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I have always had an inherent love for men's fashion, my style has evolved over the years. I started out as a teenager with a large interest in sports and opened my first retail concept at the age of 19 called CASA CALCIO. It is a soccer specialty store that allowed me to combine my passion for sport and business. It’s where I first fell in love with retail and began dreaming about eventually pivoting into menswear. Cueva was the second iteration and exploration into men's fashion and retail, I was gearing up to open Cueva in February 2020, with my goal being to expand into menswear not knowing that everyone would be home for the foreseeable future. Through lots of ups and downs of year one, we opened our first physical location in the West Village in 2021. I’ve always been drawn to craftsmanship and storytelling, and retail gave me the space to build something rooted in both.
Cueva is a multi-brand menswear store that I had dreamed of opening for years before it became a reality. The original concept was simple: to curate a tight, eclectic edit of international brands that were hard to find in the U.S. We launched it digitally in 2020 and in 2021, we opened our first location in the West Village with just a handful of designers and since then our clientele have grown into truly our community. Today, we have two retail locations one in the West Village and one in Greenpoint, and we carry close to 40 brands, including Barena, Our Legacy, mfpen, Kaptain Sunshine, and more.
Our selection is rooted in craftsmanship, originality, and timeless functionality. We are not only proud of our brand mix but also our incredibly loyal community that supports and surrounds Cueva. Through in-store events, product launches, or neighborhood collaborations, we aim to create thoughtful, immersive experiences that go beyond retail and give our customers the physical space and tools they need to feel confident, catered to and allow for exploration into their own personal style outside of the norm.
There’s a creative cross-pollination in New York that keeps everything fresh. What makes the scene here so unique is that it’s not just industry insiders who care about fashion, it’s everyone. You see people from all walks of life, different ages, professions and backgrounds, that share a deep love for style and are extremely confident risktakers. That energy is what continues to inspire us and what we look to harness and build on with our community events and what we bring to the table for our customers.
At Cueva, we aim to reflect that spirit by curating a truly diverse selection—pieces that feel as eclectic and individual as the melting pot of New York City. Everyone’s doing their own thing, but there’s a shared appreciation for good design, eclecticism and individuality. That mix of authenticity and creativity is exactly what makes the New York menswear community so special and the fact that our community is so kind and loyal allows us to continue to be creative with how we show up for them.
I have always been interested in the discovery portion of my retail business. That itch is scratched through travels to Europe; with the purpose of buying and seeing the new collections in Paris and Milan; intentional research for what’s new and what brands I see through various channels as well as just finding inspiration from the streets of New York and what folks are wearing. I’m constantly researching online, reaching out to brands, and setting up meetings to see if we’re a good fit for each other. I stay curious, always looking for labels that bring something original to the table. I also still work in the shop every single day, interacting with our clients and truly talking to them about what they enjoy, taking note of the details they look for and then applying that learning to my research and buying trips.
In general; I look for brands that share our values. This includes pillars such as responsible manufacturing, thoughtful design, and a real attention to detail. There’s a lot of dialogue that goes into the process. It’s not just about what looks good, but about choosing partners who care as much about how something is made as they do about how it looks. I feel a responsibility to our customers and to the store to carry brands that reflect that level of care and from there we can tell these brands stories through the selling process which is what our clientele are looking for as well.
It’s hard to choose, but the collaboration pieces are definitely the most special. Over the past few years, I’ve had the chance to co-design exclusives with some of our brands. I love referencing their archives and mixing in details that feel uniquely Cueva. One of my favorites is a Barena piece we brought back and reworked as a part of our capsule with the brand, inspired by the uniforms at Chez Ma Tante, our neighbors in Greenpoint. When we look at collaborations or exclusives we want that continued storyline to make sense for our retail locations, all the brands involved and our consumers. There’s a lot of thoughtful conversations around the pieces we decide to bring to life with our collaborators which are very special pieces for me.