Boutique king Steven Alan owns four stores in New York – but his fashion influence extends much farther. Former employees have started their own boutiques, and he runs showrooms that supply the work of many smaller designers to big retailers. Pieces of his empire include:
STEVEN ALAN’S OWN BOUTIQUES
1. TriBeCa headquarters (103 Franklin St., [212] 343-0692)
2. West Village annex (69 Eighth Ave., [212] 242-2677)
3. NoLita annex (229 Elizabeth St., [212] 226-7482)
4. Upper West Side outlet (465 Amsterdam Ave., [212] 595-8451)
“I couldn’t find a good menswear line to put in my store, so I decided to design it myself,” says Alan of his signature rumpled shirt. But he had no intention of making it wholesale until buyers from other stores started to demand it. Then came countless requests for pants, accessories and womenswear. Still, the iron-proof shirt is the bread and butter of the line. Alan’s annexes mainly carry his shirts; his outlet on the Upper West Side carries older items.
HIS PROTÉGÈS
5. Stuart & Wright (85 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn, [718] 797-0011)
Owned by Celeste Wright (a former buyer for Steven Alan) and Alec Stuart (former retailer for Alan). Neighborhood pride led these two Fort Greene residents to forsake their MetroCards and open the only local boutique in September. They pooled their preppy sensibilities into a collection of casual labels for both men and women, including APC, Engineered Garments, Samantha Pleet and Gryson handbags. Shown here: A Mina Stone “Atherina” dress for $348.
6. Jumelle (148 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, [718] 388-9525)
Former Steven Alan shopgirl Carla Waldron and twin sister Candice fulfilled their dream of owning a boutique with this Williamsburg gem, French for “twin.” “I had been hanging out in [Alan’s] store since he was in SoHo. He gave me so much great advice when I opened my store,” Candice Waldron says. Signature item: This Hyde S.K. handbag, $488.
7. Bird (220 Smith Street, Brooklyn, [718] 797-3774)
Owned by former Steven Alan buyer Jennifer Mankins, who inherited the Park Slope staple in 2004 from two friends. Known for its steady flow of Slope moms, the store helped solidify the new Brooklyn aesthetic, but Mankins brought even more style to the racks, adding some bigger names and more promising local talent, like Mociun, Carson Potter, and Mayle. Signature item: this Tsumori Chisato dress, on sale for $279.
HE SUPPLIES TO
By nature, fashion designers are concerned more with the creative side and cannot be bogged down with actively selling their clothing to stores. Instead, they turn to middlemen such as Alan. Showrooms, which are not open to the public, exist as a liaison between designers and stores. Some of the items Alan helps sell include these city totes from Anna Corinna ($396), Gryson Skye bag ($725) and dresses from Sunshine and Shadow ($223). Steven Alan has showrooms in both L.A. and N.Y.C. and sells to the most influential stores in the country, including: 8. Bergdorf Goodman (754 Fifth Ave., [212] 753-7300); 9. Bloomingdale’s (1000 Third Ave., [212] 705-2000); 10. Saks Fifth Avenue (611 Fifth Ave., [212] 940-4176); 11. Barneys (660 Madison Ave., [212] 826-8900); 12. Intermix (1003 Madison Ave., [212] 249-7858); 13. Scoop (473-475 Broadway, [212] 925-3539); 14. Otte (121 Greenwich Ave., [212] 229-9424); 15. Calypso (280 Mott St., [212] 965-0990).