about alexis bittar
The Alexis Bittar store in Brooklyn
The attention to detail is evident in every hand made Alexis Bittar product.
Alexis Bittar launched his eponymous jewelry collections in the early ’90s, but the Brooklyn native’s artistic flair was evident long before then. As a child, Bittar accompanied his parents to flea markets, where they collected and sold antiques. At the tender age of 10, Bittar showed his entrepreneurial spirit by selling flowers from a hand-painted cart across the street from his house.Fueled by his passion for antiques, including Art Deco Bakelite and turn-of-the-century Lalique glass, Bittar began designing Lucite and semi-precious jewelry and selling it on the streets of Soho in the early 1990s.
Bittar’s bold designs quickly caught the eye of store buyers from world renowned museums including the famous Guggenheim Museum & the Museum of Modern Art, luxury department stores such as Henri Bendel and Saks Fifth Avenue and high-end specialty stores both nationwide and overseas.
In 2004, Bittar opened his first flagship boutique on Broome Street in New York’s Soho. The store’s design pays homage to two distinct aesthetics: modernism and Victorian. This translates into a Plexiglass wall, iridescent white spray-painted Victorian lion’s claw table and turn-of-the-century wallpaper; all of which serve as an ideal backdrop for Bittar’s whimsical Lucite and exquisite semi-precious pieces. Early 2008 then saw Bittar open his second namesake boutique in New York, located in the fashionable West Village.
Described as “one of the most innovative jewelry designers of the 21st century” Alexis Bittar is regularly featured in premier publications such as Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, W, Lucky, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine and The New York Times.
His designs are cult favorites of A-List celebrities, including Madonna, Oprah, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cameron Diaz, Alicia Keyes and Australia’s own Naomi Watts, and influential fashion icons, such as Karl Lagerfeld, Terry Richardson and Patricia Fields.
Alexis Bittar’s jewelry has been featured in four, worldwide ad campaigns for Estee Lauder, and has made fashion headlines on HBO’s "Sex and the City” made for TV series as well as 2008’s “Sex and the City” feature length film.
In 2004, Alexis Bittar won the Accessories Council’s “Rising Star” award and became a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2005.
Over the years, Bittar has expanded his design repertoire to include furniture, home décor, belts and hair accessories, designing Burberry’s first ever limited-edition collection of jewelry in the brand’s signature plaid, as well as a limited edition home décor and furniture collection for The Museum of Modern Art.
In spring 2008, Bittar collaborated with some of the world’s most renowned fashion designers, designing exclusive runway collections for both Michael Kors and Tuleh. In 2009, Alexis Bittar plans to launch his much anticipated ‘Gold Collection’, mixing his celebrated design aesthetic with the world’s finest in precious stones and materials.
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Behind the scenes
Take a look into the world of Alexis Bittar with his exclusive interview with Global Hot Shops.
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