Women's
Alexis Bittar: Thoughts on Design, Growth and Copycats
Last week Brooklyn-born and -based jewelry designer Alexis Bittar came to the Neiman Marcus in Willow Bend, Texas. His simple tattoo that wraps around his ring finger immediately catches the eye. This ironic, subtle statement reflects the value he places on creative, outside-the-box thinking, which is clear in his attention to detail and original statement-driven designs. No wonder, Bittar’s cool-girl cult continues to grow, season after season.
Designer Alexis Bittar
AB: Although each collection (Lucite, Miss Havisham and Elements) has their own inspiration, they cohabitate together to create one unique collection. Overall, this season was pretty with a gothic feel, a little bit of edge and punk with a Tim Burton spice. We went heavily toward gunmetal and some gold.
The Lucite collection was inspired by Ancient Egypt Romanticism – a hand-painted peacock pattern, embellished with jewels represents a feeling of hidden treasure. The Miss Havisham collection is a combination of Thirties Deco Modernism, Cubism and Grace Jones. I am always referencing Grace Jones and the glamour she stood for in the Eighties. The Elements collection tends to be more bohemian by nature, but this season we added a touch of Alice in Wonderland. Imagine a jewel encrusted with stones, featuring a bunny on top. Each piece has this fantastical feel to it.
NM: How much of your design is a reaction to how and where you grew up?
AB: A lot. My parents were history professors; they were young newlyweds who supplemented their income, at the time, with antiques. My dad couldn’t help himself. He would explain everything to me, even the significance of a vase. He’s always been one to think out of the box. When I was three, he purchased a water tower for $300 in Westchester and brought it to Maine to make it into our house. Growing up without constraints in terms of design has been incredibly influential throughout my career.
Fall 2011
NM: Describe your ideal environment to design in. How does it look, feel and function?
AB: My ideal is to pass out on a nice sofa, on the beach, with no people, just the birds outside. But I would probably end up sleeping for a month. [Laughs.] Seriously though, for the first time we are developing the company’s design culture — innovative, creative people who speak their mind quickly — the way I want it, which unfortunately isn’t the couch. I’ve historically designed 85% of the collection, which is a problem because we have a lot going on. Ideally, I would like to partner with creative minds. It may seem lofty but I look to companies like Google, who bring creative minds together to collaborate and design efficiently. For me, the most creative place is one in which people innately have those instincts and push themselves to create things that are exciting. I’ve grown up in the sense that I used to want to work alone but now I want to bring strong minds into the company, which we’ve started to do.
NM: How do you think technology has affected fashion?
AB: A lot. On the positive side computer programs like CAD have enabled us to create things that technically would have be very difficult. On the downside, although it’s inevitable, the internet has enabled designs to be knocked off quickly. Years ago we used to wait something like 60 days past the shows, and this thick book called Le Collezione would be available to purchase for $100. Besides being at the show, this was one of the only ways to view a designer’s entire collection. Nowadays, the shows are live streamed on the internet for everyone to see, which is why it’s much harder to maintain individuality as a designer. It is especially brutal for young designers because it’s easy to have your designs taken and stripped of your personality. Unless you are one of the few that Anna Wintour takes under her wing, you will most likely have a hard time building a brand and identity.
NM: Speaking of individuality, I recently read that you accused Kim Kardashian of ripping off some of your designs and as a result you will no longer loan to her. Is this true?
AB: Yes, it is true. We will no longer loan jewelry to Kim because I noticed a few styles that looked eerily close to mine. Unfortunately, this type of thing happens a lot. The worst part was I got a call from the New York Post right as I was boarding the plane to fly to Paris. In hindsight I should have thought twice before I gave the quote. We didn’t show the press the specific pieces we were referring to, so it spiraled out of control on the internet. When you look at the pieces of my jewelry [they put] next to Kim’s jewelry, I look like I’m out of my mind.
NM: What are you looking forward to for Spring?
AB: We placed Thirties geometric patterns over American Indian prints. We also mixed American Indian with Baroque, which seemed like a weird combination, but it looks incredible! We also did a collection with a punkie florals. In Miss Havisham we went further to create man made stones using crystal, glass or resin, which I haven’t seen since the Thirties. It looks like a stone to the eye because of the inclusions in the elements. We specifically worked with glass, covered it with resin to make it look like an amethyst druzy.
NM: What’s next?
AB: We’ve just started working on a fine jewelry collection, which is supposed to launch next year, so we are extremely focused to get it right.
Shop Alexis Bittar at NeimanMarcus.com and Neiman Marcus stores. Earn InCircle bonus points on jewelry during the Be Jeweled Event.
