SOFTWEAR NEW HAVEN’S HARD LAUNCH
SOFTWEAR IS CHAPEL STREET’S NEWEST STOREFRONT, BOASTING AN IMPRESSIVE COLLECTION OF VINTAGE CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES.
All Photo/video courtesy of Julia
The store, well known under its previous moniker “@LordMettao”, is now located at the corner of State and Chapel and offers a new and exciting in-person shopping experience for downtown patrons.
At the Grand Opening on Friday, May 24th I got the opportunity to talk to Mettao and his Co-Owner Kevin about how this all came to be.
Julia:
“Why the name change? What’s the significance of ‘Softwear’ to you/the brand?”
Mettao:
“Lordmettao was an embodiment of myself (Mettao) as a personal seller. Softwear is a joint venture between Kev and I. We sell ‘soft wears’ (clothing) and the name is just kinda sick lol”
Julia:
“A little background on Matteo/Kev - & how y’all got into vintage clothing/resale?”
Mettao:
“Mettao has been selling clothing and curating for close to a decade, I started out of my mother's house hosting private buying appointments out of my bedroom. A few years ago I started the Forgotten Flea and really dialed in with curating. Here we are. Kev has always been into thrifting and finding cool pieces. This alliance allowed him to explore the more serious side of vintage reselling.”
Julia:
“What’s the significance of New Haven to the Brand? Why New Haven?”
Mettao:
“Mettao is from New Haven. 27 years born & raised. I wouldn't have opened my first shop any fucking place else.”
Julia:
“How did this partnership come about?”
Mettao:
“Sir Mike & Trevor from Plush introduced Kev and me. We bonded over jokes and being silly guys.”
Julia:
“What are going to be some significant differences from the online store & pop-ups to the in-store location?”
Mettao:
“I stopped selling online a couple of years ago just because I hated the fees and how the platforms would hold your money for so long. We feel like when you're buying clothing you need to hold that item in your hands and see it for everything it is. Buying in person is important.”
Julia:
“Is there any more info about the storefront you want us to know?”
Mettao:
“We're on the Corner of State & Chapel Street (742 Chapel Street) we're open Wednesday - Sunday from 11 am - 7 pm.
We'll be doing weekly/daily restocks as much as we can.
We're determined to bring New Haven the best vintage & archival fashion we can.”
Softwear certified its relationship with the community day of, with flash tattoos by artist @jakewontpaythebills in-store and an impressive range of musical selections by DJ @Kaseycortez. With such an open and inviting atmosphere, and bass to catch anyone’s ear, the store opening brought in all walks of life, from longtime supporters of the brand to your everyday patron of Downtown.
The storefront is beautiful, and the decor is a time capsule of iconic pop culture moments. From the turnout, I can say that much like everyone else, I’m looking forward to all the new things the brand has to offer.
