Josh Goot and Christine Centenera, Founders of Wardrobe.NYC, on Everyday Fashion

We're partnered with Josh Goot and Christine Centenera, co-founders of Wardrobe.NYC, to help them fund their vision of creating timeless high-quality fashion essentials.

What inspired you to start Wardrobe.NYC?

At the time, 2016/17 we were growing more detached from the conventional fashion cycle, and less inspired by the idea of fashion for fashion’s sake.

We were looking for something more practical, more simple, and better – a label that captured the way we dress everyday.

In late 2017 Wardrobe.NYC was born – aiming to address the relentless design, production and consumption cycle endemic to the industry and become the world’s leading destination for modern wardrobe essentials.

Give us a current snapshot of Wardrobe.NYC - what's exciting to you about working in fashion at this moment, given the ongoing pandemic?

It’s exciting to see the market trends, and consumption patterns that we predicted, and felt personally, taking shape across the industry and market.

It’s exciting to be a pioneer, to take risks, and to work everyday toward building something that you believe in, and that can improve people’s everyday experience of getting dressed

Tell us about Wardrobe.NYC’s financial structure - what made you consider inventory-based financing, and why did you choose Assembled Brands as a strategic investment partner?

As a direct-first business model, Wardrobe.NYC takes inventory risk in order to service its new releases and Permanent Collection. Our garments are made in Europe with Italian textiles, and the costs of goods is relatively high. Similar to most startups, cash is key for us and the timeline from beginning production to landing goods in the warehouse, then delivering to our customers or wholesale partners can be up to 6 months. Working with Assembled Brands allows us to free up working capital through leveraging our inventory and receivables. Over the years, Assembled Brands has been an incredible partner in our growth. Assembled Brands understand the challenges inherent in the fashion industry and have been steadfast partners – especially during the pandemic.

What are the 3 software tools or platforms that keep the wheels moving at Wardrobe.NYC?

I had to consult our CFO on this one, but I’m reliably told that our finances run using three key tools - QuickBooks for all accounting needs, RLM to handle costings, purchase orders, receivers, inventory management, etc. and Bill.com to manage vendors and payments. Our ecommerce platform is largely built using Shopify Plus.

What macro trend is your brand riding, and is there a unique niche you hope to corner?

There’s a few macro trends that Wardrobe.NYC is consciously aware of – the relationship between fashion and essentials, between direct and wholesale, and the importance of an ethical, efficient supply chain, and a sustainable business model. We aim to become the world’s leading destination for modern wardrobe essentials.

What companies in the modern brand ecosystem do you look up to?

We admire different brands for different reasons – some of our favorites are Jil Sander, Bottega Veneta, The Row, Balenciaga, Nike, Supreme, Carhartt WIP, Birkenstock, Byredo & Feit.

What advice would you give to other founders of emerging fashion & accessories brands, and what lessons have you learned during the growth of your business?

– Stay true to your vision

– Persevere

– Raise enough $

– Build a great team

– Execute

What's next for Wardrobe.NYC? Any exciting plans or goals you're working towards?

We have a big 2021/22 ahead – our first new releases since the pandemic hit, and some exciting collaborations scheduled for late 2021 and into 2022.