Designer stores NYC: 36 independents and what they sell
Boots, tailoring, new names and secondhand bags: the city's independent designer shops, sorted the way you shop.
New York has 36 independent designer stores in this guide, and 13 of them are in SoHo's two ZIP codes. The Lower East Side has four more and Brooklyn nine.
The designer name reviewers mention most across all 141 shops here is Chrome Hearts. It comes up in 128 reviews of avntgrdny, 131 Eldridge Street, which is 4.9 on Google from 1,165 reviews, read 20 September 2026. The shop opens four hours a day, 1 pm to 5 pm, and closes Sundays.
SoHo, by the numbers, is a menswear neighborhood. Seven of its 13 designer stores sell only menswear, by our records and their Google listings, against two for women only.
Quick facts
- Designer stores: 36 independent shops, 27 in Manhattan and 9 in Brooklyn.
- SoHo: 13 of the 36, and 7 of those sell only menswear.
- Ratings: a median of 4.4 on Google across the 33 rated, read 20 September 2026.
- Saturday: all 33 with posted hours are open by noon.
- Mondays: 7 of the 33 are closed.
- Sales tax: 8.875% on clothes priced $110 or more, so $35.50 on a $400 jacket.
For boots, denim and leather
Standard & Strange, 238 Mulberry Street, is the boot shop: 23 reviews mention boots, four engineer boots and three selvedge denim. Blue in Green, 8 Greene Street, has 54 reviews on its denim selection and four on raw denim.
In the West Village, Leffot, 10 Christopher Street, sells men's shoes, and three reviews name Alden. It opens Tuesday to Saturday only. Leather jackets come up in 13 reviews of The Cast, 72 Orchard Street, and two mention handmade ones.
For tailoring
The Armoury, 168 Duane Street in Tribeca, is in Google's very expensive band, and suits lead its reviews with 11 mentions. On the same street as Leffot, J. Mueser at 19 Christopher Street has reviews that mention suits, tuxedos and bespoke clothing.
The most reviewed shop in this whole guide is in Brooklyn. Cloth, 138 Fort Greene Place, sells women's designer clothing by its own site, and is 4.9 from 2,301 reviews; 128 mention custom shirts and 71 a custom fit. It asks for an appointment.
For avant garde labels and new names
IF Soho New York, 94 Grand Street, is also in the very expensive band. Seven reviews mention avant garde fashion, and three name Yohji Yamamoto. In NoHo, 16 reviews of C'H'C'M', 2 Bond Street, mention unique brands.
Dover Street Market New York, 160 Lexington Avenue, is on our concept stores page. Still, 25 reviews mention its designer selection and 15 the elevator to the top floor.
For names you have not heard yet, go to Ludlow Street. At Café Forgot, number 29, 14 reviews mention new designers, and Assembly New York, up at 170, opens 11 am to 7 pm every day. In Williamsburg, six reviews of Maimoun, 111 Grand Street, mention new designers.
The label reviewers name most is Chrome Hearts, at a shop open four hours a day.
For women
La Garçonne, 465 Greenwich Street, is 3.5 on Google from 60 reviews; nine mention the brand selection, and it closes Mondays. Cloak & Dagger, 334 East 9th Street, stays open until 7:30 pm six days a week. Oroboro Store, 217 Mott Street in Nolita, closes at 7 pm from Thursday to Saturday and at 6 pm the rest of the week.
In Brooklyn, Rue Saint Paul, 313 Court Street, rents dresses as well as selling them. A. Cheng, 460 Bergen Street, is 4.7 from 26 reviews, two of them about new designers.
Uptown, bocnyc at 410 Columbus Avenue is the one designer store on the Upper West Side.
For designer secondhand
What Goes Around Comes Around, 351 West Broadway, is the handbag stop, with 30 reviews on them. It is 3.7 on Google from 202 reviews, and two use the words buyer beware. 17th St Luxury NYC, 18 East 17th Street, is 4.9 from 289, and nine reviews mention designer bags.
Three designer consignment shops are on the Upper East Side, among them Designer Revival at 324 East 81st Street, where 21 reviews mention designer items. Our NYC thrift stores guide has all 13 resale shops, and the full list of 36 is on the designer stores page.
When to go, and what it costs
Saturday is easy: every designer store with posted hours is open by noon. Monday is harder. Seven close that day, Leffot and La Garçonne among them.
Tax is where designer shopping differs. Clothes and shoes priced $110 or more pay New York City's full 8.875%, according to the state tax department, read 27 September 2026.
On a $400 jacket that is $35.50, and handbags and jewelry pay the rate at any price.
Common questions
Where are the best boutiques to shop at in New York City?
For designer clothes, SoHo: 13 of the 36 independent designer stores in this guide are there. The Lower East Side has four more, on Ludlow and Orchard streets, and Brooklyn has nine.
What is the most famous shop in New York?
Among the independent shops in this guide, the most reviewed is Cloth, the women's designer shop in Fort Greene, with 2,301 reviews. The most reviewed store with many labels under one roof is Dover Street Market New York, with 949.
Are designer bags cheaper in NYC?
Not on tax: handbags are taxable in New York at any price, so a bag bought in the city pays the full 8.875%. For secondhand bags, What Goes Around Comes Around and 17th St Luxury NYC are the two to start with.