In 1989, the 25-year-old Michael Aram lived in a studio apartment on Christopher Street in New York Citywhere he was designing books and posters in The Metropolitan Museum of Art day and night drawing and painting. During that time, the young artist befriended some people from New Delhi, India and decided to visit them – a choice that would change his life and lead him to become the founder of his luxury house and jewelry brand .
Image Credit: Courtesy of Michael Aram
When Aram arrived in India and saw local artisans at work, “It was like going back to biblical times,” he says. Aramis was particularly drawn to metalworkers, inspired by their craft—even though the pieces they made were rudimentary and utilitarian.
“I just thought, I want to work with these people and create objects that are beautiful and artistic,” explains Aram. “But because they were making functional objects, my head went to the decorative arts – How do we make that beautiful bowl or that forged item functional?“
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So Aram learned the craft while in India and put together a five-piece collection, including server sets with twigs found on his morning walks, cast in brass and silver-plated, and bowls forged in stainless steel with hand cut edges and “large hammer marks.” He took the pieces back to New York, and though some of his friends in the city encouraged him to sell his work, others were not so impressed.
“My friends in India used to make fun of me and say, 'Oh, you and your rotten metal. That looks like something cows would eat,'” says Aram. “They were very rugged and handmade and artisanal.” At the time, the dominant design aesthetic was “high tech,” Aram explains—”Everything was brushed metal, with an industrial look.” The handmade element “ubiquitous today in the design world” was not fashionable.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Michael Aram. Part of the Butterfly Ginkgo collection launched in 2007.
“'Michael, if you can do this, I can sell it'.”
However, despite only having $2,000 in his bank account, Aram chose to listen to his supporters and give a start to the venture. He found a sales representative in SoHo who worked with designers who made metal art, furniture, jewelry and handbags. There were about five artists in the group, says Aram.
“And (the agent) said to me, 'Michael, if you can do this, I can sell it,'” Arami recalled.
So Aram set out to make it. He emptied the $2,000 from his bank account and traveled to India; he spent $200 on a stopover in Paris, arrived with $1,800 in his pocket, and got to work. He made varying amounts of parts—”50 of this, 20 of this, 10 of that”—and shipped them to New York.
The sales rep took the pieces to a design show, for which Aram returned. By the end of the event, they had significant orders. One of the pieces even landed on the cover of Neiman Marcus Magazine.
“I was 25. It was terrible. But we did it all, we sent it all.
With an order for 16,000 cutlery sets waiting to be fulfilled, Aram cash is needed to create his designs. His parents were able to guarantee him a loan for about $50,000. “I was 25 years old,” says Arami. “It was terrible. But we got it all done; we shipped it all. And (after that point), we didn't have to borrow any more money. We just put it back into the business.”
This strategy helped the business achieve the global recognition it enjoys today as it approaches its 35th anniversary. Not only has the brand attracted an important audience, including the English royal family and the Pope, who was donated a sculpture to Noah's Ark in 2016, but her products are also featured in the dining rooms at Four Seasons hotels and in the home departments of well-known retailers, including Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale's.
Additionally, the company boasts flagship stores in New York, Miami and Canoga Park, California and is currently expanding to a new center in Valencia, Spain.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Michael Aram. Part of the Butterfly Gingko Gold collection launched in July 2024.
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“I run my business the way my grandfather would have run his business.”
Although Arami always loved business and saw it as design, “making something out of nothing,” he calls himself “an accidental entrepreneur.” He has owned his business for more than three decades, but still considers his approach “very unconventional.” “I run my business the way my grandfather would have run his business, the old fashioned way,” says Arami. “It wasn't all about leverage and partners and 3 PL and not possess it; it was very much in the old way of creation.”
“I like to own things,” adds Arami. “I like to manage things and I like to be like that vertical as much as possible. I don't know if it's a smart move. That's the only way I've done it.” The 100% foreign-owned company continues to operate in India, which Aram sees as “very much the heart of the business” to this day.
According to Arami, many brands put marketing and PR on a pedestal, but he has always been guided by objects, believing that the product will speak for itself and tell the story, even decades.
For a while, his office was above the New York store, and he “loved it listening to what customers were saying about the products,” and how sometimes when he introduced himself, people referred to themselves as “collectors” rather than “customers.” “I don't tell them to say that,” says Aram. “That's how they identify. themselves. Because they think there's something special about it.”
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“So at some level now, anyone can be an entrepreneur.”
“I never thought for a second when I made those five funny pieces that this would be my life,” says Aram. “But India has taught me so much and guided me so far.” Aram credits much of his success to his start as a young entrepreneur who did not “know better” and was willing to continue despite significant obstacles – such as the fact that he could not have a bank account in India or legally operate a business in the country before economic liberalization.
“Ignorance was my best tool,” admits Aram. “Ignorance and luck.”
Image Credit: Courtesy of Michael Aram. Part of the Butterfly Gingko Gold collection launched in July 2024.
These days, it's generally harder for an unknown designer to break into retail. According to Aram, shops are not able to be as nimble or take as many risks as they did back then, which means the barrier to entry is high. However, where one door may be closed, Aram sees another open for aspiring entrepreneurs – online platforms like Etsy, Amazon and Facebook Market.
“You can make (something) in your kitchen and sell it on your computer and maybe never leave the house,” says Aram. “So at one level now, anyone can to be an entrepreneurand I think that's what's so incredible.”