Conquete

Conquete boutique located in Chelsea is known for its stylish men’s basics, from swimwear to overcoats. Richard Cohen, the shop’s proprietor, has been designing the majority of the apparel under the Conquete lable since opening his shop back in 2001. In addition to his own work, Cohen represents more than 10 other designers and is always willing to give young up-and-coming designers the opportunity to sell their apparel as long as they consistently produce and deliver.

“I know what I do, and I do it well,” says Cohen. He started his fashion career about 25 years ago in France before relocating to New York City, where he began designing women’s evening wear. With a desire to wear his own clothing, he had eventually grown tired of designing for women. His love of fashion and understanding of what men wanted allowed him to perfect his designs, soon producing his own men's wear line.

Today more than ever, sexy stylish clothing for men is more acceptable than it was a couple of decades ago. Owning his own boutique allows Cohen to gauge what his customers’ interests are to create distinct pieces that satisfy his clients’ needs. The clothing is about more than just style and looks; Cohen pointed out that the clothing on his back has stood the test of time, with its fine stitching and fabrics - he continues to wear pieces he designed more than 20 years ago. It is this kind of dedication to craftsmanship that makes Cohen’s Conquete label so unique.

Conquete's line is locally manufactured in mid-town Manhattan and is made with domestic textiles. Recently, Cohen has been looking to source fabrics in France due to New York City's shrinking Garment District. Over the years, the global shifts in clothing manufacturing have had a direct impact on the availability of quality fabrics in New York - once the center of production in the United States. It is Cohen’s opinion that some of the best cutting rooms, equipped with state-of-the-art technology perfect for mid-size production, are located in New York City, though they are highly underutilized. It is not until New York's Fashion Week that these rooms are properly staffed. Excellent facilities such as JJ Cutting on 36th street are suffering a loss of steady production. It is independent designers like Cohen who produce domestically that bring life and authenticity to the dyeing Garment District.

"Style and taste comes from us, and they are nothing without us," he says.

Among Conquete’s outstanding selection of intimate apparel are popular top sellers like Andrew Christian underwear, Todd & Terry, and Nico &Adrian. Swimwear is a specialty at Conquete, and can be found year-round under the boutique label. Cohen's swimwear designs are fashion forward in unique cuts and pulsing vibrant colors.

“Once you see it on the beach, you don’t want it anymore,” he says. Conquete's designs are constantly evolving in order to satisfy the tastes of tomorrow's man.

Conquete’s regularly updated inventory includes lines such as Apricot Tree, English Laundry, Alchemy, and Pistol Pete athletic wear. Many of the boutique's accessories are imported from Italy and France, with leather bags from Holland, and hand-made Cruz Azur jewelry from California. Trendy Goorin Bros. hats are also a popular seasonable option.


For several years now, Cohen has even been designing skimpy fabulous outfits for the Gay Pride Parade floats. His wide clientele includes a list of celebrities, film people and Chelsea residents. Wearing a hat, sunglasses, jacket and jeans, all purchased at Conquete, one of the shop’s regular customers commented, “These people make me look good.” Cohen's customers can always expect to see the unique designs atop the shelves lining the walls of the boutique.

Conquete’s dedication to providing stylish originality through its apparel keeps customers coming back for more.