New York-Based Atelier Presents Debut Collection with First Runway Show
Barshai, a New York-based atelier
dedicated to the art of fashion, is pleased to announce its debut collection for Resort 2025, titled “House of Barshai.”
Introduced via a runway show at the Georgia Room on June 5th, 2024, the first official outing for the brand is a celebration of heritage, innovation, and unapologetic romanticism. With this debut collection, Barshai hopes to begin a paradigm shift in the realm of American evening wear and couture. Comprising 19 looks, “House of Barshai” showcases Barshai’s unwavering commitment to craftsmanship and detail-oriented innovation.
Founded by Erik Barshai, a designer committed to reviving the artistry of American couture, Barshai celebrates the marriage of small eccentricities and precision through collections that seamlessly blend a Victorian sensibility with a modern-day twist. The result is garments crafted with meticulous attention to detail that celebrate the wearer’s individuality and redefine luxury evening wear for today.
Barshai
Photos: Thomas William
For “House of Barshai,” collection development began with a clear vision. A show about the Sasson family, a dynastic clan with roots in the 1600’s inspired the idea of a grand home, locked away from the elements, rediscovered again in the 21st century. The collection, divided into three acts, explores the interior lives of the family occupying the home and the objects that made up their lives.
At the heart of “HOB” lies a meticulous exploration of a woman’s foundational garments, taking what is normally hidden and bringing it into the extraordinary. From the ethereal “Tissot Bra,” inspired by the paintings of Victorian artist James Tissot, to the exquisite interplay of bias cuts and couture tailoring through garters, each piece embodies a narrative of elegance, sophistication, and whimsical surprise. The Tissot Bra, for instance, is supported by a thin wisp of a wire frame, symbolizing the home’s wire gate coming undone; in this case, separating the bust and providing a base for building an exploration of bias cut dresses.
Bias cut, in its purity, is a throughline of this collection. Bias, the slippery intersection of warp and weft, has traditionally been one of the most beautiful elements of dressmaking. Its prevalence in daily life today (the ubiquitous bias slip skirt, worn by seemingly every woman on the LES of Manhattan today) makes the style seem easy – even simple, in fact. The truth is the complete opposite, and Barshai has spent the last year perfecting, to the best of his abilities, this kind of cut in his LES studio.
Though a dressmaker by trade, Barshai’s debut season under his namesake label also acts as a love letter to the history of couture. In doing so, the designer presents modern-day interpretations of couture tailoring staples such as Dior’s bar jacket, Poiret’s cocoon coats, Chanel’s boucle and jersey paneled front jackets, and Jacque Faith’s tight fitting multi-paneled kimono sleeves. The collection moves through phases of white, cream, black, and grey with a burst of what the brand calls ‘Proustian pink’. Proustian Pink, or the memory of pink, is closest to mauve – a complicated mixture of pearl grey and rose overdyed on top of varying shades of peach. From sandpaper to overdying, staining to tatters, every detail speaks to the brand’s dedication to the word “patina”.
“With this collection, I decided to throw out the old and let in the new,” says Erik Barshai. “Like many couture houses, we wanted this season to serve as the start of a narrative at its most experimental.” Experimental details can be seen in Barshai’s signature use of circular cuts – a staple for the designer since he began his career in design. Unlike a bias cut or straight grain, circular cutting can create a 360 impression, forming delicate cones of fabric around the human body that interact with every step the wearer takes.
A graduate of the Pratt Institute, Barshai’s academic journey served as a catalyst for his burgeoning passion for design. Barshai began his career fine tuning his skills at some of the leading American fashion houses, starting with internships at Eckhaus Latta and Creatures of the Wind followed by full-time design roles at Calvin Klein Accessories (under Raf Simons), Jill Stuart, Alice and Olivia, and Aliette. Within each role, Barshai’s expertise and eye for detail flourished, and in 2021 the time was right to embark on his own vision.
Today, Barshai represents a culmination of a lifelong journey dedicated to redefining the boundaries of luxury fashion. All garments are made by hand by Barshai and his team, celebrating a centuries-old tradition of craftsmanship. At the core of the Barshai aesthetic lies a profound reverence for the heritage of couture. Barshai’s design ethos mirrors a renaissance of small eccentricities and precision, echoing the sentiments of couture luminaries like Charles James. Like Charles James, a personal hero of Barshai, the clothes are developed 360 on a form, embracing asymmetrical seams that don’t follow traditional rules of pattern making.
With a steadfast focus on preserving the sanctity of handmade artistry, Barshai aspires to captivate a global audience, while remaining true to its artisanal roots. Every garment embodies a labor of love, meticulously crafted in the heart of New York City by the hands of Barshai and his team.
Barshai invites clients to embark on a journey of sartorial exploration with every creation, where luxury meets artistry and tradition intersects with modernity.
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With love,
FWO
