Sasha Sarokin, The Fashion Fairy

Curious to know just how that unknown brand went from “’What?” to “It”? Senior Editor, Sofia Guellaty sits down with Net-A-Porter’s Accessories Buying Manager, Sasha Sarokin, to learn her tricks of the trade and talk about talent spotting, the power of relationships, and Middle Eastern elegance.   

Tell us about a brand you have recently discovered. 

Within accessories and jewelry specifically, it is easier to find developing young designers, because they can make the product themselves in a small workshop. For us, the most important thing is finding the product that is inspiring, new, and forward and that’s what we live for and we trust that our customers want that too. A brand such as Ek Thongprasert is a brand we are launching right now. He is very authentic and he does everything himself. He literally takes silicon and dyes it with drops of colors until he finds the exact tone of silicon and the cut crystal color he will use. The authenticity of that process is what inspired us and that is why we will pick up a brand. I am very proud to support young designers by having the ability to work with these brands and often do exclusives with them to enable a solid partnership.

How do you discover new talents? What is your process?

Often times it’s word of mouth. It is something we see on a friend and she could be acquainted with the designer. Mallarino is a brand we carry and I ran into the designer at a party and she had a gorgeous ring on and I grabbed her hand and asked, “Where did you get this? This is amazing!” And she said, “I made it.” And that turned into a relationship.

So, you are the fashion fairy; you make every young designer’s dream come true… Do you feel empowered by this?

For us it is not so much about empowerment as it is to really hope to be able to help them grow because we love the product and as I am obsessed with products and jewelry, I naturally will have an emotional reaction and I will want the piece for myself and at the same time I trust that it is appropriate for Net-A-Porter. Esteban Cortázar is a perfect example of this. We met him when he was designing at an earlier house and we had an emotional reaction to him and when he left the house and wasn’t under contract with another, because we trusted his aesthetic and really liked him as a person, we knew that we could contribute to his growth by partnering and having an exclusive collection. It is a privilege for us to work with designers and have their trust and we also want to be that resource for customers so a woman who may not have heard of Esteban Cortázar can be educated about the brand and get excited that we are bringing the collection. The entire process is a self-fulfilling cycle. The customer gets excited, the designer appreciates working with us, and we are able to give the customer a choice.

Tell me about relationships. Do you think that sometimes it is not about being the most talented but rather being the most connected? Do you go out of your way to leave the fashion bubble and look for new talents?

For me it is very much about the product. It is much more about the talent rather than the connections. Frequently the designer doesn’t quite know how to get the product to us and we just come upon it. Annda Neen for example, I came across their designs and they are gorgeous and different and because we have so much jewelry on site we want to make sure that the messaging is very tight and clear to our customers. So I wouldn’t necessarily pick up something because it was on an “It Girl”, I would pick up something because it is different from what we have and it feels forward and that’s what our customers want from us. They see the image and they want to identify with it. What I love with Anndra Neen is that the collection is built around its Mexican heritage it is very authentic to them. Truly if a woman has to put on a piece in the morning, she’s not wearing it because it feels that it is the right circle per se but she is putting it on because it is beautiful and it makes her feel better.

Which are the three newcomers that you would advise the Middle Eastern customer to discover?

We are so excited about a few new brands this season and Biyan is one of them. He is from Indonesia and his designs are feminine and ethereal. It’s generally quite light, blush tones, and petal tones, it has beading, it is really special. He is not overlapping with other designers; he is whom he is and when we saw the product we were moved so we are very excited about him. Sophia Webster is another one.

We featured her in our Daily Treat section; our readers loved her Aztec heels. Do you think she would do well in the Middle East?

Absolutely. She’s visual and sandals are her strength. I describe it as a party on your feet. She has shoes with PVC and confetti inside of them with a big black bow. It is as if your feet are turned into a present. It is so fun, sweet, and cute, it is a gift to you. We took a big chance on her and we know our customers will love her too.

At Net-A-Porter, it is really important to also pick brands that the world wants so we are featuring Loewe this season and that is not an example of a new designer for us but it is a very old established house. We always want the very strong balance between the new and exciting and brands that customers already love and are loyal to, the brands that build fashion history.

We want to take an existing brand and educate a particular customer base about Loewe and its legacy. The brand has perfection in their collection and leather quality. Our customer needs to have the best in the world.

One of the good things about Net-A-Porter is the styling of the pieces. You actually show how the piece should be worn. This is also a feature on Style.com Arabia. Do you have styling tips for the Middle East?

My philosophy is the accessories make the outfit. We are loving the big gold pieces this season. Wear a great Tom Binns statement necklace and you don’t need to layer every part of your body with a statement piece. For jewelry, I either go with a statement necklace or earrings but not both, likewise with the shoes. If your wardrobe consists of lots of statements and essentials, do not mix all your statements together. It is all about balance. You really don’t want your clothes to walk in before you. Be sure that you are the one that’s wearing them. It is a matter of looking in the mirror and making sure that you are being represented.

Did you discover new brands here in The Middle East?

During this trip I am focusing on the customer but we are doing a lot of research as well. I want to make sure that the product fits the customer’s needs here, because it’s my first time in the region, my main focus is seeing how the Middle Eastern woman wears fashion so I can make sure we are meeting her needs. We ship anywhere in the world in roughly two to three days and we want her to be as inspired as the Parisian woman by our edits. I am looking at the women here and how they dress, they are elegant and fashion forward, beautifully polished. You can tell that they really take care of themselves and they honor themselves. To be able to contribute to her style is really exciting for us.

So you got inspired by us…

Absolutely! The women here are so chic. Last night, we were at La Petite Maison in Dubai and we had amazing conversations but I kept on turning my head around to look at the women. Yesterday, I did a presentation and one of the main themes was “Head to Toe White” and a woman sitting next to us was wearing this gorgeous long sleeved dress that was optic white; it was like she was at the presentation. Obviously she knew it herself, so she’s forward here and I loved seeing that. It really takes a matter of confidence in a way that is globally relevant.

Yes, because white can be so unflattering…

Yes, a part of what we do is educate the customer on how she can pull it off in whatever degree she’s comfortable. She can be a woman who knows exactly what she wants from the runway and she’s coming to us because we offer the runway pieces and she may have a close relationship with our personal shopping team and they can tell her what is coming in before it hits the site. Alternatively, she can be a first time buyer and want a pair of white pumps and we will make sure to have this as well.