Michal Negrin America celebrated the opening of its flagship American location with a celebratory reception with live jazz, champagne, and celebrities in The Westfield Garden State Plaza in late June. “Everyone came!”  American CEO Noam Hanuka told JLBC. “Michal was here for the opening ceremony, of course!”

The mayor of Paramus, Richard LaBarbiera, joined designer Negrin, who is best known for her unique Baroque and Rococco style in everything from earrings to unique women’s wear, Nili Shalev, Israel Economic Minister to North America, the company’s Global CEO, Raymond Welber, investor Oren Heiman, and USA Director Noam Hanuka to “cut the ribbon” when the doors opened.

Rabbi Levi Neubort, spiritual leader of Anshe Lubavitch in Fair Lawn, officially dedicated the the mounting of the store’s mezuzah on the doorpost.

Hanuka, says Westfield Garden State Plaza was chosen as the premier location because “it seemed the perfect place for us.  It’s the third most profitable mall in the U.S., and attracts the combination of customers we seek out.  The fashionable Jewish and Asian crowd is already familiar with the brand, and that gives us an excellent customer base.”  He told JLBC that there are  17 Michal Negrin stores in Japan, a new shop in China and several locations in South Korea.

The 750 square foot, Level 1 site has as its neighbors such international brands as Tiffany & Co., Louis Vutton, Gucci and Tag Heuer. “We decided to totally redo the store using unique decorative elements built in Israel,” Hanuka told JLBC. “Everything in the collection and the retail outlets is personally designed by Michal, including the flooring, wallpaper and chandeliers in her stores, which reflects the decor of her home in Rishon LeZion.  The house was recently featured in an Israeli architectural magazine.”

Negrin began designing jewelry as a child and sold her first creations at street stands.  Twenty five years ago, she brought something new to the jewelry industry in Israel: woman-designed romantic, fantasy creations.  Her business career (and personal life) changed was when she met and married Meir Negrin who dramatically changed the business’s development, bringing his wife’s designs from street sales to their company’s first store in the fashion district of Tel Aviv.

The Negrin jewelry collection is about 90 percent costume jewelry, made with materials not considered to be precious.“The shiny parts are Swarovski crystal. Negrin is the second largest biggest buyer of Swarovski crystal in the world,” notes Hanuka.  “A small percentage of the designs, generally more traditional ones, are created in gold and use real or semi precious stones.”

About seven years ago, Negrin added “fashion” to her inventory, and has done at least three collections a year.  “Fashion” is now about 30 percent of the business  “and growing every year.” says the U.S. CEO.  “The mix of products is approximately 50 percent jewelry, 30 percent women’s apparel and 20 percent home décor.”

100 percent of the products in the stores are personally designed by Michal Negrin and “all the manufacturing is done in Israel,” Hanuka said. “Everything is designed in Israel and hand made in the factory.  Even the packaging, which is very special, is all made in Israel.”  At the Michal Negrin Visitor Center in Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv, items ranging from linens to shoes to yarmulkes – and, of course, her signature jewelry and clothing lines – are on display and available for sale. The facility is part of the company’s manufacturing complex, and employs over 400 people.

Michal has a specific concern about people with special needs.  She employs people with disabilities as part of the company’s work force.  Negrin is actively involved in many charities, supports the arts in Israel and is an active member of WIZO, the Women’s International Zionist Organization. “She is really into giving back to the community,” said Hanuka.

“We are trying to bring the same giving Israeli spirit to the United States.  Everything is done according to the ideas of the brand: open mindedness, love, tolerance, and respect for other cultures.  They say that there is no household in Israel without some piece of Negrin jewelry or some household items—a menorah, earrings, linens—Something!”He continued, saying “each store is an environment.  Everything has ‘the look.’”

The second U.S. location, already under construction, will be located at Spring Street and Broadway in Manhattan’s SOHO area.  It is scheduled to open August 15. There, the Negrin boutique will join other Israeli originated businesses. “We actually talked about it,” says Hanuka. “The Israeli shops are kind of a symbol of Israeli-Jewish entrepreneurs doing business in the city.  There are not many French, not many English retailers… When I found out about the opportunity to open an Israeli brand in the US, it was very exciting—in a way, a dream come true.”

“Michal Negrin is bringing beautiful, amazing pieces of wearable art to the American people.  It’s a simple approach: if, when someone buys the jewelry wears it and it makes them happy, then we’re doing our job.”

By Maxine Dovere