When we saw each other last, we had no idea that the world would soon turn upside down in just a few short months.  I still have moments of disbelief and have wondered if I was dreaming.  We are now nine months into the global pandemic and our lives are very different. We have collectively experienced a multitude of emotions, and we have been in continuous grief and mourning.  We have lost friends and family, and we are on constant alert. 

Because humans are resilient and the quest for survival is in our DNA we have found new ways to live and even thrive in this new world. If we have been conscious we have by now realized the importance of cultivating beauty and joy in spite of the daily sad news we may be bombarded with. Most certainly we have realized the fragility of life and the importance of living every single moment deeply and with gratitude for being alive another day. 

I was fortunate enough to be able to leave NYC in May and move to my family’s lake house in upstate New York.  It is a place I have been coming to for many years but had not foreseen that I would be living and designing here full time. It has been the biggest blessing for me because I am completely surrounded by nature and my day begins watching the sunrise.  I have learned to garden and grow vegetables. I walk barefoot on the grass everyday in order to connect to the earth and ground my body. My exercise happens on the lake where I paddle 8 miles each day on a kayak, complimented by yoga, and jump rope. I explore the land everyday to see what flowers are blooming and what is in season. Everyday is completely different and I find it to be a magical experience.  What I have been witnessing for the last few months is the power of the flow of nature. 

When it was finally time for me to design this new collection, FLOW,  I went to prepare in my usual way, and I immediately understood that I had been collecting data everyday in my explorations in the garden and the lake and that what I had to do was just flow. I was already prepared. 

I could see that I had chosen Lapis Lazuli because there was a plant vase that I looked at every morning that was that deep cobalt blue a color I have always loved. I used Larimar, which has a milky pale blue color and is a stone only found in the Dominican Republic, as well as pink opal, and pink spinel because these are the colors that I saw as the sun rose every morning and the mist rose off the lake. 

I used white topaz, and quartz because it represented the water, and citrine reminded me of the sunset reflecting on the lake every afternoon. The black agate represents the night sky and mixed with quartz, diamonds, and white gold shimmers like the moon and the stars. You will discover more for yourself when you explore the collection. 

You must understand that none of this was planned. I realized it all when the collection was complete and I saw before me the result of all the data that I had been collecting for months. The collection represents the energy of the elements, air, water, fire, and earth.

May the pieces you choose serve to remind you of the flow of nature and your important relationship to the earth and the cosmos.

“I want to remind you of your power, and together we will change the world”

Namaste,

Simon Alcantara