Moves pop-up shop Photo by Jesse Sposato

Gonna Make you MOVES

On Sunday afternoon, November 21, the smell of waffles wafted through the air while some crowded around the bar sipping mimosas, and others waited patiently for a cheap haircut from Jean Jean, the French coiffeur. The place being described is neither a salon, nor a bar or brunch spot. It is MOVES, the new pop-up shop brought to you by Sarah Jones and Mackswell Sherman
, the owners and designers of Ruffeo Hearts Lil’ Snotty; and Arthur Arbit, perhaps best known for his King Gurvy clothing line or Williamsburg Fashion Weekend, the annual event he founded and curates.

Jones and Sherman have been a sewing team for five years now. Originally from Olympia, then Seattle, they eventually made their way to New York three years ago and found a home for their clothing line in Red Hook. Recently, they made the decision to move their operations to Greenpoint but found themselves in a pickle when their two workspaces overlapped for November and December; rather than sweat it, they made relish. And relish looked like a pop-up shop.

Once January hits, the space at 214 Franklin Street will serve as RHLS headquarters—there will still be retail (mostly theirs) but it will also be half production. For now though, it’s a haven for numerous designers and events galore. “Personally, I’m really excited about [being around] people. In Red Hook we were really isolated so here in Greenpoint, we’re actually able to build a network of other businesses,” Jones said.

RHLS can be described as futuristic streetwear with bold colors and geometric lines. Some of the other designers whose clothes are being sold at MOVES have a similar vibe like Joann Berman with her bright colors and vibrant patterns, but others like Camp Out There or Andy Lifschutz’s jewelry are drastically different with more of a vintage feel. Still, all help to form what is a cleverly curated selection of goods guaranteed to appeal to the discerning hipster palette. Additional designers featured at the shop are: Shirley Rempe, Titty Hawk, SDN, K. Louise, Study, Small Home Studio, Fabric Horse, Tam Aura, Magic Outlaw, King Gurvy, H Fredriksson, Rice Society, Dick Move Records and RVNG, to name quite a few.

If you attended Williamsburg Fashion Weekend in September, or in years past, this list of names may look familiar to you, as many of the designers have been part of WFW. Wanting to prolong WFW, Jones and Sherman pitched the pop-up shop idea to Arbit, hoping to join forces. Arbit not only agreed, but he painted beautiful larger-than-life murals around the shop, and he’s also been helping with event planning and promotion.

Modeling the pop-up shop loosely after the clothing cooperative Jones and Sherman were a part of in Olympia when they first started out, the MOVES team are charging designers a cheap flat rate as rent and not taking commission. “Everyone works together to keep the store open,” Jones said. This past weekend alone brought an abundance of customers to the store with all the events that took place.

Aside from the Sunday haircut brunch, there was also a show on Friday night—CNTRL TOP, Niece, dDiILliIAaNn and DJ Dead Ramones; a trunk show with SDN and Tam Aura on Saturday including live music from Chocolate Starfish; and post-brunch Sunday, the MOVES crew hosted “Presentation Party Night,” a lecture series started by Dan Dreke where six people have ten minutes to give a lecture on anything they want, followed by a Q&A (each), and including free booze and food. “We want people to come, hang out and shop. We really want to introduce the space as more than just a store and more of a meeting place—a place to have fun, meet other people, build networks,” Jones said.

If you missed out on the fun this weekend, don’t worry, there will be plenty more including a storewide sale next weekend where items will be 10-25% off, and MOVES’ own lecture series on Sunday nights. Topics include sustainable sourcing for fabric, and the lifespan of your clothes i.e. the fabrics and the way you wash them, plus how that effects the environment and your health. “At this point we’re just networking with other designers and talking about how we can do a better job at what we do and [how to] share resources,” Jones said.

To learn about upcoming events, check out: movesbrooklyn.wordpress.com. MOVES is located at 214 Franklin Street between Huron and Green Streets and they are open from 12:00-8:00 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

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