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THE FOUNDERS
Briana Swords studied Fashion Design at Pratt Institute. She spent a decade working as a womenswear designer before launching SWORDS-SMITH. After working at large global brands for years, she was compelled to flip the script and open a business focusing on young designers and art in fashion. Briana is a natural leader who is passionate about intentional design and creativity in the fashion industry. She has a practical business sensibility, keen problem solving skills and big picture vision.

R Smith is an award winning, cross-disciplinary designer with 20 years digital experience. His work includes branded identities, editorial publications, social strategies, digital products and more. His experience creating engaging, interactive products has shaped how digital content is consumed. He is proud to have worked with some of the most culturally innovative brands in the world.



DESIGNER CURATION
SWORDS-SMITH carried hundreds of designers across womenswear, menswear, accessories and jewelry, with retail pricing ranging from contemporary to young designer. We also carried a successful unisex offering. We worked with designers who told stories and created collections that were interesting and intentionally outside of mainstream, mass-market fashion. Many of our designers had strong cult followings and used a creative or inspiration-driven design process.





UNIQUE PARTNERSHIPS
Our store was a space to collaborate with other creatives and build community. We created unique product collaborations and immersive in-store retail experiences with Calico Wallpaper, Print All Over Me, Marimekko, Kowtow, Areware and more. SWORDS-SMITH also had an in-house collection, designed and made in NYC.



CREATIVE COMMUNITY
Swords-Smith sought out responsible, creative and thoughtful people who were pursuing a career in fashion. We were a growing independent business with a tight-knit team and a start-up mentality. Our team consisted of problem solvers and innovators with ambitious goals and independent values.


The customer experience was the most important part of our business and our drive to exceed client expectations guided everything we did. Our client-services team delivered a high level of personalized customer service in-store and online. Meticulous attention to detail, creative merchandising and personalization were necessary skills.

We wanted our customers to feel good about spending their money at SWORDS-SMITH, a company that supported their values. We cultivated a tight-knit creative community in-store, online and within our team. We believed strongly in creating a diverse, inclusive working environment and that representation matters.


About – Post Store Test

October 08, 2022

Understanding the care and content label on your garments is essential to properly care for your special pieces. Here is a list of fabric content abbreviations and washing/ironing symbols for your reference. 

AB - Abaca
AC - Acetate
AF - Other fibres
AG - Alginate
AL - Alfa
AR - Aramid
AS - Asbestos
CA - True hemp
CC - Coir
CL - Chlorofibre
CMD or MD - Modal
CLY or MY - Lyocell
CO - Cotton
CU - Cupro
CV or VI - Viscose
EA or EL - Elastane/Spandex
FL - Flourofibre
GI - Broom
GL - Glass fibre
HA - Hair or Hemp
HE - Henequen
HL - Cotton linen / pure cotton warp - pure flax
HR - Cattle hair
HS - Horsehair
HZ - Goat hair
JU - Jute
KE - Kenaf
KP - Kapoc
LI - Flax / linen
MA - Modacrylic
ME - Metal fibre/ Metallic
MG - Maguey
PA - Polyimide / Nylon
PB - Polycarbamide
PC - Acrylic
PE - Polyethylene
PES or PL or PBT - Polyester
PI - Paper Yarn
PM - Polyimide or polyester
PP - Polypropylene
PR - Protein
PU or PUR - Polyurethane
RA - Ramie
SE - Silk
SI - Sisal
SN - Sunn
TA - Triacetate
TR - Mixed fibres / unspecified
TV - Trivinyl
VY - Vinylal
WA - Angora
WB - Beaver
WC - Cashgora
WG - Vicuna
WK - Camel
WL - Llama
WM - Mohair (goat) wool
WO - Wool (sheep)
WP - Alpaca
WS - Cashmere goat
WT - Otter
WU - Guanaco
WV - Fleece wool / virgin wool
WY - Yak


Care symbols and their meaning: 

 

Fabric Content and Care Label Cheat Sheet

May 14, 2020

It is with heavy hearts that we write to you today to announce that after 7.5 years in Williamsburg, we will be closing our doors permanently soon. It is a difficult decision and one we do not take lightly. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our business greatly and it no longer makes sense for us to continue operating in this environment. 

We opened in 2013 with a mission to champion art in fashion and we expanded our offering exponentially each year as we’ve grown. Our passion for interesting design outside of mainstream fashion led to many great collaborations and evolutions of our space. The meaningful relationships we've formed along the way with clients, staff and designers will remain the best part of our experience running the store. We are very proud of the unique retail environment and community we built at SWORDS-SMITH and heartbroken to see it end so abruptly.

It's been our great pleasure to serve the creative community over the years. Thank you to everyone for shopping with us and for all your support. Thank you for allowing us to take risks when we carried unconventional items from unconventional designers. Thank you for seeking to discover, for being curious, for having a voice and an individual point of view. And lastly, our regular clients really showed up for us during this pandemic - we saw you and we appreciate you so much.

Thank you for everything! We would love to see you again before we close. If you are in the Brooklyn area, please come by and say hello :) 

Thank you again for all your support over the years. With every ending comes a new beginning and we hope to see you again on our next journey.

Love,
Briana + Smith

To Our Community: A Difficult Decision About Our Future

September 08, 2022