Recent graduate Sari Bibliowicz and her childhood friend Sari Azout founded Bib + Tuck, a unique online community where women around the country trade instead of resell clothes. After studying marketing and hospitality, the self-proclaimed “culture vulture” went to work at Gilt Groupe’s Jetsetter where she saw the company grow from the ground up. Inspired by the vast options provided by sharing closets with five roommates and the desire to do more with less, the two Saris started their own company.
Question: How did your education at NYU prepare you for a career in the fashion industry?
Answer: The most inspiring part of the NYU community is the way students dress. NYU is a melting pot, and it not only brings together different cultures, but more importantly, it’s a place where people are comfortable being themselves. This is translated through their style. Sitting at Washington Square Park on a daily basis was a learning experience in itself to what personal style really is.
Q: Can you tell us a bit more about Bib + Tuck? Where did you come up with the name?
A: Bib + Tuck is shopping without spending. It is a platform where you can post the pieces you’ve lightly loved, impulse-purchased or just changed your mind about and have them fund your next find. Bib + Tuck comes from an old English aristocratic phrase where women were told to “wear their best bib and tucker” — meaning wear their finest outfit. We liked the phrase and made it our own: to “bib” is to give and to “tuck” is to take.
Q: What inspired you and Sari Azout to create the website?
A: I met Sari in preschool, and we’ve been close ever since. When she graduated from Brown and I from NYU, we both moved into the same building in the Lower East Side with other friends. As five recent grads living in the same building in New York City with no closet space to spare, having access to each other’s fantastic wardrobes meant we suddenly had endless options. We decided to join forces to bring this small-scale sharing to the masses. Bib + Tuck is our way of expanding our style options without having to increase the size of our closets.
Q: What inspires you and your personal style?
A: The people and streets of New York City is what really inspires me. There’s no other city quite like it. As for personal style, I’ve always used fashion as a form of self-expression. The way I dress is actually a manifestation of my mood. I’m not really one to follow trends or buy into what the cool celebrity is wearing.
Q: What advice would you offer to NYU students looking to work in the fashion industry?
A: Be yourself. There are a lot of fake and shallow people in the industry, so you must stay true to yourself, what you believe in and never give in to the superficiality.
Q: What are your future plans with the website and beyond?
A: My future plan is to extend this sharing platform to other experiences. Allow people to not only share fashion but to share other experiences. For instance, I will give you my Alexander Wang jacket for an hour of your consulting time. We all have something to give. Why not build on that and help each other grow?
