The goal of This Queen of Sparkle is to replace Ralph.
The boxy, beaded, and occasionally fruit-shaped handbags from the brand Susan Alexandra burst onto the scene a couple of years ago, offering a vibrant, rainbow-hued alternative to the intensely somber, black leather pieces favored by Balenciaga or cdg merch The Row. If you’re the right young, active, professional New York woman, you’re already familiar with the brand’s distinctive accessories even if you couldn’t name them.
The iconic millennial lothario Pete Davidson owns a handmade Susan necklace that spells out his initial name (as if we didn’t already know it). Gigi Hadid was photographed carrying a rainbow-beaded Susan Alexandra purse on vacation in 2018. However, this company isn’t exclusively for women. Much of the brand’s production has a summer camp, friendship bracelet vibe.
Naomi Fry, a staff writer for The New Yorker who wore a beaded Susan Alexandra purse on her head for the company’s 2020 bat mitzvah-themed fashion show, said, “I believe Susan’s work is incredibly accessible.” It appeals to the fundamental cdg hoodie part of us that adores bright, sparkling, and lovely things. When I would visit the mall and see Barbies, I would feel the same way—I would want everything.
Beginning in the fall of 2021, you may mosey over to the Susan Alexandra flagship store on Orchard Street in Manhattan to browse for chunky Zodiac sign necklaces, earrings, card holders, and planters. The location has a slightly girlie Lego house feel to it.
It could be said that Susan Korn, the designer of the eponymous brand, was a long-time coming overnight success. She was up in Columbus, Ohio, and is the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor. She has a strong sense of humor and a passion for vibrant colors.
The Daily Beast quoted Korn as saying, “I’m pretty flexible with my observance to Judaism, I love Jewish comedians and Jewish culture and I love the food and I just love the warmth of it.”
According to The Daily Beast Kevin Kampar
However, Susan Alexandra’s line of amusing, whimsical Judaica, which the company debuted in November 2022 and features jewelry, Mezuzahs, and fruit-shaped dreidels, was hailed by Korn as “perhaps our most successful collection launch yet.”
Korn stated, “I thought that there was so much opportunity there, but it wasn’t something where I was like, ‘I’m going to be a Judaica jeweler.'” I wanted to be passionate about everything I produced, and it seemed like something I could get my teeth into.
Fry continued, “I’m also constantly pleased by Susan’s ability to develop new concepts. It seems as though things are dripping out of her brain like jewelry.
Could she build something that I designed? I thought to myself. said, Korn. “They exchanged words, and when I answered yes, she gave me a small Post-It note and a pen. They instructed me to return in a week after I drew a rough drawing of what I wanted to make and pointed to the bags containing the various colors of beads. When I returned after a week, she had created a handbag in the shape of a watermelon that I had designed. It was stunning and left me speechless. Even though I’ve been producing jewelry for years, I had never had such a strong reaction from the public until I only posted the bag on Instagram.
Years later, the identical woman is still producing bags for
