Designer problems
Not sure if you know or not, but I didn’t go to fashion school or get a degree in Business. I just always had a love of fashion and I was always in charge of something, from student body president at my high school to VP of membership at my sorority and then music director at a San Diego radio station. So in a way, it was kinda inevitable.
Now that I am a handbag designer, I look at bags so differently. I look at not only the quality of materials now more than the price but I also appreciate the story behind the brand. Every brand started from the bottom, granted some had bigger stepping stones than others. but as someone who didn’t go to school, I approach the idea of design in a different way, or at least it feels that way.
I am all about function, how the bag looks on the body (especially when it’s full of stuff), unique design elements, where and how it’s made. I received feedback from magazines editors through my past pr agency a few years ago and ironically the bag they said would be my biggest hit was my worst and the one they didn’t like was my best seller. They questioned my pricing and why my zippers and stitching didn’t match my leather.
Here I was a young designer wanting to please the “editors” and then I started to ask myself why? I look at bags in these magazines and in catalogs and sometimes wonder how they actually function. This bag looks stylish but doesn’t look like anything would fit inside! Or if you did, it definitely wouldn’t look as streamlined as it does in this picture.
I spent weeks on my new fold over clutch to make sure it was the right size, from the length to the height to the width. We also tested and tested to make sure we placed the hidden magnets in the right place so when the bag was full, it would still close tightly and not look bulky. I wanted my sunglasses, wallet, cellphone, lip gloss and more to fit comfortably inside.
The process may take a little longer than we’d like, but in the end when form and function meet quality design, it’s all worth it!
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