How Valentina Pozo Is Making Tumbao More Than Just a Store

In the streets surrounding Dimes Square is where you can find some of New York City’s most exciting shopping: chic home-goods store Beverly’s NYC; cult-favorite clothing store Sandy Liang; design haven Coming Soon; and now, Tumbao, the concept store that carries one of the most extensive curation of Latin American fashion in the world.

Owner Valentina Pozo has managed to turn what began as a mere month-to-month pop-up in Williamsburg into the “if you know you know” store in the Lower East Side. She carries brands that are not found in other retails stores in the United States like Mariana by Alba, estudio 1999, and Revés. She has also cultivated a style that is distinct to the store: one part feminine, one part bohemian, and a lot of unexpected, unique designs. The store’s name is a word used in the Caribbean. “It means rhythm. It means flow. If someone has tumbao, it means they’re a vibe,” says Pozo, who added that it’s also mentioned in her favorite Celia Cruz song. “I also like that it’s Latin without being obviously Latino. So it’s kind of — if you are a Latino who happens to pass by, you might say, “there’s something here for me.”

Pozo hosts pop-ups showcasing Latinx talent at the store almost every weekend. “I’m proud that we can host brands in the space,” she says. “They just need to make the product, pack a bag, make a little flyer, and come.”

We chatted with Pozo to understand the ethos behind her entrepreneurship, how she discovers new Latinx designers to work with, and what it means to be part of the new vanguard of fashion in New York City.

How did you find your sense of style or comfort with your clothes and how you dress?
I’m still finding it. The store is helping me a lot. I have a closet that I can play with. My style doesn’t fit in a very specific category or subculture. Now in fashion, there are all of these subcategories because of the internet and TikTok. There aren’t many concept stores; they are all brand stores now, and I don’t dress that way. And to me, the really cool people, the people whom I admire, they don’t dress that way either. They develop their own style. They can come in and see one brand that’s super punk and one that’s super artisanal and feminine, pull from both, and make it their own. That’s what I’m going for. I’m not there yet.

Expand there. What is your process like when you’re getting dressed?
I grab the first thing I see. I’m at the store on Saturday and Sunday. So, my process is that once I’m there, I exclusively wear pieces from the store. I like wearing something that, if someone asks me where it’s from, is available at Tumbao.

Where do you like to shop? What are a few of the last things you have purchased?
My friend Hannah has a vintage store called the Break. She was a pioneer and experiential retail. She was a big mentor of mine and has such a good selection and reasonable prices for vintage. She’s taking a hiatus from the website now, but we have a vintage rack here, so I’ve been getting vintage from her a lot. However, I just bought this top today. It’s from my friend’s brand called Mariana. Her brand is super feminine — a lot of floral print, super girly. And if you look at the pieces themselves, you would think they’re very much giving French girl. But then you see Mariana, the designer, and how she styles it and she makes it look so different.

Also, for $21.99, I got a bead kit on Amazon that included five boxes of beads, each with 20 different colors. I’ve just been going to Fort Greene or Seward Park in the Lower East Side and making friendship bracelets.

How do you find these Latinx designers, and how do you continue to cultivate a relationship with them?
Initially, there was a lot of research on Instagram. I’m very much a Virgo, so I’m very much about cataloguing and making lists and archiving. I have started to notice what a tool that is, and it’s something that I urge young people to do: Start archiving! As of recently, we’ve been lucky enough to start having people reach out to us. Also a lot of friends of friends of our current designers.

Can you name-drop a few of the up-and-coming designers you love to support?
I have to shout out de Maria. Their red Peque shoulder bag is also on my wish list. It’s so good. A lot of attention was put into the design of that bag. It’s tough to get to a place where something is so timeless and minimal. It’s much harder to do that than making something super vibrant and trendy. I think that de Maria bags have a really smart design. 

You also host a lot of pop-ups at Tumbao. Do you plan on hosting any for or during Fashion Week?
We do. One is by one of my best friends, Sabrina. Her brand is called Sabrina Ol. I collaborated with Sabri, hosting pop-ups in Mexico City, and we got to do some supercool conceptual stuff. So we’re going to have a pop-up with her. So that’s one example of a pop-up during Fashion Week that I’m really excited about. Follow us on Instagram so you don’t miss it.

Valentina’s wish list:

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