I have Kourtney Kardashian to thank for my fashion find of the year – but it’s not a rare pair of Yeezys or some shiny vinyl pants. It’s Treasures of New York City, a curated online designer vintage store that you can shop with one tap via their Instagram feed. After seeing the account tagged in one of Kourt’s outfit pics, I hit the ‘follow’ button and never looked back, but I’m curious as to how the eldest Kardashian sister stumbled upon the vintage trove.
'It all started from Instagram,' says Treasures of New York City CEO, Robert Bird. 'We were chatting with Kourtney’s stylist, Dani Michelle, and the relationship was born. She is such an incredible supporter and really appreciates vintage, so we love working with her. Her style is impeccable.'
And Kourtney Kardashian isn’t the only famous fan of TNYC. Bella Hadid and Shanina Shaik have both been spied in their Chanel belt bags, Kylie Jenner modeled a top-to-toe neon green Fendi look back in June, and Ariana Grande has rarely been seen without a TNYC-sourced handbag in the past six months.
With such a strong celebrity following it’s suprising to hear that Robert and his co-founder girlfriend, Brittany Blanco, launched Treasures of New York City almost accidentally. Downsizing when moving into the city, they posted some of Brittany’s vintage handbag collection on eBay as they simply didn’t have space for all of them. They received an unexpectedly overwhelming response.
'Working in fashion at the time, I started asking my co-workers about their bags they wanted to sell and it blossomed from there,' says Robert. 'We then decided this hobby needed our full attention, so I quit my job and became CEO of TNYC. B still works in advertising full-time, but acts as our Creative Director.'
Despite neither Robert or Brittany having grown up in New York, their love for the city and all its hidden gems is obvious. 'As we approach our decade mark in New York, it's hard to remember a life anywhere else,' says Robert. 'No other place supports the hustle quite like the city. We started locally, just scouring the closets of friends, family and neighbours, and word travelled quickly. Before you knew it, someone’s mom from the Upper East Side was selling a Chanel flap bag that belonged to her mother-in-law. It grew from there.'
Of course, we can’t overlook Instagram’s role in growing TNYC and getting Robert and Brittany’s pieces from seller, to their HQ/showroom, to a fashion-loving buyer. 'From the very start, Instagram has been one of the largest selling points for our items,' says Robert. 'We knew we needed a solid platform that was user-friendly and where we could upload products quickly and efficiently. I would say Instagram is the hub of our business model and the website supports it.'
With all their amazing inventory, it’s understandable that Robert and Brittany find it hard to part with certain finds. 'We try not to get too attached to pieces, but sometimes a unicorn comes along and we know we will never see it again,' says Robert. There was this giant Goyard trunk we wanted to hold onto, but we were moving apartments and it would have basically been the size of our living room, so that one had to go. We waited until a smaller Goyard trunk came along and now it’s our coffee table… balance, am I right?'