“The most sustainable thing is buying something that lasts ten or fifteen years and gets better with age. Fewer pieces, better pieces. Things you can keep.”
Menswear brand Rivay’s Bedford store has a global following of well-dressed gentleman reports TED HILDNER.
On their first date, Jon Ruti told his now-wife Katie Boiano he was leaving law to start a clothing brand. Katie rolled her eyes. Not because she doubted him, but because she knew that fashion is a tough business. Katie was a fashion vet, with years clocked at Todd Snyder, J. Crew, and Bonobos.
Out of a Land Rover and military trailer imported from England converted into a mobile storefront, Jon launched the menswear label Rivay. Jon would illegally park the rig in Tribeca or SoHo and set up shop on the street. People thought he was insane. But it worked. “The mobile unit built a customer base before Rivay ever had a store or a marketing budget,” he says. Runs were small and fabrics came from Japan, Italy, and Portugal. Jon’s mother packed online orders. It was all hands on deck.
COVID hit and Jon and Katie fled the city for what they thought would be a weekend at his mother’s house in Bedford. They stayed 14 months. They bought a house–the basement became Rivay’s design studio. The ethos–tailor-cut military and workwear silhouettes in the best fabrics–amassed a cult following.
Against conventional wisdom, Rivay’s first store opened not in Manhattan, but in Bedford. The space is like the most stylishly astute gentleman’s library. Rivay is ground central for well-dressed men, who truck every weekend from NYC to see what the Rivay has designed.
“Bedford felt unexpected to people. But I thought: if the product is right, people will come. They’ll hang out, talk, spend time.”
From law to fashion. Big switch.
Jon: I started as a criminal prosecutor at the Bronx County DA’s office, then moved to the Office of Special Narcotics in downtown Manhattan. I was wearing suits every day. I’d always been obsessed with menswear. I grew up with Ralph Lauren in the background—my mom shopped it. I grew up in Bedford, so Ralph was this local legend. After years of prosecuting, I was burning out. It’s heavy work. I kept coming back to this idea–to build something of my own in menswear. I remember resigning on Cinco de Mayo–a Friday–which is exactly when you want to quit a job..
You quite literally took Rivay to the streets.
Jon: So many new brands were pouring money into digital advertising. I didn’t have the budget for that. I thought: how do I sell product and meet customers? I’d always loved Land Rovers and had a vintage one. I imported a military trailer from England and built it into a tiny store. I was wildly ambitious. Our first product was a wax cotton jacket—an incredibly complex piece to start with. We still make it ten years later. We’d rather do fewer things better. The most sustainable thing is buying something that lasts ten or fifteen years and gets better with age. Fewer pieces, better pieces. Things you can keep.
Katie: Editing is everything. If it doesn’t belong, we kill it. Authenticity. If you want the best denim, the best chambray, indigo, incredible weaves then Japan is the benchmark. Japanese fabrics can be less “refined” in the best way; they have character and that balances the Italian side of what we do. We don’t want to look too polished or formal. We want that mix.
You’re moving to a bigger space in Bedford.
Jon: Retail matters. Not just transactionally, but as a place you can walk into and live the brand. Bedford felt unexpected to people. But I thought: if the product is right, people will come. They’ll hang out, talk, spend time. They don’t have to buy something every visit.
