Cool Hunting

A new hybrid retail concept mixing fashion and art, walking into FAVA (FAshion/Vintage/Art) feels more like walking into somebody's warmly-lit living room. At a recent opening, a live acoustic blues guitarist set the tone while strangers wandered shoulder-to-shoulder, inspecting eccentric dresses and looking at art for sale.

In spite of my doubts, I was quickly reassured when Meda, the owner and founder of the new East Village store approached me with a bottle of red wine and gave me a complete tour of the backyard garden, the clothes and the spectacular art that filled the walls.

FAVA's current exhibition includes the work of several talented local artists. Each brings something special to the table, from Jason Yarmosky's minimalist pen drawings to Rada Marin's use of aged film in her self-portraits.

We love FAVA Store because they not only cater to a "growing art and funky fashion savvy local community" but also because they're driven by interaction with people who wander in. FAVA creates a venue that taps into collective inspirations of the neighborhood and yields a cornucopia of new art and ideas.

"We're gonna sell style—In FAVA Store, everything comes together in one pod."