Sarabande Sets Sail for New York With a Fundraiser and Studio Project
LONDON — Sarabande will cross the Atlantic this spring with a fundraising gala at The Standard High Line set for May 3, and plans to set up its first international outpost in New York City.
The “Dream with Sarabande” dinner will follow a similar event that took place at The Standard in London in November. It will mark the start of the foundation’s activity in New York, where it plans to replicate the studio/gallery model it has in London.
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Established by the late Lee Alexander McQueen, the Sarabande foundation supports up-and-coming artists, designers and creatives from across the globe.
To date, it has nurtured more than 130 fashion and jewelry designers, painters, sculptors, videographers and performance artists including Craig Green, Molly Goddard, Castro Smith and Bianca Saunders, with subsidized studio space, mentoring and scholarships in London.
Sarabande offers its alumni advice throughout their careers, and also hosts talks and other events for creative audiences and the wider public.
Ambassadors for the foundation include Andrew Bolton, Nick Knight, Naomi Campbell and Shaun Leane. Francesca Amfitheatrof, the jewelry designer, and artistic director for jewelry and watches at Louis Vuitton, serves as president of the Friends of Sarabande America.
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In an interview Trino Verkade, Sarabande’s chief executive officer and founding trustee, said she and the team had been wanting to take Sarabande to the U.S. for a while. New York, she said, is the right venue for a Sarabande outpost because it attracts young creatives from all over the world, and from a variety of disciplines.
The evening event in May, she added, will highlight the foundation’s work, “and say that New York needs Sarabande. We’re putting our feelers out and telling everyone who we are. We want to get people interested, and get them on board.”
Verkade said the New York Sarabande will have the same dynamic as the London one, and will “support young, emerging artists, creatives and businesses. We plan to replicate the whole multicultural, multidisciplinary mix of Sarabande.”
It’s still early days, she said, and the New York Sarabande will likely open in the medium term. “We need time for people to understand who we are and what we do,” she said. “This is the future; the next generation and they need the support to drive their businesses forward.”
Tiffany & Co., and Thom Browne have already taken tables at the New York event, which promises “culture, food and festivities” to raise funds for “fearless creatives.”
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There will be a “surreal dinner experience” with the tables dressed like beds, and monogrammed pillows for each guest, which will double as napkins.
There will also be a private viewing of art from “Bound,” the one-of-a-kind, hand-bound, limited-edition albums of sculptural works from the Sarabande artists.
The artwork explores “paper, and its endless creative potential,” while each book has been individually hand-bound and wrapped in hand-embroidered linen in the traditional Japanese Furoshiki style.
At the London dinner, the books cost 2,500 pounds, and in New York they’ll cost roughly the same at $3,500.
Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen, Hermès and Versace were among the brands that took tables at the London event.
That event was hosted by the British actress Gwendoline Christie, with guests including Riz Ahmed, Harris Reed, Katie Grand, Sarah Burton and Harry Lambert.
Dinner was served on limited-edition plates designed by Sarabande artist Camilla Hanney. The night also featured an interactive performance by Sarabande artist Daisy May Collingridge and her 3D, wearable Squishy creations.
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