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For our fourth year celebrating Lunar New Year, we invited Brooklyn-based artist Jia Sung to dream up something special. For this collection, Jia created an original artwork inspired by the Year of the Fire Horse — a vibrant composition including Chinese flame motifs and marigolds. We translated her painting into a very limited edition Baba, hand-tooled and stained onto undyed saddle leather by the artisans in our El Paso workshop. Her artwork also appears on a wool scarf, woven and printed with our textile partners in Como, Italy. Both were produced in very limited quantities. Finally, the Dark Horse Sabah is a 'Blacked Out' Sabah, a first for us, featuring our Glove Black leather, a black midsole, black side-stitch and black outsole finished with a red piping. The collection is now available on the Sabah Portal and at Sabah House New York. Happy New Year! |
Meet Jia Sung.
Born in Minnesota and bred in Singapore, Jia Sung is a Brooklyn-based artist known for her paintings, textiles and bookmaking. Her work often incorporates Chinese mythology and Buddhist iconography, using folklore to explore femininity and identity.
Educated at RISD, she's had paintings & books exhibited across North America, been published in the Paris Review amongst many others and has had her works collected by the MET, SFMOMA, YALE, RISD and beyond.
"When I think about when I started making art as a kid, I think it’s just very natural for most children. I was one of those drawing on the wall kind of kids," Jia told us.
Last week, we visited Jia in her Brooklyn studio to reveal the finished collection to her for the first time.
Surrounded by her work, tools, and beautiful studio, we talked about her career, inspirations, and the stories behind her art. Jia is a joy — deep in her thinking and eloquent about her craft — and we’re so proud to have partnered with her on this special collection.
As part of the collection, meet the Dark Horse Sabah. Our first ever "blacked out" Sabah, featuring our soft Glove Black leather, black stitching and black soles, with red piping in honor of the Lunar New Year.
In the context of the 2026 Lunar New Year, a "dark horse" symbolizes an unexpected, powerful contender who achieves surprising, brilliant success through hard work and resilience. You may consider it like an underdog who comes out unexpectedly strong.
