In 2018, Moya Annece and Ashley Cimone of Ashya joined the second edition of CFDA’s Elaine Gold Launch Pad program. The two were a natural fit for the accelerator program focused on supporting early emerging talent in innovation and sustainability. It marked the first time the designers stepped foot in Industry City, where they spent their residency working within Camp David, and the duo remained after taking up a work space upon the program’s conclusion. It served as the perfect backdrop for the accessories designers to open their doors to their first retail location.  Fans of the accessories label will now be able to explore their designs through an intimate IRL experience. We caught up with the Moya and Ashley to hear more about how this retail opportunity came to life.

Why was it important for you to open a physical retail location during this time?

After experiencing a very tumultuous 2020, opening a new store for 2021 was not originally top of mind for us. The latter part of last year, Industry City graciously extended us the opportunity to join as new tenants/creators of their Maker’s Guild, a developing shopping destination that features retail-meets-design studio hybrids. We then jumped at the opportunity to bring to life ASHYA in a new form, an intimate space that is now home to our designs, alongside an exclusively curated selection of small gift and travel items. We’re definitely leaning into the optimism of an IRL shopping experience after a very intensive quarantined lifestyle; although approaching it with caution considering that we’re still in the midst of a pandemic. Several retail giants, including some of our wholesale partners, did not survive the pandemic. So we’re hopeful that by opening our own storefront, this gives us the opportunity to understand our customers better, get one-on-one feedback, and grow in a way that continues to feel organic and authentic to our brand.

Can you describe the overall aesthetic and feel of your store?

As a brand of Jamaican and African-American heritage, we definitely feel the aesthetic speaks to our cultural influences—with lots of wood accents, vibrant colors, and a custom oversized raffia-framed mirror that acts as the center-piece of the store. We most definitely leaned on our close community of creators to help bring our vision of the space to life.

The interior features designs by local artists like Lutfi Janania Zablah, a botanical sculptor who created the custom statement mirror installation in our shop, furniture pieces by Raini Home and Brooklyn Navy Yard-based fabricators Skilset, and custom built displays by E-C Designs.

Why did you choose this location? What attracted you to this neighborhood?

We were first introduced to Industry City, Brooklyn by way of the CFDA & the Accessories Council’s Elaine Gold Launch Pad Residency Program, where we were initially awarded a membership to the creative co-working space, Camp David. Since then, we transitioned into one of IC’s Creative Workshops and now a retail storefront.

The space divinely chose us years ago and we’ve been building a strong and fruitful partnership ever since!

How would you describe your customer?

As a small budding design label, we’re most definitely still learning about who the ASHYA customer is and having a shop definitely gives us the unique opportunity to discover more. From what we’ve gathered so far, the ASHYA customer consists of men and women who have a strong appreciation for utilitarian designs, they avidly invest in small businesses that place value in sustainability and innovative design, and are thoughtful in the way they travel and see the world.

What are some of your favorite designers, products, and/or elements from the store?

Definitely one of our favorite elements from the shop is the custom mirror installation because it will be a special place to capture our forever selfie moments 🙂 Another favorite includes publication FAR—NEAR, a curated cross-cultural book series broadening perspectives of Asia, which is now for sale exclusively in our shop. We’ve also dropped our latest styles, just in time for the spring season, including our Passport Bolo that has been out of stock for some time now and is restocked in new colorways. You can check out some of the new styles online too.