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Jun 19, 2023

Published Aug 27, 2023

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Published Aug 27, 2023

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On a hot August morning, hundreds of young people – mostly women – headed to a nondescript warehouse in Long Island City to score deals from Find Me Now, a new brand that’s popular among Gen Z trendsetters in the East Village, the Lower East Side, and Bushwick.

The Long Island City-based brand, which is known for its mesh tops, knitted crop tops, and see-through dresses, was started by mother-daughter duo Su Paek and Stephanie Wilson during the pandemic in 2021. Find Me Now was born out of a desire to be creative.

“At the end of the day my mom is in her 60s and I'm in my 30s,” said Wilson. “We make clothes that we like to wear. Things that will last a long time in our closet that are comfortable and that bring us joy.”

The brand quickly racked up fans for its whimsical yet cool and comfortable aesthetic.

One of the creations of Find Me Now.

In less than two years, Find Me Now has amassed more than 40,000 Instagram followers and become a darling among industry insiders, appearing in publications like Nylon, WhoWhatWear and Office Magazine. Earlier this year, singer-songwriter SZA wore Find Me Now’s dusty knit leg warmers in her music video for “Kill Bill.”

But you don’t need to be a world famous popstar to wear Find Me Now. The brand designs everyday wardrobe staples – think button-down shirts and maxi skirts – with playful spins. For example, it will add edge to a conservative piece like a long-sleeved shirt by making it out of mesh. Find Me Now's bestseller, the Mariposa Lace Midi dress, which is available in black or white and priced at $120, regularly sells out on the brand's website.

Find Me Now sells directly to consumers through its website, and some select styles are available online at sites like Free People and Urban Outfitters.

It also hosts the occasional sample sale, where the hype for the brand is visceral. An hour before doors officially opened for last Thursday's sample sale, several dozen people were lined up outside the fashion brand’s creative studio in Long Island City – and some of them were prepared to spend hundreds of dollars.

A scene from a sample sale for the brand Find Me Now.

Jordan Bernstein and her friend Ellery Pierce, both 23, were among the first to arrive. They hoped to score free tote bags, which were promised to the first 30 attendees.

Pierce, who’d taken the day off from work, said that Find Me Now's ads, which feature models with an array of different body types, made her a fan.

“That's something you don't always see, then you don't know what you're gonna look like in the clothing,” she said.

Jocelyn Cardona, who was ahead of Bernstein and Pierce in line for the sample sale, agreed. She said she found the brand through an Instagram ad last year.

“To have different types of models of different sizes, it helps me to at least visualize what that clothing could potentially look like on me, and I really like that in a brand,” Cardona said.

If Find Me Now feels approachable, accessible, and like it uses “real” women, that’s all by design. The brand has been known to scout models from among its Instagram followers. Photo shoots also take place in Long Island City, and the Find Me Now's founders regularly model pieces on their Instagram pages.

One of the creations of Find Me Now.

“We have so much fun working together as a mother and daughter team,” said Wilson, who was born and raised in New Jersey. She and her mother Paek, who was born in South Korea but immigrated to the U.S. in 1983, have worked in the fast fashion space in private label design for brands like Nordstrom and Marshalls. Find Me Now takes pride in incorporating more ecofriendly materials into its designs, and said that its knitwear collection is made up of 60% recycled yarns.

Initially, Find Me Now only offered around three sizes for most items. Today, over 50% of the brand’s collection offer five to six sizes, mostly ranging from extra small to 2XL.

Find Me Now is part of a movement within the fashion industry that seeks to include larger size options for consumers. Alexis Romano, a professor at Parsons School of Design who teaches courses on fashion writing and fashion history, says some brands have embraced this trend over the last decade.

“It’s in those like very niche, luxury, slow fashion arenas where the sizing is still prioritizing that smaller body,” she said. Some of her students, she said, are trying to be fashion designers and “they learn to sketch on a very skinny model and to make patterns for size zero, two, four.”

“But the conversation is shifting,” she continued. “It's slow moving. And so the result is that in the industry itself, we're still privileging the thin body.”

One of the creations of Find Me Now.

Wilson said as the brand grows financially, adding more sizes is a priority. “Making sure that our customer feels like they are seen in our clothing as well is so important,” she said. “So whenever we have photo shoots, we are shooting multiple body types, skin tones just to make sure that our customer really feels seen.”

When doors for the sale finally opened, people rushed to the racks to claim items priced from $10 to $70, which would typically sell from $30 to well over $100.

Jenna Polan came to the sale without a budget, and said she spent about $250 on two skirts, two accessories, a dress and a blouse.

“I like the patterns. I like how it's trendy, but because I'm a teacher, still like work appropriate,” she said.

Bella Han, an illustration student at the School of Visual Arts, came to the sale ready to spend under $100, but ultimately spent $140. Han said she gravitates toward Find Me Now’s clothing because it’s edgy yet fits her more conservative tastes.

“Nowadays there’s two kinds of general style clothing, there’s the minimalist style, like Zara,” said Han. “Or there’s the maximalist kind of style like lots of patterns. This is kind of in the middle. There’s good colors and patterns but it’s also kind of simple and keeps you looking effortless. I love that.”

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Precious is a culture and arts reporter covering the diverse arts community around New York City. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 646-988-9525.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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