Jewelry designer Alexis Bittar found his entrepreneurial spirit at a young age, selling flowers from a cart across the street from his home in Brooklyn. On his thirteenth birthday his parents gifted him an entangled mess of antique jewelry; a gift that sparked an eagerness to learn and a fascination with the craftsmanship that went into creating such beautiful things.
In his twenties, Alexis was known to frequent the club scene often in New York City but managed to make a living selling antique jewelry and vintage clothing. By 22 he left the discotheques to focus on his costume jewelry business. Lucite was his medium of choice for his first pieces, and though he expanded his breadth to include semiprecious stones and metal, it still remains a part of his collections. While continuing to sell his pieces in SoHo, Bittar was discovered by Dawn Mello, the current Fashion Director at Bergdorf Goodman.
Today, Alexis Bittar has collaborated with many designers such as Burberry, Michael Kors, Estee Lauder, Dennis Basso, and Jason Wu and in 2010 he CFDA named him the “Accessory Designer of the Year.” Because of his fresh takes on vintage and organic inspired jewelry coupled with a complete aversion to minimalism Alexis is currently one of the most sought out jewelry designers. Marissa Collections counts itself lucky to carry his gorgeous baubles and will be featuring Bittar’s designs during our Fashion’s Night Out party September 8th, 2011.
Also, rumor has it Bittar is designing a fine jewelry line which is sure to make heads turn...
