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Sudha Treasures Benefit Sale opens November 9th in the Town Center

As evening settled over the Corte Madera Town Center, the Ninth Annual “Sudha Sale” got off to a fine start on Friday, November 9 with crowds of expectant shoppers entering a world of Sudha Pennathur’s imagination.   The old Ann Taylor store had been re-imagined as a colorful, jewel-toned gallery selling artisanal goods from India and the Far East, all designed by Sudha and crafted by her team of hundreds of artisans.   Playful kantha scarves held their own; finely-woven pashminas and gem-encrusted necklaces contrasted with costume pieces; colorful skirts and jackets anchored one side of the room while whimsical bags, holiday ornaments, and decorative items highlighted the other.   A buffet of pizza, ceviche, brownies and drinks kept energy high as shoppers took in the scene.

The highlight of all, of course,  was the fact that all profits from the sale of these goods would benefit Bread and Roses and Angel Island Conservancy, two local non-profits supported wholeheartedly by Sudha for many years.   With the room full and buzzing, Doug McConnell  introduced Sudha in a short talk that underscored her great commitment to her community over the years and the grace with which she manages it all.    Sudha followed, to speak of her long appreciation for Bread and Roses and the remarkable work it does all year and and for the historic and natural significance of Angel Island  She also thanked the dedicated volunteers and staff from both organizations who had helped set up the sale and are critical, day in and day out, to the continued success of these groups.

 
 Photos courtesy Jon D’Alessio & Jim Prigoff
 

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PacificSun’s Hero and Zero

From Today's Pacific Sun, we'll leave off the zero from our repost… smiley

 

http://pacificsun.com/story.php?story_id=5052

 

HERO: Mark your calendars for Dec. 2-4 to take advantage of wholesale prices for exotic items from the collection of acclaimed designer Sudha Pennathur. The sale of Sudha's treasures benefits The Redwoods, a nonprofit senior residential community in Mill Valley. A Tiburon resident, Sudha frequently travels to India where she mentors a group of master craftspeople to create her distinctive jewelry and other gift items. "Every year the Sudha sale benefits the craftspeople of India as well as The Redwoods," said Barbara Solomon, executive director of The Redwoods. "We are grateful for Sudha's incredible commitment to people globally and locally." Sounds like Sudha's a Hero just about everywhere. The benefit sale is Dec. 2 to 4 at Town Center Corte Madera.

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Art of Lacquer in Jewelry and Decorative Accessories

I have long been fascinated with the exquisitely handcrafted lacquer and gemstone Meenakari by jewelers in Jaipur, India. I first introduced this “Meenakari” enameling technique over lacquer on gold and silver jewelry. The necklace from Designs by Sudha is strung with garnets and mina chowkies” squares, and has been a signature piece in my collection. The process is laborious. A piece is fixed on a stick of lacquer and delicate floral designs engraved on it . Engravings are made in the groves and the enamel colors filled in with the delicacy of a miniature paintings. ‘Kundan’ and mina are part of great jewelry heritage of India.

In decorative arts, I introduced lacquer with mirrors during Diwali, the festival of lights in India some 26 years ago! I saw bangles being made in the streets of old Jaipur city on a street called “chudion ka rastha”. Literally translated means “street of bangles” where all the lac bangle makers sit in a row over hot flames crafting these lovely adornments. In the night when fireworks were resplendent, all the lac studded with mirrors reflected the light and were splendorous!

I thought why not expand this technique to other everyday used items and make life more colorful? From the bangles, an idea evolved from “ Designs by Sudha” of lac pocket mirrors reflecting the festival of lights, trinket boxes to hold your do-dads, mini frames for the dresser, lacquer handcrafted votives which had replaceable wax to make it more sustainable, lac ball ornaments for Christmas which were glitzy, lacquer pens with replaceable ink refills.

All these pieces in my handicraft collection have become sustainable, timeless treasures of art.

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National Geographic Fall 2010

Designs by Sudha has had the great honor of featuring our designs in The National Geographic Catalog. Many of you know National Geographic through their magazine, but their Mission aligns with one of our basic Missions, cultural preservation.
National Geographic has just released their Fall 2010 catalog and their amazing richness and taste is reflected here. In case you have missed it, you can view their catalog here.
Master printers in Jaipur created this skirt using an age old printing technique of “Khadi” in gold. “Ghagra” a staple in Indian women’s wardrobes was the inspiration for the skirt I did exclusively for National Geographic. Made with printed cotton in the tradition of homespun
fabric. Lightweight and flattering, the crinkle finish adds to the richness of the look.

