The NY Archive
The NY Archive believes that dressing up should be an act of joy, one that reignites the wonder of childhood. Committed to conscious fashion, each item is meticulously chosen with ethical sourcing in mind. We were able to connect with Gianna Corvino, the creative mind behind The NY Archive, and discover the spark that ignited the project she fondly calls “An ode to your mother’s closet.”
I’d love to hear your origin story, how did you get started in this space?
I knew that I wanted to work in a small environment when I was graduating college which lead me to working at a luxury tequila startup in New York City, where I was born and raised. After 2 years there, I knew that I loved brand-building, but I wanted to transition into fashion. I had taken a really impactful course in college about sustainable fashion and I've always really, really loved vintage pieces.
The culmination of the work that I had been doing and my love for fashion authentically pulled me in this direction. More than anything, I wanted to bring that feeling of playing dress up from childhood back into adulthood—with social media, we're so inundated by trends and trend culture that we've lost a lot of our own individuality and identity in getting dressed; we're just finding pieces that everyone else has. I wanted to create a brand that brings excitement back into getting ready every day while still maintaining a sustainable ethos.
Photo: Courtesy of @thenyarchive
Your mission statement references being an ode to your mother’s closet, tell us more about that.
My biggest style icon growing up was my mom. Especially in the early 2000s, she was a single mom and she was just the coolest, hottest, young 30s single mom in New York wearing the most stylish outfits. All I wanted was to be old enough one day to wear her clothes. My first collection was actually born out of some pieces that she was willing to let go of and then I curated the collection around that.
So, this project is very much an ode to her and an ode to my younger self. I was so impacted by us just being girls together and growing up in New York City together—where self-expression is like a living statement of art.
What is your favorite piece you’ve stolen from your mom?
What is truly tragic is that my mother is a size six shoe and I am a nine and a half. By the time I was 13, we were the same size. I was like, "Oh my god, maybe I'm done growing!" and obviously I wasn't, but she had these embroidered mules that were a collaboration between Nicole Miller and Stuart Weitzman. They were everything to me. They were the coolest things I'd ever seen and I wanted them so badly. I'm still on the hunt for them in my size and it's now one of my dying wishes to find them in a size nine. Now that I do sourcing for a living, I know one day it will happen. I will find them.
Funny enough, my childhood best friend is a size six and my mom gifted them to her. I actually stole them back for a photo shoot recently so I have them in the showroom. I just look at them and think of them so fondly. Still, to this day, I source so many beautiful and incredible things all the time—but these shoes have such a special place in my heart because I've coveted them my whole life.
What is the most exceptional item you’ve sourced for a client?
Recently, I sourced a super rare Birkin for a client and that was really fun. I think that those ultra luxury items still hold a level of excitement for me, especially because I focus so heavily on shoes. Shoes are the core of my business, but private sourcing for me really covers anything. So, being able to break out of my specialty a little bit and get into ultra rare, ultra expensive items is always exciting because I don't see those requests come in as often.
Following very closely behind the rare Birkin, I did have the opportunity to source a family friend's wedding shoes this year. Being able to provide pieces that will have such lasting sentimental value always means so much to me.
You host community events from your NYC Showroom, what’s your favorite event that you’ve hosted?
I just redid my showroom space and hosted a little sip and shop event showing off our latest collection. I partnered with a New York City artist, Sara B., who goes by “The Intuitive Creative” and we collaborated on a series of vintage Louis Vuitton pieces that were painted with custom New York iconography. It was really exciting to be able to host an event where we got to highlight those pieces and also have Sarah paint little New York icons as people came in with their own leather pieces to really emphasize sustainability and give some old leather pieces a new life. That collection and being able to host it here in this new space was so magical. I'm actually going to have a few of those pieces for sale in this show!
Your collaborations with The Intuitive Creative are iconic — how did you two meet and begin your painted LV collections?
It's so invisible string and it's so the power of the internet, which is very funny. When I first got started doing this full-time, I launched a collection of merch—just stuff that's very fun and feels very me. I created a shirt that says, "Fashion is my second favorite f-word" and it blew up a little bit on TikTok.
It turns out that Sara had purchased one and wore it to my first pop-up—one of her good friends was actually the party planner so it was kismet. I lost my mind when I saw her in the shirt and she was like, “You don't know me, but I know you obviously—I saw your TikTok of these shirts and I just knew I had to have one.” We totally hit it off. She's so incredibly talented and just the best person.
What we're trying to create, and the joy we try to bring to each of our respective fields of design and fashion, is a very special tribute to our younger selves–two passionate girls in NYC just living out our version of Sex and The City.
Photo: Courtesy of @thenyarchive
Speaking of Sex and The City, your shoe collection could give Carrie Bradshaw a run for her money for the most impressive footwear in NYC. What are your top 3 shoes of all time?
I'm a sucker for a really good Chanel ballet flat. I just feel like there's so many ways to style it. I have my eye on a pair from the '90s that have the big off-center double C instead of the classic small double C on the toe and they're in bubblegum pink. I think that they're so fun. I'm obsessed with the classic Carrie Bradshaw Manolo, of course. And recently, archival Dolce and Gabbana has really stolen my heart. I've been able to source some super cool '90s Dolce pieces. I'm obsessed with this classic Dolce silhouette.
Tell us about your collection of archival Dolce and Gabbana pieces. How did you come to have over 200 pairs?
The Dolce pieces were specifically sourced and curated for a project I was working on with Tyler McGillivary. I did all of the shoes for Tyler's debut fashion show. The theme of the show was Date Night and it was supposed to be evocative of going on a first date in New York City and having the best dirty martini you could find. What really has that vibe to me is old Dolce and Gabbana, with the cheetah print and the sexy, strappy silhouettes and just the fun that was had in that specific time and place. I felt like that was very much the direction of the show and so I wanted to authentically source pieces that could bring that vision to life. These archival Dolce pieces have all come authentically through that project and it's really given me a new appreciation for Dolce and Gabbana that I couldn't have had otherwise.
How often are you sourcing for runway?
I would say each fashion week I have one or two runway projects that I work on. This year was the biggest in terms of scale though, so that's exciting! I found 70 pieces for Tyler. She had 30 looks, so we did two options per look together. Chloë Felopulos, who is her stylist for the show, is just a genius and they were incredible to work with.
What excites you most about this next era of your business with House Codes and live shopping?
I'm most excited to see how this experience authentically evolves and find where I can continue to bring the same joy and feeling that threads through all the projects I've touched thus far. It's going to sound a little cheesy, but I remember the first pair of Manolos I bought myself at my big girl job and the way it made me feel. I owned one single pair of Manolos and I was like “I am Carrie Bradshaw, no one can speak to me.” It's such an amazing feeling to find a piece that is such a true reflection of you and I want to bring that to as many people as possible. More than anything, I just want to continue to work on projects that bring that feeling of joy and self-expression to the forefront, while continuing to support sustainable fashion.
