Sabyasachi Returns to Bergdorf Goodman
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The Kolkata, India-based Sabyasachi has returned to New York City through a partnership with Bergdorf Goodman.
The company has unveiled an exclusive collection of high-end jewelry called ”Bengal. Byzantine. Broadway.” The shimmery selection is available in the store’s jewelry salon. As the name suggests, the latest offerings relay a certain exuberance and pay homage to India’s heritage, and its appreciation for art and craft. Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee noted that India’s history of handcrafted jewelry was in jeopardy due to a lack of patronage and is committed to helping to bring back that legacy.
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Shoppers at the Fifth Avenue store will find 83 works that are meant to be reminiscent of Kolkata and New York. The collection has hints of Byzantine glimmer and Broadway’s theatrical image. But the East meets West sensibilities also include references to the Sicilian baroque with the rustic finery of Harappa. Goldsmith accents are combined with Georgian techniques, and Moorish arches are embedded in Mughai crafts. Deconstructed Maharani necklaces, handprinted velvet clasps and enamel Grecian medallions are in the mix. Pearls, jaspers, turquoise, rhodonites, uncut diamonds and aquamarines are among the gemstones.
Linda Fargo, senior vice president of the fashion office and the director of women’s fashion and store presentation at Bergdorf Goodman, said in a statement, ”I think people will feel transported just by virtue of trying a piece on. His rich mixture of stones is both unexpected and incredibly beautiful.”
While the handmade jewelry puts to use craftsmanship techniques that are rooted in India’s past from centuries ago, Mukherjee expects the next generation of premier jewelry designers to come from India due to consumers’ search for authenticity. With a portfolio that includes fashion, he started his business more than 20 years ago and has collaborated with such brands as Christian Louboutin, H&M and Pottery Barn. Raised in the French colony of Chandannagar in West Bengal, he moved to Kolkata in the mid-1980S and both places are integral to his designs. Along the way, Mukherjee has designed costumes for movies like “Raavan” and “English Vinglish,” as well as bridalwear for a wide range of clients.
Bergdorf Goodman will host a cocktail party and trunk show for Sabyasachi on Sept. 7 just before New York Fashion Week gets underway. The designer has more reasons to welcome New York shoppers and to celebrate New York City: He plans to open a store on Christopher Street in mid-October, according to a company spokeswoman. Notables like Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas are already familiar with his creations, having worn them on occasion. The designer also has a robust following on social media with 5.2 million followers on Instagram.
And Fargo always has future plans, including a special shopping event Sunday that Sheri Winter Parker is hosting at The Shoals in Southold, N.Y. Billed as ”Linda’s Lightly Loved Closet,” the event will play up the recycle-renew-revive approach to designer apparel, shoes and accessories.
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