Jen Mankins of Brooklyn's Bird Flies Us Through Her Favorite Summer Trends

By Leah Chernikoff
June 29, 2011

Bird

Jen Mankins' Bird boutique on Grand Street in Williamsburg

Jen Mankins’ Brooklyn chainlet, Bird—a trio of boutiques with locations in Williamsburg, Park Slope and Cobble Hill—has been setting the fashion style standard in Brooklyn style since the first location opened over 10 years ago. In the past decade, Mankins’ stores have garnered a cult following amongst Brooklyn’s most ardent fashion followers (myself included). And with good reason: Bird stocks never-fail basics from A.P.C., Alexander Wang and Rag & Bone, along with special fashion pieces from an always changing line-up that right now includes Isabel Marant, United Bamboo, SUNO and Zero + Maria Cornejo. Thankfully for those of us not within walking distance of any of the Birds, everything is just a chirp away online.

Bird

Though Mankins is a fixture on the New York fashion scene (she hits up Paris each season, too) and has been in the industry for the past 12 years, she didn’t set out to be immersed in the fashion world. The Texas-born trendsetter majored in biology with her sights set on medical school. So how did she end up dictating Brooklyn style? We found out.

The Inside Source: Give us the brief history...

Jen Mankins: I studied Biology in college and after graduating, I went back home to Texas to study for my MCATs to apply to med school. I got a job in a boutique in Austin, TX called By George to make some money for the summer and I totally fell in love with retail. I had always been an avid follower of fashion, so I decided to switch gears and applied for a buying position at Barneys. I was on the plane moving to New York just a few days after they offered me the job! I left Barneys to be the buyer for Steven Alan, long my favorite independent boutique in the city. After Steven Alan, I started my own fashion collection with two of my best friends from college, but quickly realized I wanted to be back on the other side, buying and selling the collections I loved.

The Inside Source: So how did Bird begin?

Jen Mankins: I wanted to bring all the energy and excitement of the downtown fashion scene to Brooklyn, where I and many of my friends were starting to settle down, and it was impossible to find the fashion designers I loved. The first Bird opened in Park Slope in the spring of 1999. A few years later, I was living in Carroll Gardens, and it seemed obvious to me that I should open a second shop on Smith Street where so many great restaurants and stores were opening. A few years later, feeling like I had South Brooklyn very well-covered, I decided I wanted to open a larger format store—one where I could sell men’s clothing and show art collections, and I settled on a big open space on Grand Street in Williamsburg, which opened in the spring of 2009.

The Inside Source: How did you land on the name Bird?

Jen Mankins: I love the simplicity of the name Bird. It has an ease and accessibility to it and brings associations of beauty and grace, all aspects I try to represent in the fashion collections I carry in the shops.

The Inside Source: What do you look for when you're buying for Bird?

Jen Mankins: I love looking at new collections and discovering new fashion designers. With a dozen years of buying experience under my belt, I trust my eye and my instincts and I look for designs that are new and fresh and innovative. Most fashion is inspired by and recycled from the past, so I always look for modern twists on classic designs.

Bird

The Inside Source: What fashion trends are you most excited to wear for summer and for fall?

Jen Mankins: I am loving cropped and wide-leg style pants for the summer as well as long, flowing skirts and dresses. For fall there are more cozy sweater options than ever, and I think a bit of fur on a collar of a coat or as a scarf will be the perfect cold weather accessory this year.

The Inside Source: You have crazy amazing style. Where are some unexpected places aside from Bird that you go to find clothes and accessories?

Jen Mankins: I am an avid traveler and an insatiable shopper, so wherever I go, be it Delhi, Buenos Aires, Stockholm or Sao Paolo, I seek out local, handcrafted fashions and accessories. My rule for fashion and home design is the same: If you love it, buy it and it will all work together in the end.

The Inside Source: Your job is buying—do you ever shop on eBay? Any memorable purchases?

Jen Mankins: I am not a huge internet shopper, but I love eBay and the fact that no matter what I am looking for, I can normally find it or something better on eBay. The best thing I got on eBay was a vintage 1950s Paul McCobb desk that I bought for my husband about ten years ago. I have also bought a lot of vintage Sonia Rykiel and Zandra Rhodes sweaters and a crazy Vivienne Westwood-designed Swatch.