Erin Kleinberg and Stephanie Mark of The Coveteur: A tFS Interview

The Fashion Spot: What prompted you to launch The Coveteur?

The Coveteur: We both found ourselves back in Toronto and just casually discussing life, boys, and work over brunch when we thought, you know what, why don’t we start something together? We had seen The Social Network the night before so we were super into the whole entrepreneurial vibe. We thought that if we all love street style blogs so much, why not take it a step further and allow readers to deconstruct those looks by getting full access to these tastemakers closets and wardrobes? So we started testing the waters in friends’ closets and fell in love with the concept.

tFS: Do you have subjects pitch themselves or do you recruit them from your existing contacts? How has this changed since you captured mainstream interest?

TC: Definitely as momentum grew, more and more people have been contacting us. It is good company to be in so a lot of people reach out to us now. We have both worked in fashion for years now, together we have interned just about everywhere, so it started with existing contacts but has branched out for sure. Sometimes we have to pinch ourselves just realizing whose homes we are standing in. This definitely happened at Simon Doonan’s pad; he is our idol! 

tFS: Were you surprised at the amount of attention you got straight out of the gate?

TC: Yes, definitely. We are such lucky little children. It made it easier that our ‘original six’ included Joanna Hillman, John Gerhardt, and Eugene Tong. They were so supportive before we even launched. We are forever grateful. 

tFS: Who is on your wishlist?

TC: Iris Apfel!

tFS: Are there certain brands that you’re more likely to shoot when you find them in a subject’s closet?

TC: We edit each closet multiple times prior to styling the vignettes. We don’t like shooting items we have seen a bunch before. We are very into showcasing new and up-and-comers, for sure, and it’s not like the TMZ hour over here. If someone has 25 Birkins, we will show one unique one; it’s not about exposing people, just getting inspired. 

tFS: How do your tastes play into what you decide to shoot?

TC: We both really love color. We love manipulating colors, textures, and environments of course and creating something that may confuse the eye or make you think a teeny bit harder than normal. It’s all about the composition; we love irony and anything imperfect. At the same time, sometimes symmetrical perfection really gets us off, but mostly our aesthetic is clean and bright. Essentially we want the clothing or accessories to speak for themselves; the pictures are styled/shot as though they are almost humanlike. 

tFS: Will you be attending fashion week and if so, who are you most looking forward to seeing?

TC: Yes, we will! Definitely Wes Gordon, Peter Som, Cushnie + Ochs, and we are really into the Aldo Rise collections this season. We love a good collaboration! They have some key players this season and we are excited to see those unveil on the runways.

tFS: What’s next for The Coveteur?

TC: We have many tricks up our sleeves. Skipping over the pond to shoot; so super stoked for that, and building the business for sure. Stay tuned! 

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