The Birth of The Sage Lifestyle

The Sage Lifestyle by Sage Machado
"Over 29 years later and still gemstone obsessed."

 

I am dedicating this post to share my story as an artisan, designer, and entrepreneur. My gemstone love story began 29 years ago with the creation of my one-of-a-kind jewelry collections.

After high school, I took a trip abroad to Paris and was inspired by the jewelry trends I saw in France. I came home and immediately began designing my own jewelry collection, which eventually landed me my first major account: Barneys New York. I spent the next five years traveling the world to find inspiration and expand my one-of-a-kind offerings.

 boutique

A few years after my jewelry launch in 1992, I opened my first wildly successful boutique in LA, devoted entirely to my one-of-a-kind jewelry paired with unique, global chic apparel and accessories. The combination of divine jewels and attentive service made my "jewel box" of a store become a celebrity favorite and one of LA's best kept secrets.

Jewelry Collections by Sage Machado

 

 

Sage Machado Boutique in LA
 

In the peak of my jewelry career, I set out to add something new to my brand. I remember thinking, "How am I going to focus this new addition with the gemstones?" The two divisions had to speak to each other. Perfume it was... inspired by my love and passion of gemstones. This was something unique, and one of a kind for the time, perfume oils.

I was fortunate to have discovered a niche perfume house that allowed me to truly develop my Gemstone Perfumery note-by-note, every step of the way, from conception to completion. Had I been forced to only use words to describe what I was feeling in my heart and visualizing in my mind, and not been given the ability to fully participate in the development of my perfumery, it would not be what it is today. I launched with only five gemstone perfumes: Amber, Amethyst, Citrine, Topaz and Jade. Today my Gemstone Perfumery has grown to a beautiful collection of twenty-one divine fragrances.

 

 

Gemstone Perfumery by Sage Machado

 

In the late 90’s, I opened my second flagship boutique in Los Angeles. For this new journey and home, I chose a unique upstairs loft space which was just across the street from my original jewel box of a store. Named Sage Upstairs, this lifestyle mecca was devoted to my one-of-a-kind jewelry, Gemstone Perfumery, natural candles, unique accessories, clothing, furniture, and objet d'art from around the globe.

In the early 2000’s I decided to add clothing to my brand. With a deep passion for textiles from all over the globe, I was inspired to start my journey into apparel with one-of-a-kind shawls and skirts using ancient textile techniques from Rajasthan, India. All of the pieces started with 100% silk, each one was beautifully vegetable dyed then hand block printed, and then treated with an ancient textile design specific to this region called Bandhani. This is a process where tiny mustard seeds are hand sewn one by one into specific patterns into the silk, the end result is an incredibly puckered and textured fabric which has an accordion like feel and is truly unique and breathtaking! Each one of these beautiful wearable pieces of art takes approximately 30 days to complete.

 

 READ MORE ABOUT SAGE'S CLOTHING COLLECTION

My clothing collection was received incredibly well and was the perfect addition to my lifestyle brand. There was such a high demand for my clothing, that eventually it led to me expanding and adding many other options including tops, dresses, pants, and even handbags. My apparel division was growing at a lightening pace and was starting to dominate, swallowing the jewelry and the perfume collections, and consuming all of my time. With the economic crash of 2008, I chose to let go of my very successful apparel business and go back to my roots of jewelry and perfume exclusively. 

Over the next 12 years, I continued to grow and cultivate wonderful relationships with celebrity clientele such as Julia RobertsNicole KidmanMadonna, Meg Ryan, Laura Dern, Jessica Alba, Sheryl Crow, and many more. This resulted in extensive coverage of my designs in several high fashion magazines such as VogueElle, Harper's Bazaar, W, InStyle, and Marie Claire.

 

Sage Machado Press Refinery29 Marie Claire Free Native Well Good

 

For the majority of my career, I have mainly focused on my retail and wholesale business while developing an online presence for The Sage Lifestyle. In 2017, I decided to close my brick and mortar store and focus exclusively on introducing The Sage Lifestyle Gemstone Perfumery to the global beauty market. The results have been astounding, with interest from major domestic retailers and several countries abroad.  


The Sage Lifestyle by Sage Machado

 

I feel that I've captured a quintessential bohemian vibe in my wide variety of creations and have built a business around my own personal vision of that lifestyle. The Sage Lifestyle embodies the classic and effortlessly chic California essence. I sit here today, 29 years later, and I'm so overwhelmed with gratitude that my creations are so loved. It has been a long and beautiful journey so far, and I can't wait to see what magic continues to unfold.

 

The Sage Lifestyle Perfume Vanity Bottles

 

Find your signature scent with my perfume quiz. Take the quiz here.

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