Pandemic or not, Sabyasachi Mukherjee has been unstoppable throughout the year. When he is not designing wedding trousseau and school uniforms, the ace fashion designer is busy satiating our inner fashionista with his weekly drops of exquisite collections on Instagram. Recently, Sabya entered into a strategic partnership with Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited, worth Rs 398 crores. Just when we thought we could recover from these many numbers, the designer announced another big news. After its first successful collaboration with US-based luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman in 2020, the designer brand is all set to launch its second exclusive collaboration.
Starting from February 18, the brand will also offer clothing, shawls, scarves, bags and accessories in this collab, in addition to its fine jewellery.
Speaking to Vogue, the designer opened on its second round of collaboration. “We had a very good first session at Bergdorf where we sold close to $2.5 million of jewellery. Realising the power of the brand in America, Bergdorf invited me to do a second round. I would like to see more Indian designers going to the west and selling their clothing to the big Indian diaspora, which can be found everywhere. It’s a testament to the power of the Indian consumer. By selling Indian clothes, Bergdorf is raising the bar on inclusivity,”
The designer also opened up on the line of items, and the launch of new bags and accessories at the US-based store. “There are totes, exciting new shapes, and they are all a collaborative effort between Calcutta, Milan, and Florence,” said Sabya. “Leather from Italy, embroideries and hardware from the jewellery atelier in Kolkata, and production in the world’s best manufacturing in Italy, come together in this bag line,” he continued.
When asked about the ABFRL-led acquisition the designer stated that it was a timely decision to make. One thing was very certain: the brand had a lot of potential. I realised that I'm not getting any younger, and the brand does not really belong to me anymore, it belongs to the country at large. It was time to make the transition between a mom and pop company to a more organised corporate. A lot of designers don't make the transition at a timely moment. They either do when they're probably out of pocket. Or going through a distressed period with their finances. Or perhaps when they become too old. I wanted to transition the company when it was at its peak.”
Calling his plate full at the moment, the designer also hinted at some upcoming and BIG collaborations. Well, we certainly can’t wait, can you?
(Source- Vogue India)
