We are in the middle of the hot July summer here in Miami Beach and I love nothing more than throwing on a kaftan or tunic for a day of lounging, shopping and pool hopping. I was thrilled to recently connect with one of my favorite new brands JBD New York, which is available in exclusive boutiques in the US like Flirt (Miami) and Sanctuary Boutique (NY), South America, Europe, as well as the Henri Bendel store in New York.
I had the pleasure of going behind the brand with their CEO, Vijay Paintal and his lovely colleague Vaish, to see just where these stunning kaftans & tunics come from. For my birthday, they were kind enough to gift me the Desert Rose & Amazon patterns, both are light, airy and so comfy you won’t want to take them off. They have both casual & dressy tunics and kaftans with stunning accents and jewels patterns that are perfect for summer cocktails with friends. I’ll definitely be rocking one next week during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim… it’s the only way to keep cool & be stylish! The JBD New York team was an absolute pleasure to work with & I am thrilled to know more of their back story. So let’s go behind the brand with JBD New York…
1. What inspires you most as a designer?
I love traveling and exploring new countries and cities. So a lot of my inspiration comes from new cultures; architecture, art, shopping, sights and mostly all the different ways people use fashion as an expression. Our most recent trips have been to the Greek Islands, Barcelona, Paris, Marrakesh and Bali. Our more recent collections, F/W 14, Resort 2015 and S/S 15, draw a lot of influence from all these wonderful places and cultures. Growing up with family in the apparel business for over 40 years, I draw a lot of inspiration from having the opportunity to often travel to design studios in India, London and New York.
Growing up with family in the apparel business for over 40 years, I was introduced to the background of fashion at a young age. Traveling with my family to design studios in London, India and New York has been a huge influence. At the same time, I have always been keen on style and fashion; this comes from my dad- he’s has a great eye for style and is always dressed impeccably. I’m constantly visiting high fashion stores like Bergdorf Goodman, Barney’s and Jeffreys, I appreciate seeing what the best (Prada, Tom Ford, Donna Karan etc) and upcoming designers are doing. I think this is a great thing about New York City, there are such a variety well curated stores that are on the cutting edge of the always changing fashion industry.
2. What would you say is your most popular piece or pieces thus far?
We started the line just about 2 years ago and in the beginning we wanted to keep it small so it wouldn’t be all over the place. We have a great range of products in different price points. One of our more popular piece is the Stain Glass Coverup in raw silk (style 8953, picture below). Another very popular style, one of my personal favorites, is our double-sided pashmina shawl. These 100% pure pashmina shawls come in beautiful display cases that carry a government seal, authenticating their quality. These are still hand-woven on a ‘Charkha’ wheel by artisans in India, who have refined this craft over centuries. This is really a work of art and a collector piece. Whichever side you choose to wear, it will tell a different story. (Picture Below)
3. What can we expect from JBD New York in the future? (Expansion, collaborations, trade shows, etc.)
We are adding some great new designs and categories to the line- look out for vibrant dresses, skirts and pants! This is very exciting for us as we started as a predominantly resort wear lifestyle brand. Of course that will still be the core foundation, we want to continue to have the products that our brand was built on. Since there has been a lot of interest for our brand, we are adding a retail section to the website! Starting in a few weeks, customers can get their own JBD New York apparel shipped to their homes.
JBD New York will be at the ENK Coterie in NYC and also at COAST Miami, both great trade shows. We are looking into expanding to trade shows in California and even in Europe beginning next year.
In a few weeks, we are so honored and excited to be a part of OCRF’s Super Saturday. This amazing fundraising event, put together by the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and hosted by Donna Karan, brings top luxury brands together for a day of fashion and giving back.
4. Is there anything else you would like to add for my readers?
We created this brand with the intention of bringing a new and fresh lifestyle brand to women of all ages. Our customers range from young women who wear our resort wear kaftans, to the sophisticated ladies who appreciate our hand-made silk jackets and pashminas. The great thing though is the sophisticated lady will also buy the cover up and a younger stylish girl will also appreciate the more expensive made to order designs. As a designer, it is inspiring to see how customers with varying styles carry the same piece to make it their own. Diversity is the main theme of our brand- JBD aims to showcase how our products, manufactured in the beautiful designs and best quality fabrics from India, are equally enjoyed by the customer in New York and Europe.
We also take a lot of pride and time in developing our exclusive digital prints. You can be assured that you will not see our designs everywhere. This is very important to me, as in the end I am a customer too. There is a sense of uniqueness and exclusivity that comes with every JBD New York piece.
What a great interview ~ To see more of their stunning collections, visit their website & be sure to connect with them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on their summer travels including Super Saturday in The Hamptons! All photos courtesy of JBD New York & their Facebook page. ~xo~ love and labels
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