Lee Alexander McQueen's art-centric foundation teams with Bergdorf Goodman for holiday pop-up

By

Benjamin Fitzgerald

Published
Nov 14, 2022

The visionary work of Alexander McQueen lives on channeled through current brand creative director Sarah Burton. Thanks to the Sarabande foundation—an arts-centric non-profit—so does the late designer's vision to support creatives in all disciplines. In time for the holiday shopping season, Bergdorf Goodman will host four artists in the collective for the bespoke holiday shopping experience.

Following the store's 2022 holiday décor reveal for three days beginning on November 18, the flagship fashion-centric store will transform into a living art studio hosting four artists to have benefitted from Sarabande's support, who will set up temporary artist-in-residencies at the tony department store. 

The lineup includes Camilla Hanney, an Irish artist who will be stylizing ceramic creations; Castro Smith will be engraving modern jewelry pieces using European and Japanese techniques; jeweler Christopher Thompson Royds will transform his innovative flora motifs into a golden tiara; and multidisciplinary artist Karimah Hassan will be painting live in the store. The group will set up on the third floor of the store, where shoppers and visitors will have an immersive experience. The works can be purchased and range from $750 to $5,500.

In addition, Bound, a book that features the work of 36 artists and is bound by hand and wrapped in hand-embroidered linen by Uttar Pradesh, will be on offer. The artful tome will be limited to 100 editions and sells for $3,500.

​Bound is a project encapsulating Sarabande's family together under one roof. Or, in this case, a hand embroidered linen wrap, Trino Verkade, founding trustee, Sarabande, told FashionNetwork.com.

"We are thrilled to bring four artists in Bound to Bergdorf Goodman to give them a chance to set up a temporary artist studio in an iconic location and store that presents the finest brands and creatives from around the world. Seeing them create work by hand and the painstaking, time-consuming elements of their craft is something rarely seen in such an environment. It's a glimpse inside an artist's studio," she added.

The foundation was started in 2006 by the late Lee Alexander McQueen. Sarabande was named for his Spring 2007 collection show of the same name. The intent is to support future creative minds— from fine art artists, fashion designers, jewelers, silversmiths, sculptors, filmmakers, photographers, prosthetic designers, and taxidermy artists—by giving over 130 artists to date space to work, support and opportunities.

Since 2015, the organization has operated from a listed Stable Block in Haggerston, East London, where 15 studios form a creative community. Many of the creatives had worked with the designer before he passed in 2010.

While it's the first time Bergdorf Goodman has partnered with Sarabande, the retailer is no stranger to charitable organizations. For example, last year at holiday time, Bergdorf Goodman teamed up with City Harvest— New York City's largest food rescue organization that collects fresh food waste from restaurants, bakeries, and cafes—and will continue that initiative as well.