Shelcy and Christy’s New York for @NYCxClothes

Heloísa Lima

“We focus on staying true to who we are and aligning only with brands and creatives who share our values.”

As creative and visionary minds, Shelcy and Christy are benchmarks when it comes to authenticity. With over 60,000 followers on the @NYCxClothes profile, the Haitian sisters moved to New York in 2010 due to the earthquake that struck their country that same year. Initially, Shelcy studied neuroscience and Christy aimed to attend business school. It was only in 2014 that the duo started creating content for the Internet.

For more than 12 years, the sisters have been exploring the city and fashion through a unique cultural lens, which led to the creation of their own community of creatives seeking to share experiences in truly meaningful ways.

When wondering how they achieved such success, just open their profile and everything makes sense. They both discuss diversity, fashion, and all the forms of self-expression that online life allows. These characteristics are what gave life to NYCxStudio, the marketing platform aimed at creating more collaborative and multidimensional connections between brands and content creators.

Enthusiasts of a good conversation and a lot of exchange, Shelcy and Christy shared a bit more of their experiences with Lifestyle Mag. Check out the full chat:

LM: When did you realize you had the potential to create such a large and well-structured platform?
Shelcy and Christy: NYCXCLOTHES was first a creative outlet for two fashion girls venturing through New York City, then evolved into a platform for cultivating important conversations, using fashion as the main vehicle. As the ultimate form of self-expression, fashion is a tool we can all connect with. There wasn’t a single moment when things changed radically; it’s truly our passion for community and storytelling that has kept fueling the brand all along.

LM: What’s the main objective of NYCxStudio?
S&C: Having worked in the industry for a combined 10 years, we noticed a lack of transparency between agencies and brands, as well as a stubbornness in maintaining traditions that exclude many people.

The brands would have occasional moments of diversity, but these often bordered on tokenism and rarely signaled structural change.

Therefore, we set out to create a more collaborative and multidimensional connection between brands and creators, while centering community and inclusive storytelling. NYCXSTUDIO is a consulting agency and a photo/event space that serves as a bridge between brands and creators.

LM: How do you keep your platform authentic and engaging when there’s so much competition?

S&C: Honestly, we don’t think much about competition. We focus more on staying true to who we are and aligning only with brands and creatives who share our values.

Since the beginning, we had a clear purpose for launching the brand and we’ve remained committed to that mission at every step. Our audience really loves the sister bond we have, so it’s a glimpse into our lives that we’re naturally happy to share.

LM: How did your interest in fashion and creative content begin?

Shelcy: I was drawing and staging fashion shows at home when I was nine years old, so fashion has always been a part of me. Growing up in Haiti, I couldn’t quite figure out how to turn these skills into a career, but my parents always encouraged my creativity. So I became fluent in fashion vocabulary from an early age.

Christy: I was a bit of a tomboy when I was little, so my interest in fashion started in early adolescence. But I always had an eye for art and was obsessed with watching YouTube videos, so when I became a teenager, I started tuning into my fashion sense.

LM: What is your biggest achievement so far in these years working online?
S&C: Our biggest achievement was cultivating a community larger than we ever imagined around a topic so close to our hearts. In 2020, we created an informal mentoring program, connecting over 50 Black professionals with free specialized support in their desired fields. We also hosted more than 25 events since 2017 for a total of 1,000 people. I mean, the list goes on, but it really comes back to the impact on our community.

LM: Do you have any beauty ritual that you practice every day?
S&C: Outside of our daily skincare routine, we just try to drink lots of water, as it promotes skin health and glow. But we’re not big fans of beauty rituals.

LM: Still talking about rituals, what do you do daily to stay inspired?

S&C: Walking around New York, going to museums, reading magazines, trying new foods, and hosting dinners are some of our favorite ways to get inspired.

LM: How have these 12 years in New York contributed to your personal and professional development?

S&C: Being surrounded by so much culture and diversity has helped us develop more empathy and an uncompromising moral compass. The city routine also instilled in us the values of courage and hard work. All of this has paid off both personally and professionally, but to put it simply: New York has made us better people. More understanding, more intellectually well-rounded, kinder, and more open-minded.

LM: What is your favorite thing about the city?

S&C: The people. This melting pot of different cultures and ideas really makes New York a cultural magnet.

LM: Besides being beautiful, your styles are also well-defined. How does each of you find the pieces that best represent your style and with which you feel most comfortable?

S&C: Recently, we’ve developed a strong interest in fashion as craftsmanship and discipline, which makes us appreciate designers’ history and philosophy on a deeper level. Now we pay attention to details like construction, the harmony of certain combinations, and how it expresses our personality. It’s constantly evolving, to be honest, but we allow ourselves to experiment with a wide variety of brands and silhouettes. Furthermore, we continue to be inspired by what we see on the streets of New York, on runways, in magazines, and in fashion documentaries.

LM: What advice can you give to someone who wants to develop a personal style?

S&C: Don’t be afraid to experiment. See something you love? Try styling it your way. Style is subjective, so you can make it interesting or at least uniquely yours. Find pieces that work for your body, that give you a sense of comfortable optimism in your skin. Fashion is as psychological as it is physical.

LM: Last but not least, what are the next steps for NYCxClothes? What are your main goals for the future?

S&C: We’re having fun on TikTok and YouTube as part of an effort to turn our brand into a multimedia platform. We’ll also be blogging and consistently recommending products we truly love. Finally, we’re excited to bring back our consulting agency and studio space (NYCXSTUDIO) in style!

To continue following Shelcy and Christy’s work, just click here.