bless the telephone
One last little newsletter to round out 2024
This week we’re featuring a cool new NYC bagel shop, sharing our coolstuff rewind, and introducing you to our cool new friend: Maddie West of Sloppy Seconds.
Bagel Joint
Thanks to Bagel Joint, Greenpoint has a new spot for classic Jewish baked goods (think bagels, babka, and challah) from couple Will Sacks and Lanty Hou. At the new location on Calyer Street, you can finally taste the food that made Bagel Joint the star of NYC farmers markets like the Miso bagel featuring sesame, nori, salt, and Japanese everything seasoning. Stop by Wednesdays – Fridays from 6a-3p and weekends from 6a-4p! PS. They’re currently off for the holidays, but return in full force this Sunday, 12/29!
Meet Maddie, founder of Sloppy Seconds – an upcycled clothing brand turning vintage and deadstock pieces into timeless garments. We caught up with Maddie to hear about how she got started in upcycling, and how she sources her pieces.
Where did your interest in second hand and vintage clothing begin?
My interest in second hand and vintage first began as a by-product of my love for sewing and creating. When I was eight, I received a sewing machine and sewing classes for Christmas. I became passionate about creating with my own hands to make items that were useful; my first projects were a pair of pajamas, a bean bag chair, pillows, aprons, and stuffed animals. Instead of buying new fabrics, I would dig into the bag of my family’s clothes to be donated–stained button downs, outgrown jeans, and scraps of furniture upholstery–mostly out of convenience. One project led to the next, and I soon realized that my creativity could have other positive impacts: adding new life to something that would otherwise end up in the landfill. I quickly learned to appreciate shopping secondhand and vintage, not only for clothing circularity, but also because I love hunting for special items that no one else has.
Tell us about your upcycled clothing brand, Sloppy Seconds!
I started Sloppy Seconds with a vision to contribute to the lasting impact that upcycling can make on the future of fashion. It began as a vintage resale side hustle out of my apartment bedroom during graduate school. Working in environmental public health, I studied the disheartening impacts that the clothing industry has, both environmentally and ethically. I decided to pivot away from vintage and began selling my own reworked pieces as a way to recirculate clothing, which turned out to resonate with other people too. Sloppy Seconds is now an upcycled clothing brand based in NYC that aims to give clothing a second life. We blend elements of traditional menswear with feminine accents, creating classic wardrobe staples with elevated details. Every piece we upcycle is carefully sourced secondhand, one-of-a-kind, and reworked locally in NYC.
What’s your favorite part about the New York sustainable fashion community?
My favorite part of the sustainable fashion community in NYC is their incredible support of me and my brand. As a newcomer to this industry, it has been intimidating to join an established group of talented designers and business owners. The people I’ve met through markets, collaborations, and creative projects have been incredibly supportive and eager to share advice, experience and connections.
How do you like to source your second hand garments for your shop? Are there certain colors, fabrics etc. that you look for when sourcing?
I have a few methods of sourcing, depending on the garment. I source military liners from family-owned surplus warehouses, and buy men’s dress shirts in local thrift stores or when I am traveling. I buy from deadstock fabric warehouses (Fabscrap or ZenTex), and get scraps from custom shirtmakers in NYC. I am super picky about colors and patterns when it comes to men’s dress shirts, but above all is the condition of the shirt (no stains or discoloration). Of course blue stripes and 100% cotton are always at the top of my list, but I also source colors seasonally and occasionally make exceptions.
Do you have any new garments on the horizon for the shop?
I will introduce some new pieces in our SS’25 Collection, in addition to our core pieces (jackets and dress shirts). I will also share some really exciting news about a showroom in the works for the new year!
Follow Along:
@sloppysecondsnyc
www.sloppysecondsnyc.co
The 2024 Coolstuff NYC Rewind
As this year comes to a close we wanted to take a look back at some of our favorite things from this year – across our 51 newsletters, we rounded up countless openings, interviewed scores of cool friends, and expanded our guides beyond the borders of the five boroughs. While you wind down the year and figure out what to do between now and New Years Eve, here are some of our favorite things to put on your reading list or on your radar.
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