Another National Geographic Exclusive, the Mughal Garnet Hoop Earrings are crafted from vibrant red garnets on a hand crafted silver hoop in the Mughal style. They were crafted in the northern Indian city of Jaipur, which remains an artistic center to this day.
Last that I’ll feature from this exciting catalog are the Jaipur Garnet Earrings. Known as balis, the earrings often combine a flat front surface with gems. We have crafted this offering for National Geographic using master jeweler’s techniques with a simpler shape that lets the faceted garnets sparkle against a gold-vermeil hoop.
To see all Sudha items from this catalog, click here.

We are finishing last minute prepartations for some special customer meetings in New York where we hope to bring more innovative and lush designs to all of you through our network of retailers. Supporting the cause of preserving hand craftsmenship has been an integral part of our mission for the past 25 years ago. We are proud of retailers for supporting our mission.
Following New York, we head to India where we continue to find the best artisans to create the most elaborate and intricate designs using time honored traditions. Thank you all for your support, I will follow up from India soon.

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Inspiration from the Bazaars of India

Tradition has been an important back drop in the way arts and crafts are viewed and practiced in India. This is because it forms the foundation for new art forms! Unlike the arts, crafts are things we use in everyday life.
All tools are essentially an extension of the hand in the craft movement. The tools help the artisan to finish an object with quality and perfection. Decorative elements are added and it becomes an object of beauty. Form and function merge!
In this series I want to explore the various crafts that are present in “Designs by Sudha”.

People often ask me how I get my ideas for new designs. The Indian “bazaar” is a formidable design play field. One discovers colors and patterns that are not
normally seen in the city life. Driving through rural India, there is this harmony between people, animals and nature. They all seem to co-exist without conflict. The inherent chaos provides rich fodder for design ideas.
The artisan was also the trader who plied his wares after making them in his village. With people like me in the midst, he is allowed to practice his craft with the designs given by me. I am then responsible to market his hand work and he is free to practice his craft without the challenges of the marketplace!

It is a fantastically exciting, rewarding, and sometimes a frustrating endeavor. We have an excellent staff in India and outstanding artisans – the true cream of the crop; so, obviously, our experience after 25+ years is very streamlined and reliable. Many of the functions are fully automated and runs seamlessly. Customers and competitors who try to work directly with India often revert back to us. We are able to succeed where others fail, because of our unique understanding of both the crafts and the families that do them. We also have a 24/7 presence in India.

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Sudha Benefit Sale

I am gearing up for our 7th Annual Sudha Sale to benefit Bread & Roses, but this year the sale will also be for the benefit of The Redwoods. Please see the media release below:

Sudha Sale to Benefit Bread & Roses and The Redwoods, Sudha Pennathur, a celebrated international designer, brings us the Seventh Annual Sale to benefit Bread & Roses and The Redwoods. The store located at The Corte Madera Town Center will open for 2 weekends – November 7, & 8th and November 14th and 15th.
Sudha a long time friend of Bread & Roses is known for her original designs under the name of House of Pennathur, which she founded 24 years ago after a successful career at Levi Strauss & Co and other corporations.
Born in India she shocked the business community by trading in her six-figure salary to follow a dream to design and produce jewelry and scarves by reviving the arts of India.
Sudha has helped revive crafts, some of which were nearing extinction. Working with award winning artisans and hundreds of craftspeople in India, she uses materials available from nature and fabricates intricate jewelry, hand embroidered jeweled ornaments, or uniquely woven scarves, each a work of art and a keepsake that combines form and function.
Eco sensitive, her fabrics are often vegetable dyed, hand printed, and made with antique recycled materials to give it that unique flair. Her unique interpretation reflecting her distinct and rich cultural heritage enables her to adapt these pieces to the contemporary American woman.

She has employed thousands of artisans to produce her collections for prestigious stores, such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, and museum stores such as The Smithsonian, The Art Institute of Chicago The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Her creations can also be found in catalogs and online sites for National Geographic and Sundance and. Her collections give her a distinctive presence as she sells more than 1200 styles of jewelry, textiles, accessories and ornaments in some of America’s most famous retail institutions among others.

A rebel with a cause, Pennathur is committed to running a sustainable business, both with the use of artisans to revive crafts in her native India and in the community she lives. Sudha stepped forward seven years ago to help raise funds for Bread & Roses by opening a store for one weekend a year. This year another Marin nonprofit, The Redwoods, will also benefit from the sale. A labor of love, 100% of the proceeds are distributed to the non profits and the artisans who produced them.

The Corte Madera location will provide Marinites and friends from San Francisco & elsewhere around the Bay a chance to purchase these unique gifts, as seen in major museum shops and specialty stores around the country at prices at wholesale prices or below. You will be delighted in her treasures from exotic India.

The Benefit Sale has something for every budget starting from a $1 gift item to for a one of kind $800 necklace. Each piece, regardless of the cost, is a work of art…perfectly wrought……crafted by hand, to delight a connoisseur’s heart.
Sudha Pennathur, Bread & Roses, and The Redwoods are examples of how concerned private sector individuals are taking positive action to offset the ravages of a down economy.

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