Gitano Garden of Love, the beloved Tulum-inspired jungle-themed restaurant in downtown Manhattan, just kicked off the summer season and pride finale weekend with a special live photoshoot event, aptly called “NYC Kids & Dolls”. 

The party celebrated not just the reopening of the famed spot, known for its modern take on savory Mexican cuisine and decadent mezcal drinks, but also the launch of the brand’s new retail concept, SOUK, by Gitano founder, James Gardner.

Designed to be a new retail experience, nestled in the Gitano venue, the fully decked out, mini shopping haven will contain exclusive capsules by local brands from Tulum, Mexico City, and Guadalajara, and will offer a curated selection of collectible objects, books, and records—perfect for the Gitano traveler. This one-of-a-kind experience, set to be officially launched in late July, will be the first hub of a roll-out series among the other properties.

To kick it all off, Gitano hosted a live photo shoot that featured a cast of models and influencers in some of the collection’s t-shirts, all captured by photographer Ben Chab. The lineup starred Austin Smith, Connie Girl, Sean Ford, Matt McMahon, Linux, RJ King, Charlie Knepper, Veronika Collins, Sandra Mabelle, August Gonet, Dez, Rbatzz, Radical Pomm, Jovel, Beau Jangles, Halle Cherry, Xavier Cruz, and Caro & Vic Jewett.

T-shirt sales will also benefit a good cause: 10 percent of the proceeds from shirts designed by Connie Girl from Gitano Parade will be donated to the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, which works to protect and defend the rights especially of Black transgender people, while 10 percent of proceeds from shirts designed for Gitano Pride will go to @wearenonessential, a charitable apparel organization that supports LGBTQIA+ homeless youth. 

Gitano has previously collaborated with V in the Nile Rodgers-curated music set “V Magazine and Gitano NYC present Nile Rodgers’ PRIDE playlist,” which you can listen to here – it’s still Pride Month after all (though this track selection is, honestly, timeless). 

Check out @Souk.Gitano for more updates and future collections.