Life & Style | Beauty & Fashion
The dark side of bling
Matt Damon and Akon don their stylish wares and with gnarling leopards, skulls and dragons, Serge and Natalie Abecassis are taking their label Silver Dagger to new heights
- By Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:27 November 27, 2008
- Image Credit: Devadasan/Gulf News
- Serge and Natalie Abecassis launched Silver Dagger last year.
Matt Damon and Akon don their stylish wares and with gnarling leopards, skulls and dragons, Serge and Natalie Abecassis are taking their label Silver Dagger to new heights
When one is off to meet the makers of a fashion apparel that are inspired by daggers, dragons, skulls and gnarling leopards, one is likely to expect a pair wielding tattooed arms, unwashed hair and a greasy pair to boot.
But the architects of the US club wear brand Silver Dagger (SD) Serge and Natalie Abecassis thwart the established norm with a clean swipe. Zipping along in a stretch limo (again not as expected on a dust-laden motorbike), the couple, who have been married for more than a decade, are ensconced in the plush leather interior studded with twinkling psychedelic lights on the moon roof. They contemplate opening a bottle of bubbly to lubricate their nth press interview of the day. After a quick "should we-shouldn't we'' tussle, they opt for water.
Now they get down to the basics of the heavily-embellished T-shirts and belts which were fast gathering a cult celebrity flying off the racks and onto the backs of the likes of Matt Damon, Hulk Hogan and Timbaland. T-shirts with swarovski-encrusted skulls, tattoo-inspired tops and dragon-head accessories are scratching the surface of the SD pile.
"Silver Dagger is all about expressing oneself freely. And, for us it is a compliment when a celebrity or stylist walks into our stores and chooses our clothes,'' says Serge. "In fact, Hulk Hogan is one such celebrity who buys our T-shirts religiously. He also wears it often on his TV show American Gladiators.''
Hard-selling
The brand, which is stacked at the retail outlet Bauhaus in the Dubai Outlet Mall and at the Ibn Battuta Mall, is also in the process of roping in the beefy Hogan in a more hard-selling campaign. "The details of the project are yet to be finalised. But we are in talks with Hulk Hogan for a unique concept. If things work out, you will definitely see more of him in Silver Dagger outfits,'' explains Serge.
Apart from Hogan, the brand which was launched last year has stars including Akon placing its stakes on their style wares. "Although each of our customers is a celebrity in our eyes, it feels good when stars like Michael Jackson buy our three-piece dagger belt, or when Akon wears our T-shirt to a bash,'' says Natalie, who looks after the styling and the graphic designing of the apparel.
"And it shows our clothes are not about how old you are it's all about the attitude.''
They couple, who are inspired by the edgy rock ‘n' roll Californian look, have learnt to separate the boardroom from the bedroom. They say they have strived to make their brand exclusive yet accessible.
"With Silver Dagger, we want to dispel the notion that you need to wear a scruffy pair of jeans or go unwashed to a restaurant to carry it off. The leather appliqués and the embellishments are spot on for a neat clubbing night,'' says Serge.
Placing their products a cut above the brand Ed Hardy, Serge believes that their sartorial stock is in a different league. "I agree they are one of competitors. But we are not up against each other for the same customer. We are more upmarket, and therefore more exclusive. So the question of overlapping does not arise.''
Another formula that they swear by is to constantly evolve and introduce new items to their line of products. "We are currently working on developing a funky line of eye-wear. Fashion is all about constantly changing.''
Bag it all
Tired of the regular black clutches with Swarovski embellishments? Try the clutch with a metallic skull studded on to it. If Natalie Abecassis's words are any indication, her choice was a huge hit. "Fashion is all about change. Try and give (your look) a daring twist by going to a party with skull-encrusted clutch. You can easily get away with an edgy twist.''
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