Text by Finnian Boyle and Viivi Koistinen | Photography by Daniel Ribar
Angela Wisniewski is an entrepreneur, stylist and creative consultant. In 2019, she opened the clothing and accessories shop Coup D'État in Detroit’s New Center neighborhood. The store will re-open in Detroit’s Little Village neighborhood in November.
When we talked to Angela Wisniewski in April 2024, she was in the process of moving her store, Coup D'État, from Cadillac Place, a government building on Detroit’s West Grand Boulevard to the more art-centered Little Village. Angela stood behind the register as we walked in, wearing muted colors and a touch of something bright. The interview took place on a couch, set in the middle of the now-former storefront.
FB&VK: How did you come into this? The space is beautiful, by the way.
AW: I found it in my search for a brick and mortar, which began in 2018. I started the business and got a loan - so I had to find a place. I specifically wanted to be in the city proper. I was looking at what I considered to be the more desirable neighborhoods for retail… where “everybody” was, the cafes, restaurants. At the time, I really liked what New Center had to offer and was going to offer.
I walked in here, and instantly fell in love with the space. It was a spillover lobby for the unemployment office. I thought, okay, let’s get rid of the carpet, let’s paint the walls, let’s put beautiful merchandise here and see what happens. The structure and the bones do the work, really. The original Albert Kahn columns, the Tennessee marble. These tiles were underneath the dingy carpet. With that, you don’t need anything else, you can just let the merchandise and the fixtures speak for themselves.
FB&VK: I'm sure you're thrilled about all the restaurants that have popped up since.
AW: Well, there’s a plot twist. I’m moving the store. In the Fall, I’m relocating to Little Village, which is being developed now. I’m going to be in the Lantern Building. I’m very, very excited about that. It’s going to change the whole look and feel of the space, more aligned with the direction I want the brand to go. I think being surrounded by the arts and all the development will offer a great synergy to the store.
FB&VK: So, you are going to be around the Library Street Collective and Signal Return spaces?
AW: The whole neighborhood is anchored by the Shepherd - run by the folks at Library Street Collective -, the old church turned art gallery and community space. North of that, the store will relocate to the Lantern Building that was re-designed by OMA. I’ll be alongside Collect Beer Bar, Signal Return, PASC, Café Franco, Assemble Sound as well as many artist studios in the buildings surrounding it. I’m excited. It's going to be really thriving and energetic and full of people who have an eye for design.
This space was a good start for the store. Now I’m ready for the next one. I’m looking forward to offering my clients a lot of other stuff to do. They can look at art, they can get food, they can have drinks. It's going to be very different from where I am now.
FB&VK: Tell us more about Coup D'État as a concept. How did that come about?
AW: I toyed with the name for a while but it stuck. The idea is rooted in using clothing and style as an act of expression and rebellion. It’s a little strange to have a retail store called Coup D’état in a government building, but here we are.
I’ve always wanted to open up a clothing store, since I was young. As a child, clothing and accessories, even beauty, felt like a way of expression. It was a very acute feeling - maybe that’s from growing up in a conservative Catholic household. Since I can remember, I used apparel as an act of expression, a hint of rebellion.
FB&VK: You mentioned not wanting to follow trends per se. How do you position the store?
AW: The curation has been a little bit of a mix. I look at clothing the same way I look at art: I respond to what speaks to me personally, and look for interesting ways to interpret it. I’d be remiss not to mention aesthetic “trends” - I have a giant pink bow on the mirror, made by a local designer.
However, most of the designers I carry are independent and emerging. While some are more recognizable in the indie scene, most are not huge brands that everybody's seeing and not widely available locally.
For example, look at Sandy Liang. She's been doing the very hyper-feminine bow aesthetic for ten years now. Right? It just seems to have hit its peak on social media now. That's not her fault, that doesn't mean I shouldn't carry it. And I hope that, if you have a feminine aesthetic and you want to wear bows, you feel like you can do that, whether it's ‘ballet core’ right now or if that's what you want to wear in two years.
FB&VK: How do you select who you carry?
AW: Part of it is what I personally love. Part of it is what I can see selling well. It's a combination. This is entirely my vision and my curation. I want it to feel elevated and timeless, but there is always a little room for playfulness and a slight sense of humor. It mirrors my own sense of style: I don’t ever want to look too polished, too feminine, too masculine. I need something to offset the look. An earring, eye makeup. Something has to be a little off, and I like to encourage that in my clients.
FB&VK: Are you carrying any local brands right now?
AW: I have 707 Clothing Heaven. I had Deviate for a while, but I think everything's sold. I have Detroit Rose, for beauty and skincare products as well as LouLoudi Skincare. Juna’s leather goods, too, she makes amazing handbags and accessories. This Fall I’ll have pieces from Majesty Bland and other Detroit-based designers.
FB&VK: We poured over some of your past interviews to get an idea of how you present yourself. You seem to make a pretty harsh distinction between fashion and style. Why?
