Octobertwelve
Octobertwelve started as an e-store selling cutting-edge jewellery by young designers for just $12, hence the name Octobertwelve.
There's more to the "twelve" premise in this physical store though: it's open for twelve hours Friday and Saturday from noon to midnight. That means on weekends Yorkville shopaholics can pick up a hot new outfit or accessory before they hit the town late at night.
Located on busy Cumberland in Yorkville, those long hours are also designed to catch after-dinner amblers and fashionistas working close at their own retail shops. Who knows, maybe even celebs like Kimye who visit Yorkville will appreciate something like Octobertwelve being open til midnight with their jet lag and crazy schedules.
The interior is long and white with shelves set into the walls, stand-alone racks, central display bars, and art which is also mostly by young people and up for sale.
Octobertwelve carries mostly Korean brands, and keeps it simple with a lot of minimal block colours like grey, red, white and black. They try to choose what they sell by imagining their items in whole outfits.
Yue Shi designed this cage bag as an accessory to the see-through PVC coats and square geometric jewellery they carry.
More expensive bracelets are kept in funky display cases, but to stay in touch with their desired young customer they say their most expensive jewellery still tops out at around fifty dollars. A super chunky bracelet might hover around $28, for example.
They also sell fun phone cases, including ones with attachments like wrist straps from Korean brand Second Unique Name .
Other accessories include a wall of Korean brand sunglasses, which strike a balance between the cartoony outlandishness of some Asian fashion along with more toned-down Western influences. Ranging from around $59 - $89, they're a good price for an accessory you can wear every day that'll make you look crazy cool and unlike anyone else.
The clothing is very fashion forward here, with a lot of items by designer Fan Feng in stark reds and blacks. Sections are entirely omitted from jackets, clothes are studded with design features like giant eyelets, and there's plenty of sparkle in one sweater I love (if only I had $129).
By building a collective centred around this unique store composed of employees, designers, manufacturers, students, and more, Octobertwelve has managed to bring a spark of youth to Cumberland. Oversized clothing, transparent purses, and giant bracelets here combat the old handbags, sunglasses and scarves of Yorkville...for twenty-four hours on weekends.
Photos by Hector Vasquez