bags

All Hands

Monday 28 July, 2014 · 1

Jen Stillwell is a designer based in NYC who started her leather company All Hands when she was working on a ship, travelling around the world as a member of an artisan development fund aimed at promoting and supporting indigenous artisans. her pieces are SO SO SO beautiful. this one in particular made my heart beat a little faster.

In order to combat the extreme solitude that sometimes comes with living at sea, I set up a portable leather studio in the bow of the ship. It was during this time that I decided to start creating my own designs after years of apprenticing for various master leather craftsmen both in Argentina and the UK. It is my goal to start with domestic production of goods, and over time to move a percentage of my production overseas to artisan groups and women’s collectives in order to help support a sense of purpose, pride, better wages and fairer working conditions in communities which may not otherwise support these ideals.

All Hands on deck. buy them here.

SUL

Thursday 3 July, 2014 · 12

i really feel like my bag obsession is getting out of hand. sometimes i think i might to have to buy duplicate wallets and cosmetics and keys just so i can keep a set in each of my bags (don’t you hate transferring your stuff every time? yes i know that is the ultimate in laziness). SUL is a bag company from Portugal who make some seriously nice hand-crafted leather pieces. really into this one and this one. dig the embossing too.

Our bags are handmade, one by one, by artisans who spend all the time needed until they are perfect. They are manufactured in small editions and with leathers that inspire us. If we find a beautiful leather, which fits to one of our models, we take advantage of it, even if with it we can make a single and unique bag.

check out their beautiful lookbook here. photographed by Sanda Vuckovic Pagaimo

Toino Abel

Wednesday 2 July, 2014 · 9

Toino Abel was started by Nuno Henriques with the aim to preserve the tradition of Portuguese reed basket weaving. Nuno’s great-grandfather José began his basket-weaving business in the small Portuguese village of Castanheira, and today the business is still run by Nuno’s grand-aunt and employs 6 weavers who make the baskets by hand just as they have always been made.

My great-grandfather initiated this craft of weaving seemingly fragile materials into sturdy objects. The reed baskets became popular in the entire country and are now seen as part of our Portuguese heritage. Nevertheless, today the craft is at risk to come to an end. Once the last generation of remaining craftsmen and women pass away, the Portuguese tradition of reed basket making might die out with them. Toino Abel aims to preserve, cherish and share this beautiful craft with you. Each basket has been manufactured in the same technique throughout generations in a strictly handmade process. We aim to keep it that way and carry on the tradition.

you can buy them on Etsy.

Milk & Paper

Tuesday 27 May, 2014 · 8

do you ever daydream about living an alternate life? the one i often have is that i reside on some beautiful island in Greece (100% influenced by this book) and i bake my own bread and drink wine at 11am and carry fruit in a straw basket and i’m perpetually tanned and i just wear natural cottons and linens. no? just me then. well - that’s how i felt my life could be like when i saw these beautiful bags and baskets by Milk & Paper.

Thisispaper Shop II

Thursday 1 May, 2014 · 0

around this time last year i blogged about the launch of Thisispaper Shop. they have just relaunched, with a brand new website and new products. i particularly love all their bags, which are all handmade in their studio in Warsaw. the detailing on the leather is lovely, and i dig that line – “what we save, saves us.”

Our bags and rucksacks are designed and hand made by a small but passionate team at our Warsaw studio. At every stage of the process we aim to minimise waste and our environmental footprint, and maximise support for local community and suppliers. We only use genuine vegetabletanned leather and durable cotton and canvas. Instead of decoration, we go for simplicity, function and sustainability.

this is only a smidge of what is available, also check out their entire shop here.

Lotuff in Marfa

Thursday 24 April, 2014 · 6

remember i posted about Lotuff last year? well they are literally going places. the leather bag company has recently collaborated with Barneys (aka, made the big time) and then got super cool, adventurous & talented duo Miles & Miles to shoot their spring lookbook in Marfa, Texas.

Miles & Miles are Sarah and Stefaan (that’s Sarah in all the pics) – who have been together since high school, and left their jobs as designers in NYC to travel the world. you can learn more about them in this little interview.

the bags are of course wonderful. i love that big ole tote and dig that suede duffel bag. watch the video at the end, it’s really sweet.

bags by Lotuff available at Barneys. photography, video, editing & music all by Miles & Miles.

Gift Shop Brooklyn: Prism Collection

Friday 18 April, 2014 · 4

a lot of the new collections and lookbooks that have been released lately have been from designers that i have featured on the blog before, and the one consistent thing i have noticed is how these talented people grow and develop with each collection. i love that! and Annie of Gift Shop Brooklyn is no exception, who has just released the Prism Collection. those clear Evie totes are so interesting. i also dig that bucket bag.

The evening summer sky inspired Prism Collection began last summer while on evening walks with my husband in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. The collection is white based with accents of ‘evening sky’ inspired pastels.

Annie is actually one of my wonderful sponsors – so please do support her! not that i need to convince you though, huh? you can browse the collection at her online shop.

Doug Johnston SS14

Tuesday 8 April, 2014 · 4

digging the new limited edition SS14 range by artist Doug Johnston. i blogged about his beautiful bags last year, and i am still completely enamoured by his work – especially this wonderfully colourful new range. that yellow bag is first prize.

Doug Johnston’s work includes art, design, architecture and music, utilizing and exploring a variety of mediums and methods such as installation, fiber art, sculpture, photography, and collaborative performance. Since 2010 he has focused on a process of coiling and stitching rope into a variety of functional and sculptural objects.

photography and styling by Michael Popp

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