Nicole Tondre

Nicole Tondre and Lisa Fuller of Courtshop definitely embody their brand: unpretentious and totally cool, which can be a tough combo to find in downtown Manhattan. They opened the doors of their Nolita boutique in 2008 and it quickly became a favorite destination for hip girls looking for understated wardrobe staples at reasonable prices. The one thing that they felt was missing was great denim that fit the same bill, so they launched their own in-house line in 2011. I met Nicole and Lisa at their brand new Mott St. location. No longer an under-the-radar cult fave, Courtshop is now stocked in 100 stores including Stevan Alan, Shopbop.com and Bonadrag.com, not to mention worn by the likes of Drew Barrymore and Michelle Williams. After scooping up a pair of high waisted summer shorts (this column is actually a cover for my shopping addiction), we popped around the corner to sip sangria and chat about denim, dogs (Lisa has a naughty Boston Terrier and Nicole has an American Eskimo mix) and how they build their brand.