Brand Assembly

There's an entire behind-the-scenes ecosystem around the buying and selling of fashion that relies heavily on travel and face-to-face meetings, two things that won't be considered safe until...well, who knows?

This New York City-based storefront is run by 45 independent designers (and counting).

Having long acted as a mentor for young designers, Brand Assembly founder Hillary France now gets to bring them to one of America's oldest department stores, Lord & Taylor.