By Maxine Dovere/JNS.org
Iconic Israeli costume jeweler Michal Negrin, who for
more than 25 years has been bringing romantic and vintage-inspired designs to
the global fashion scene, is expanding her brand to a new level in the U.S.
this summer.
Click photo to download. Caption: Israeli jeweler Michal Negrin at the opening of her company’s new store in Paramus, NJ, on June 21. Credit: Michael Negrin.
Negrin plans to open more than two-dozen U.S. boutique
locations over the next few years. The first of that group opened June 21 at
the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, NJ, and Negrin’s New York City
flagship shop, in the fashion-focused SoHo area, launches Aug. 15.
Asked what has inspired her designs, Negrin–a
native of Kibbutz Na’an, a large manufacturing-focused kibbutz about 20 minutes
away from Tel Aviv–said she was encouraged by her mother to “create her own
world.”
“The Victorian design [of my jewelry] comes
from many inspirations, especially childhood memories that are a part of my
roots,” Negrin said in an interview with JNS.org.
Negrin said she “always wanted to think
differently.”
“I preferred to stay at home, do the things I
loved, and follow my own directions,” she said.
Click photo to download. Caption: Michal Negrin costume jewelry at the Israeli company’s new store in Paramus, NJ. Credit: Michal Negrin.
In 1988, with the encouragement of her
husband Meir, Negrin launched her first official jewelry collection. Negrin’s
first retail store, on Shenkin Street in Tel Aviv, was designed as a reflection
of her childhood home, using that home’s furnishings, clothing, pictures, and
flowers to create a complete, recognizable package. The design of the first
piece she sold was based on her Russian grandmother’s jewelry.
Negrin
began designing jewelry as a child. Her first marketing was at street stands, as
she sold her wearable art pieces one by one. Her personal life and her business
career were changed forever when she met and married Meir, who took his wife’s
designs from street sales to a larger commercial scale. About 15 years ago, amid
the growing success of the Tel Aviv store, Michal and Meir opened their factory
in Bat Yam.
Click photo to download. Caption: Inside the new Michal Negrin store at the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, NJ. The store opened June 21. Credit: Michal Negrin.
Now Negrin
is at the forefront of a dramatic change in the Israeli jewelry industry. In 30
years, a once male-dominated industry that was widely known as a world-class
center of diamond cutting has become the domain of female designers. In
addition to the pioneering work of Negrin, Aya Azrielant has been creating Mediterranean
Sea-themed pieces and has gained retail placements …read more
Source: JNS.org
