NEW YORK — Armenta is marking a decade in the fine jewelry category with its first national ad campaign, a new logo and Web site and the introduction of handbags.
Created by Emily Armenta, the current jewelry collection is comprised of 18-karat gold juxtaposed with oxidized silver, diamonds and semiprecious stones in the form of bangles, stackable rings and hoop earrings. Carried in Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and about 75 independent stores in the U.S., the line ranges in price from about $600 to $15,000.
So for her foray into handbags — all fashioned from exotic python or crocodile skins in black, brown and gray —Armenta said it’s all about the hardware.
“When the customer looks at the bags they can say it’s an Armenta. A lot of brands tell stories through skin colors, but we tell stories with our hardware,” she said of the unique, handcrafted clasps adorning each of the 16 pieces in the collection she creates from elements such as gold, black spinel, fossilized coral, sapphires, hematite, malachite and labradorite. “It’s luxury from top to bottom, but also highly functional.”
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The handbag collection —along with all of the jewelry — is manufactured entirely by women in a production facility in Houston and, beginning in late September, will be available exclusively at neimanmarcus.com. Prices starts at $1,000 for an evening-sized clutch and go up to about $5,000 for an oversize travel tote.
The first print ads appeared in the September issues of Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country and W, and the brand unveiled a fresh look to its Web site, armentacollection.com, last month.