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Farbod Barsum Boutique 3/5

By Danielle Directo-Meston
  • Designer Farbod Barsum's signature Empress bags, which were inspired by seashells—SJP owns a custom lilac ostrich version. It takes abou
  • Can you spot the original Pollock piece?
  • In addition to ensuring all materials are sustainably sourced, the designer dyes his bags in chrome-free tanneries and donates a portion of sales to wildlife preservation and other socially responsible causes.
  • The chandeliers hold half a ton of crystals—that's 3,500 strings in all—hand strung by the boutique's staff and the designer himself. Fun fact: The store houses more crystals than any other boutique in Beverly Hills.
  • Serving a royal clientele "is very gratifying, but what it does is it keeps setting the bar higher [...] you never get full of yourself or have an ego because now you realize, 'I need to work harder to keep these people pleased.'"
  • Barsum also designed the entire boutique himself. That gray striped wall is striato olimpico marble imported from Italy. Oooh, fancy.
  • Handbags are priced from $6,000 to $30,000 and up.
  • Evening clutches range from $2,000 to $5,000.
  • Using exotic skins "speaks to me more [...] working with the premium, Rolls Royce of materials gives me a lot of responsibility and that weight I carry when I'm designing; it manifests itself in the final product. It's really important to pay respect to w
  • "I'm not sure if I ever want to expand [to more stores] because that intimacy I have with developing our clients and the experience they have can be kind of lost when I'm not able to be there. I like to be here with my associates and my product and facili
  • The super sweet designer himself, Farbod Barsum.

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