AW: To me, style is how you interpret fashion. What truly makes you an individual style-wise is how you express and communicate yourself, how you go about standing out. Whereas fashion is fashion, right? It’s presented to you, it’s readily offered. You get catalogs, you walk into a store and see mannequins. It’s easy to imitate. I like to say you’re sort of born with style, or you’re not. I think you can definitely learn things along the way, but I think it’s just this thing you either have naturally or don’t.
FB&VK: Do you remember thinking, as a child, that you had a tendency towards style? Is that a discovery you can recall?
AW: Yeah. In elementary school, I would plan my outfits the night before. I really liked putting them together. It was a mix of deciding to coordinate and not to coordinate. That continued as I got older. I found joy in that process. I started shopping, and working so I could shop. I grew up near Lakeside mall, so I would go to Contempo Casuals. Later, I discovered the independent shops that once thrived in Royal Oak, Birmingham, Ferndale, so on.
I attended a private Catholic high school, and that changed my whole wardrobe. The rules made it static. Our uniform was a plaid skirt: navy, green and white with a hint of yellow. You had the option of the oxford shirt, the vest. Some people had blazers, which I don’t think I could afford. Even in a uniform, you could tell who came from money and who didn’t.
I remember thinking about that in ninth grade; I thought everybody would just feel the same. I have a distinct recollection, I was one of the few people who wore makeup to school. It just felt like a part of who I was. Being kind of done-up, I got a lot of flak from the other girls. It was challenging, but that was how I could express myself: accessories, shoes, maybe earrings, makeup. And I think people would start to notice my outfits at school and make comments. I didn’t necessarily enjoy that, but it furthered my interest in building looks. When I get somebody dressed here, that's my goal. I want them to get compliments, and more often than not that happens.
FB&VK: How do you view yourself as a curator of style?
AW: Coming into this store, you’re obviously entering a vision that’s mine. However, my clientele isn’t monolithic. It’s a really cool variety; people from all sorts of backgrounds, of different body types, looking for clothes for different occasions. I want to meet everyone where they are. Then, once they keep coming back, I push a little more. Anytime someone walks in, I have this idea in my head of what I would like to see them in. The whole thing. Hair, makeup, nails.
FB&VK: Is that something that's constantly occurring?
AW: Yes. It happens when I see people walking on the street. I have a lot of friends who are hairstylists or makeup artists. We’ve talked about this, I think they do the same.
FB&VK: Did that happen when we walked in?
AW: Yes, always. I can tell what direction I'd go in. It’s a balance. Even if I think someone would look amazing in something, it defeats the purpose if they’re not feeling it. They have to be confident in it - that's part of my goal, too.
FB&VK: ArtClvb deals concretely with ideas of art ownership and curation. How do you see yourself as a collector?
AW: I was thinking about it this week. I have a good amount of art. I don't necessarily buy it from an investment standpoint and I don’t know if I would call myself a collector. I wish there was rhyme or reason for what I like, but there is not.
My mom is a Detroit public school teacher and my dad is a used car salesman. He worked at Cadillac Motors and was also a mechanic, painter and did pinstriping, all of that. I think because I was always surrounded by that world I find that I have a lot of auto-influenced accents in my home and in my wardrobe.
I recently purchased Vaughn Taormina’s “Report It Stolen” through ArtClvb. It depicts some sort of red sedan crashed into the pavement outside of a liquor store. It’s great.
I don't know if I'd call myself an art collector or a tastemaker, but I love art and design. I think what I collect now is through the store, from a curation lens. A lot of the thrill I used to feel shopping and consuming, I get through this business now. The process, from finding design that interests me to sourcing it, making the deal, presenting it here.
FB&VK: Favorite spot to grab drinks w/ friends?
AW: I have a few on rotation though I don't hit the bars like I used to since becoming a mom so there's usually also a dinner involved. Collect (which is now at the Lantern Building, right next to the new store!), Ladder 4 for an outstanding wine selection, Cutter's, Vecino, Leila, SheWolf, Baker's Keyboard Lounge and Time Will Tell. When I'm taking a break from booze I sip Little Saints which can be found at many local spots. I'm mentioning this because it's Sober October for me right now.
FB&VK: Favorite drink?
AW: A Tatanka, a Polish drink — Żubrówka (bison grass) Vodka, fresh apple Juice + a lime juice. Polish Village currently has a frozen one!
FB&VK: What's your go-to spot for food after a night out?
AW: I really like Standby (the new menu by Matty Matheson is excellent, coconut shrimp are my guilty pleasure!) and Duly's Place Coney Island.
FB&VK: What are you listening to now?
AW: Coup Radio on Spotify, of course!
Thank you to Angela Wisniewski for sharing her experience and insight with us. To explore her unique style and creative vision, be sure to check out her shop and discover the latest in fashion.
To purchase or view more of Vaughn's Taormina's work, download the ArtClvb app on mobile.
