Every time we present a new collection, we have the challenge and the joy of blending our authentic, globally-inspired products with the streets of Brooklyn and broader New York City. We want to show you a bit of the place that brought you the bags, and the women who made them, and also the place we live, and where many of you live - where you will bring the bags to life.
To prepare for the Indian Summer shoot, we scoured the streets of Jackson Heights, Queens, for inspiration, and ended the day full of curry, humming Bollywood tunes, and with henna'd hands.
But we hadn't found the right spot.
Through our network of fabulous Indian friends, in particular our great supporter Monica Chandra, we were introduced to The Kati Roll Company - a divine eating experience set in a small restaurant with walls devoted to Bollywood, yoga cards and other traditional Indian inspiration. Thanks to the kindness of its owners and manager, this is where we shot our interiors.
We have a thing for street art, and luckily for us Brooklyn is full of it. For our Mexican Diamonds collection, we shot in front of a Frida Kahlo-inspired mural in Red Hook. This time we wanted to honor and celebrate the work of Brooklyn-based female street artist Swoon. Her life-sized wheatpaste prints decorate the walls of Pioneer Works, again in Red Hook, and kept our model Megan company on the shoot. We love how she brings women to life through complex and direct images, often blending them with the streets as she does in the piece below.
And finally, after a quick pit stop at our favorite Red Hook spot, Botanica / Cacao Prieto, we headed to the beach - the Brooklyn beach that is, on the shores of the East River. Surrounded by kids and families of all kinds from all over Brooklyn, and with the scent of sea air tinged with sewage reminding us of the shores of Mumbai, we shot our Lalita Beach Bag against the incomparable backdrop of the lower Manhattan skyline.
Adding to the fun on this chock-full day? Our photographer did it all while on crutches from a soccer accident. Somehow he managed to keep it moving and our model Megan Butterworth inspired us with every turn.
This shoot was a reminder that you can find just about anything on the streets of NYC. We are excited to do it all over again for our next collection, coming soon from yet another extraordinary locale with talented women artisans and a story to tell.