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If

If
you have a girl-crush on Kai Avent deLeon, join the club.
Ever since she launched her boutique Sincerely Tommy a year and a half
ago, her face has appeared in every major US fashion publication
worth their salt – that’s Vogue, The Coveteur, Huffington Post, W
Magazine, to name a few. She’s the type of girl that can rock an
oversized men’s bomber jacket as well as an Acne coat and somehow
makes a gold vagina necklace look unbearably chic.

Kai is Brooklyn all over. There’s no doubt she’s a New York
woman – smart, savvy and stylish – but she has the laid back vibe
and eclectic nature of the city’s coolest borough.

The good news for you is that Kai’s character and personal style
translate perfectly to her boutique. Sincerely Tommy is located on
the corner of Monroe and Tompkins, the street she grew up on in
Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

After finding a lot of the same brands in most of the
‘experimental’ and ‘innovative’ retail spaces in the city, Kai
began craving something new. “New York is at the forefront of
fashion and a lot of people come here to break through in their
career,” she says. “I kept thinking ‘where are those designers?’
and ‘where are these new people who are starting lines?'”

At Sincerely Tommy, you’ll find some of the most exciting
emerging designers in New York in store, plus interesting
international brands and quirky homeware pieces that Kai has picked
up while travelling abroad. She even launched her own line called
Sincerely Tommy where all products costs less than $200
dollars.

The store’s reputation (and Kai’s constant stream of press) has
kept visitors to New York venturing to Brooklyn. And for locals Kai
has introduced ST coffee into the neighbourhood. “I want it to be
like a community centre for young creatives,” she says. The
designer holds events, stocks a number of zines and magazines and
has a small exhibition space for upcoming artists. She has
effectively turned a high-end designer concept store into an
accessible local hangout.

If she wasn’t your girl-crush before, she is now. Here Kai
highlights some of the standout designers in store:

Designers at Sincerely Tommy

Manushka – a brand from Budapest that has done really well with
us. It’s a line we’ve stocked since we first opened and has very
classic pieces.

Sincerely Tommy – Under $200 and still good quality. We do
classic pieces but still try to keep it fun. We do things like cute
cropped jackets and mod-style pieces for this season.

Arthur Arbesser – This line is from Vienna. His pieces are fun,
playful and super feminine. He plays with metallics and unlikely
fabrics.

C.F. Goldman – This is a designer based in New York. I like to
see who is daring enough to be attracted to some of these
pieces.

Tuza – This is a jewellery line from Mexico City. It is one of
our newer lines and I’m really excited about it. Her pieces are
really fun and playful. She has a boob one, a blunt and a penis
one. I wear the vagina everyday; it’s a great conversation
piece!