder journey
- [39:17] Making the leap from apartment showroom to brick-and-mortar
- [46:22] Designing The New York Archive Collective on a DIY budget
- [51:52] Her personal vintage collection — the pieces she keeps and why
- [53:57] Holy grail hunting and tracking down signed Manolos
EPISODE MENTIONS:
LET'S CONNECT:
SPECIAL THANKS:
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