Hannah Traore has transformed her primary bedroom in Williamsburg into a walk-in closet filled with colorful fashion from emerging designers. The Canadian Malian gallerist shared details of her museum-like space in a Vogue interview. Her tastes in clothing mirror her curatorial eye for up-and-coming talent.
Traore's namesake gallery sits in Manhattan's Lower East Side, but she stores her collection at her home in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood. To address New York City's storage challenges, she converted her main bedroom into a closet stacked to the ceiling with shoes, clothes, glasses, jewelry, and bags. “I turned the primary bedroom in my apartment into my closet,” she said. “So now it’s really a walk-in closet.”Her fashion choices echo the vibrant art she showcases, including pieces from Camila Falquez and Misha Japanwala at her gallery. In her closet, standout items include crocheted Diotima, dimensional Magda Butrym, and gilded Wiederhoeft corsetry. “I love wearing things that I haven’t seen—that people haven’t seen—that are sculptural, interesting,” Traore explained. “I feel that way about art. I get so excited when I see an artist doing something that I’ve never seen before.”In the Vogue feature 'Closet Case,' Traore revealed her favorites and regrets. She wears her glasses most often, owning 15 to 20 pairs, including a new black vintage Chanel and Port Tanger aviators. A treasured heirloom is an indigo-dyed suit made in West Africa for her grandmother, passed down via her mother. She struggles to style a vintage Loewe shirt and regrets giving away a suede zip-up jacket.Among her splurges is a Wiederhoeft corset bought during a Moda Operandi sale, evoking childhood memories. Items she can't part with include unworn Isabel Marant sneaker wedges, due to sentimentality. A Cuup bra remains essential for fit, transforming her outfits.