I recently got a very interesting email about a designer named Michael Aram. He celebrated his 20 year anniversary (of designing and creating) at the Bloomingdales in NYC on the 16th of September. The event was also a great way to kick off his collection of home goods available at the store. His designs are as interesting as his background, here is more about him:
As a young college graduate in 1989, fresh from college and entrenched in his first “real job”, Michael Aram took a vacation to India. He arrived in Delhi with a child-like curiosity and began exploring the streets. He happened upon some wooden lean-tos lining the roadside, each one sheltering a lone craftsman working with raw metal. Theses artisans were smelting iron and transforming it into mundane object such as scissors, buckets and shoves, painstakingly trying to hide any evidence that these items were made by hand.
Michael watched one man in particular for hours, gradually recognizing the level of artistry and skill this man was exhibiting. Eventually, with no other way to communicate, Michael took a stick and drew an object in the dirt. It was a shoehorn with a long curling handle. The artisan looked at it, understood it, and within a very short while handed the finished piece to Michael.
This was the artistic awakening of a man who has, for 20 years, celebrated the ancient and miraculous craftsmanship of a mysterious and magical country. Today, Michael lives and works half of each year in Delhi. He speaks Hindi fluently and has been twice voted Indian Designer of the Year. The incredible artisan he met that day on the street 20 years ago now has today a factory of his own, where he employs several dozen other artists and holds the distinction of being Michael Aram Inc.’s longest-term artist partner. And that shoehorn is still sold in stores to this very day.
Look at this tea set that he designed, which is made from carved Amethyst, and carved Jade, as well as nickle plate. Although this piece is very expensive, his collection does have some items that are more budget friendly. His gorgeous items for the home at Bloomingdales right now.
