New Ravenswood Garments Keep Started off By Two Buddies With A Enthusiasm For Lively Classic Design and style

RAVENSWOOD — The owners of a classic clothes store opening in Ravenswood this thirty day period used a long time providing their wares at markets all through the city prior to launching a brick-and-mortar business enterprise.

Her & Ziba’s, 4919 N. Damen Ave., carries a wide range of colourful clothes and components from concerning the 1960s and 1990s. The retail store opened last month.

Proprietors Elhom Karbassi and Leslie Castromayor said they are fond of the vibrant colours and styles from these decades, and like to enable buyers work bold products into their outfits to support them explore and increase their personal design in a enjoyable way.

“We can aid them figure out what clothes tends to make them come to feel great,” Karbassi said. “Clothing has been gendered for so lengthy, but apparel does not have a gender and it should really truly be whatever would make you sense excellent.”

Karbassi beforehand labored in the nonprofit world but observed she had a lot more of a passion for aiding men and women obtain vintage outfits and started to market clothing on the facet. Karbassi remaining her nonprofit position in 2020 to concentrate entire time on advertising classic outfits at regional markets, she explained. 

That’s how she satisfied and befriended Castromayor, who had also been providing classic outfits for a handful of yrs, Karbassi claimed. Karbassi is Iranian-American and Ziba is Filipino-American.

“We promptly bonded on how vintage garments is nevertheless very considerably a white room, primarily in Chicago. It’s even now a whole lot of white people, which is great,” Karbassi said. “But remaining two very first-generation Brown women of all ages, it felt actually wonderful for us to obtain every other and for us to relate on the gatekeeping we feel from time to time comes about. ”

Credit: Alex V. Hernandez/Block Club Chicago
Some of the objects for sale at Her & Ziba, 4919 N. Damen Ave.

The close friends started the process of opening their shop above the summer time with the aim of generating a welcoming space for fans of vintage apparel like by themselves.

During their industry days, Castromayor offered apparel below the identify Never Read of Her Vintage and Karbassi sold beneath the title Ziba Finds. 

Combining their past names into Her & Ziba was the ideal mix for their new enterprise, Karbassi stated.

“Ziba implies ‘beautiful’ in Farsi so my aged identify was Wonderful Finds and holding that was significant for me,” Karbassi mentioned. “And we experienced a really dope artists make our new branding and emblem.”

A grand opening celebration is established for 11 a.m. March 12, featuring a restricted source of branded tote bags and other items. For additional info go to the shop’s Instagram.

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