‘Sad Bsh’: Brooklyn’s Newest Upcycled Fashion Store

Featured Image: Designer Richi Cadrouce. Photo by Isabella Appell

During the whirlwind of New York Fashion Week, queer designer Richi Cadrouce invited aspiring photographers, influencers, and fashion lovers to a free pop-up event, just one week after opening his Brooklyn storefront. The event offered an open door to anyone curious about his upcycled fashion brand, ‘Sad Bsh’. It was a chance to walk in, try on clothes, take photos, and connect with others. 

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Especially during NYFW, when everything moves so quickly, Cadrouce emphasized the importance of slowing down and reconnecting. 

“I think we’re genuinely losing human connection,” he said. “I really hope for this space to be that for the community.”

Sad Bsh, coined during a time in Cadrouce’s life when he was laid off and referred to himself as a “sad b*tch”, acts as a time capsule of hand-picked vintage items and reworked clothing featuring hand-painted art by Cadrouce. 

At the event, a pair of yellow ceramic ducks, a stack of colorful vintage children’s books, a tall zebra lamp, and a rotating selection of Cadrouce’s paintings—including a striking red horse painted on a giant wooden canvas—were on display. Cadrouce, who travels to various flea markets across New York in search of unique items, sometimes over five hours away, said he aims to curate a collection that appeals to a wide range of interests while keeping prices accessible for most people.

Every element of the pop-up reflected Cadrouce’s commitment to sustainability and accessibility. From handing out organic, non-alcoholic drinks sponsored by Aplós to crafting a dressing room from reworked tablecloths, Cadrouce was intentional with every detail. Accessibility, he said, extended not just to style but also to pricing. With items ranging from vintage clothing to funky trinkets, most pieces are priced between $15 and $50.

Johnny Lima, a fashion enthusiast who attended the event, discovered Cadrouce’s work while visiting the Grand Bazaar, NYC’s biggest curated weekly market. Lima said the care that Cadrouce puts into his pieces is evident, and every New Yorker should support vintage sellers like him.

“I love Gucci, sure, but I love this just as much,” said Lima, referring to an upcycled vest painted by Cadrouce that he bought at the event. “Who knows, maybe one day [Cadrouce] will be the next Armani—but even if not, it’s still for me the stuff that I’m comfortable with.”

That approach is the core of what Cadrouce has built with Sad Bsh. The Brooklyn-based creator launched his business over three years ago, but his love for fashion began much earlier. With a background as a photographer, content creator, and painter, Cadrouce has attended New York Fashion Week as a social media specialist for the past four years. 

If Cadrouce’s love for fashion was not apparent enough through speaking with him, his clothes acted as a message in themself. Cadrouce completed over four outfit changes just throughout the two hours I was at the event, pairing a pearl necklace with a Clippers jersey that featured a hand-painted dog, a mini white sailor hat with cowboy boots, and even a vintage Puma soccer jersey with splatter-painted shorts upcycled by himself. 

Although Cadrouce has fought to secure himself a spot in this industry, the road to get here was not easy. 

Having spent most of his life in Venezuela, Cadrouce said it was difficult to find his footing in the U.S. He opened his storefront on September 5 to create a space that felt inclusive for everyone—not defined by demographics, but by shared interests. 

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When moving to New York, Cadrouce began working at a private club in the Upper East Side, seeing the ins and outs of what was considered to be this “exclusive” society for him. After being fired from his job, he became determined to recreate a space that gave other people the same giddy feeling he experienced being part of something that seemed important. Now working as a server to support himself, the storefront owner has funded Sad Bsh from his own pocket, living paycheck to paycheck to fulfill this dream.

“Finding my space in this country has been really, really hardcore,” Cadrouce said. “Inclusivity to me means that I open a space for everybody, from every race to every size.”

Jesus Marcano, a collaborator and longtime friend of Cadrouce, said the Sad Bsh founder has always been passionate about giving second-hand pieces new meaning. He witnessed Cadrouce’s frustration over how rarely fashion was used as a vehicle for activism in Latin America.

Creating this brand and store was Cadrouce’s way of continuing this conversation of fashion inclusivity. According to Marcano, Cadrouce sees accessible fashion as something that should be the norm. While many creators promote this, few treat it as the standard, he said. Cadrouce’s brand does a great job at celebrating all kinds of people, all of the time, not just during a single themed week, he added.

“There are not enough artists trying to celebrate the shapes, the colors, and who we are as humans in this world,” Marcano said. “When you actually go and see what he is doing, you [can] touch it and hear the story behind every piece. It’s very inspiring.”

As a frequent fashion week contributor, Cadrouce said the industry can feel isolating and exclusive for those who do not fit the mold brands are seeking each year. He wanted to create a brand that removes those barriers by using his customers as models for his clothing across his social media accounts and using NYFW as a platform to reach more people. Everyone deserves to experience all that fashion week has to offer, he said. 

Looking forward, Cadrouce already has plans to expand his business, including outsourcing for interns to collaborate with people who exude his same love for fashion. The NYFW pop-up was just the beginning of Sad Bsh, as Cadrouce has begun brainstorming a list of event ideas that are free to the public.

“I genuinely care about connecting with other people who also love expressing themselves with whatever [they’re] wearing,” Cadrouce said. “This is the first time where I’m collecting something in a very serious way, and more fashion-forward in a way that people actually feel excitement around what I do.”