Daily Gems & other musings — luxury

The inspiration for the original viv&ingrid "Bonbon Box" came from the idea of treating yourself to a box of little luxuries, something we dreamed up in our small upstairs design studio before we opened our flagship shop in Downtown Berkeley...fast forward a few years later, and after we opened viv&ingrid at Oxford Hall, our idea evolved into creating little boxes of edible treats featuring our local friends and artisanal candy creators. The viv&ingrid Bonbon Bar was one of our favorite endeavors, and we loved partnering with different small makers to bring locally made and sustainably sourced products and women-owned businesses...

  If you've been following along on our Designer Spotlight series, you'll know there are few things we appreciate more than a great textile.  Sindiso Khumalo is known as "a genius on the subject, with a Central Saint Martins master’s in the niche and single-handedly designing all of her fabrics through multimedia methods such as watercolor and collage." But let's begin at the beginning.  The brand's founder and namesake, Sindiso "studied architecture at the University of Cape Town prior to moving to London, where she went onto study a Masters in Design for Textile Futures. Sindiso Khumalo founded her eponymous label...

Image via HOLA! Giannina Azar has made a big impact in the time since she's emerged on the fashion scene - she followed her design dreams and graduated with a degree in fashion design and illustration from the Mercy Jacques Institute of Technology and shortly after in 2012, released her first collection - and she's been making a splash ever since!  Inspired by "the joy, music, and colors of the world‘s ethnic groups...her complex manual and artisan work made her one of the favorite Latin designers" of fashionistas and celebrities alike.  She's dressed superstars like Jennifer Lopez,  Talia and Gwen Stefani but remains family focused with...

After learning to sew in high school, Arianna Jamerson showed in her first fashion show at just 16 years old - and hasn't stopped designing since!  Describing her designs as made by an individual artist rather than a brand, she's brought that personal touch to everything she has created for her brand, Assata Designs. Describing her line as based in sustainability, quality craftsmanship, and eccentricity, she explained to Who What Wear that she displays diversity "by including my friends and local creatives in my campaigns.  I hope that I can continue to show that there is no one 'ideal' beauty."  Arianna...

  Known for "her innovative use of texture and draping, beautiful tailoring and meticulous detailing," we're excited to share our latest designer, Uma Wang, in the Designer Spotlight with you! Uma launched her label under her own name in 2009 and has done it all from runway collections to opening her own boutique since.  She trained at the Chinese Textile University in Shanghai and Central Saint Martins in London, and "her signature technique fuses knits with fabric, balancing sophistication with a timeless design." Anyone that knows us knows we can't get enough of a beautifully draped silhouette (seriously, who can't?!), and we can't decide on...