![]() “Safe, but then there’s a huge amount of pressure,” said Centenera. “Everything happens quite quickly, and then you feel safe,” Goot said of the fundraising process. They secured their first rounds through private investors - half of which work in the fashion industry - about six months ago, which resulted in “ramping up” preparations for the launch. Goot and Centenera self-funded the line for the first few months, but soon found it necessary to seek outside funding. The women’s blouse and shirt, in Wardrobe NYC’s launch campaign “Most of the best brands have great stylists behind them.” “As a stylist, you work with a design team, you’re present in fittings, you have a very strong say on color palettes and silhouettes, and you work closely with the designer,” she said. It’s also Centenera’s first stab at heading up a brand, though she called the role a natural next step. “We haven’t defined the divide yet,” admitted Goot. It’s the first time the couple has worked together, and - for the first collection, anyway - it’s been an equal partnership, with both weighing in on most every decision. He and Centenera visit the factory to oversee fittings, but spend most of their time in NYC, overseeing a lean team of three: a part-time COO/CFO, an art director and jack of all trades, who works across sales and design. This way, we keep the worlds somewhat separate.” “I wanted to organize it differently,” he said, “to avoid having overheads at the head office and turning the pursuit into a human resources exercise. The line’s development and production take place offsite, in a factory in Naples, Italy - a strategic decision by Goot, who long worked in 25-person studios. Next up will be the “sport” collection, composed of essential athleisure-style pieces, followed by “summer tailoring.” At least six of the eight pieces are black the shirt is white, and shoppers can choose a black or white T-shirt. The men’s packs mirror the women’s, though they feature a hoodie, trousers and pants, in place of the blouse, skirt and leggings. The first is the “tailored” collection, composed of a T-shirt, a blazer, a shirt, a skirt, a sweater, a blouse, a coat and a pair of leggings for her. The plan is to roll out three or four collections per year. The model for Wardrobe NYC certainly veers from the norm: Goot and Centenera create 16 pieces per collection, eight for him and eight for her, which are sold in predetermined “packs” and made to be mixed and matched: The pack of four pieces is $1,500, and the complete, eight-piece collection is $3,000. “Unless you’re super hot and new, or you’re part of a huge conglomerate that’s hugely successful, it doesn’t work.” “It made sense to try something that challenged the current business model,” she said. Driven by the “broken” fashion industry and the challenges she’d seen Goot face while running a traditional collections-based business, she signed on. He approached longtime partner, Vogue Australia fashion director and Yeezy collaborator Christine Centenera, about collaborating on the line. The idea: A seasonal capsule collection of timeless styles, driven by what people actually wear and need. Goot, who backed a namesake label for a decade, came up with the concept two years ago, after moving from Australia to NYC and becoming inspired by New Yorkers’ “uniform” way of dressing.
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