Young Designers Market Offers Fresh New Styles

NEW YORK—Every weekend in Nolita—down on Mulberry Street, just behind the Puck building—scores of New York’s young fashion and accessories designers set out their latest creations on little tabletops and wait for the bargain hunting weekend shoppers to come. Fifty to sixty designers hailing from all parts of the globe pay a small fee to showcase their latest jewelry, dresses, shoes and home accessories. Designers come from all over, including Poland, Holland, the Dominican Republic and Ohio.

Handcrafted jewelry is abundant, from the sculpted gold and silver creations of Judith Haas of Amsterdam to the vintage recreations of Ashley Kolt of Cleveland. Artsy T-shirts, intimate apparel, shoes, dresses, and handbags are offered at the many table-top stations. Prices are modest, as most of the vendors are just getting their start in New York. Some are selling off overstock, while others are showcasing new styles. Most items are geared towards young women but a few T-shirts and other clothing items are available for men.

Most items run below the $50 mark, with prices in general ranging between $2 and $200. Many of the vendors have other means of selling their creations, either through e-commerce or other retail outlets. Some have their designs in shops downtown or in Brooklyn and use the weekend market to promote their brands.

Nicholoas Petrou, a designer for Dennis Basso Furs on Madison Avenue, opened the market in September 2002 to set a platform for emerging designers in New York. Petrou also recently opened Emerge NYC, a boutique department store just a few blocks away on Bleeker Street. Emerge NYC opened in August and showcases the work of about 65 designers.

The manager of both spaces, Alex Pabon, describes this type of atmosphere as beneficial for both designer and customer. “This allows the designers to make direct contact with customers, it provides feedback for the designers, and people like that…working with designers to create something unique, not the mass produced items found everywhere,” said Pabon.

The Young Designers Market is located at 268 Mulberry Street between Houston and Prince. Hours are Saturday and Sunday from 11 to 7, year round. More information is available at (www.themarketnyc.com).