The year in Custom....

One of the things, that started in the just by-gone 2012, was our Custom Service. Since Spring we received a substantial number of vintage, old, damaged, outdated leather coats, skirts and other random pieces, even a few fur outerwear articles, to re-make into custom OOAK handbags.

Pre-made leather items make for a very different work process, than plain hides, due to their varied characteristics, existing features and surface treatment. Every pre-made item poses a new creative challenge.

Our designs transformed along with the source items, and became unique blends of both, carrying over the best features and qualities of the source item, adapted to our wearable build.

Here are some of the highlights amongst our Custom Service creations:

Some of you wished to slightly modify our existing designs to better suit your needs.

Telia with a cross-body strap

Telia with a cross-body strap and hardware

Vintage coats are incredibly adaptive - the softness of garment leather works great for tassels, folds and other detailing. It was an exciting exploration to work with them.

The Starter, made of a vintage coat

Kerry, made of a vintage coat, featuring unique front pocket

Some of you gave us your old leather or fur items, just out of the kindness of the heart - like this wonderful coat, that was handed over in October. Parts of it were integrated into a one-of-a-kind design for the coats former owner: a shorter strap shoulder purse with upholstery leather and recycled fur.

Satchel, Harness Brown and Fur

This particular design challenged me to figure out some new ways to construct, close and seal a bag, which I would not have learned otherwise. Building after someone else's design is a great learning experience.

Satchel, Harness Brown and Fur

Satchel, Harness Brown and Fur

Some of you went for our designs without any changes --

Telia, Harness Brown

Vintage coats host some great built-in features, that can become a focal point of the design. This large tote will be released shortly, as a part of our upcoming collection, and this is a recycled version of it made right in the outset of the Custom Service.

Tote (Marife) in black vintage coat

Some of you brought your old gifts - to be re-made into new gifts, in a form of a handbag. This beautiful vintage skirt has been repurposed as a slightly altered Virga bag, from our Pre-Fall Coming Of Age 2010 collection...

... and there was a bunch more....

To learn more about our Custom Service, pls check out this post.
We will continue to re-use and recycle the old and rescued jackets into the new year...

Posted by Jolanta http://jolavdesigns.com

Introducing - Telia. A clutch from all recycled materials.

One type of raw-materials I have always been on the fence about, is fur. And, even now, having used it, I still am. I find vintage fur coats very wearable, and believe that continuing to wear them, is the best way of appreciating such a garment. Many of those coats from the 50's and 60's are classically cut and made in North America - or other country, where they were sewn and sold. They are also very well made, and if cared for, would be able to serve several generations of wearers.
I could not justify cutting up a perfectly good, unique vintage coat, not even for the sake of re-using it.

I also do not work with unused pelts, regardless if they are manufacturers "dead stock". So, for a while, fur was not a material of choice for me.

The coat I recycled recently, had a few tears in the right sleeve and joint, rubbed-off sleeve tips and disintegrating lining. The condition showed me, that it may have, in fact, been worn by several generations already, before it got donated to charity. It was petite in size, it actually appeared too small for today's fits. I spent perhaps twenty minutes inspecting it, and was pretty much certain, it would be a hard sell, as a complete garment.
I purchased it, in hopes on making good use for it. So, just like with my leather, I cut out the worn out and damaged bits, used all the wonderfully preserved pieces of fur, also the cheese-cloth supporting them from the inside. Unfortunately, I was not able to save the embroidered lining, as it appeared too fragile for my use.

And this is the result - Telia, limited edition clutch made of recycled Fox fur and remnants of my production leathers. With a zipper closure and wrist loop, it is a distant relative of the Butterfly Clutch.

Telia is already available at some of my lovely retailers, and will make an appearance at the Web-shop and all my Holiday Season events. There will not be many of them, as I am only recycling this one coat. The fur will be consistent through all the clutches, but the frame leather will change - besides, Brown, shown here, I have made them in Burgundy, Chestnut and hoping to squeeze in a few other leather colours.

Telia, Brown

Telia, Brown

Telia, Brown

 My beautiful vintage Fox coat lives on in a form of clutches, that will serve several generations of their wearers'...


Posted by Jolanta http://jolavdesigns.com

What I managed to salvage for Fall - and beyond

Oak

My material sourcing trips are unpredictable. Using discarded leather to make the bags, means I have no way of knowing in advance, what will land on the table.

Leather I source is end-of-the-roll, odd-lots and rejects by furniture and garment makers. Anything they think is either "too small", has brand marks (which, most USA grown leather does), is damaged, pre-cut or just orphaned for other reasons will end up in liquidation stock.  So, each time there are different kinds of leather for rescue... Sometimes it suits my work, and sometimes it, well, does not.

Also, recently, I began scouring business listings for closures, changes in orientation or material overstock. I started collecting unwanted leather and denim clothing from friends, to keep that out of the landfill too... Anything I can salvage, I will try my best to do so.

One leather hunt of mine delivered more than I could hope for. I headed to my trusted "orphaned" leather supplier looking for anything colourful, pliable and different - for Spring! What I found was... materials, that inspired my FW 2011; along with some great Summer finds...

Spanish Moss, Cigar, Antique Brown and Syrah

I scooped up pretty much everything. All the hides, hurt, rejected and unwanted by their original owners were piled up into boxes and sent to their new home, Jola V. Designs studio...

Here they are - proudly salvaged!

Antique Brown, Syrah and Oakwood: re-purposed cowhide

Antique Brown, Cigar, Birch and Nude: re-purposed cowhide

Beautiful earth tones

There is a great selection of orphaned, unwanted  - and perfect - leather out there... I am glad to give it a home and a purpose. My FW 2011 will continue in the traditional fashion of re-purposing...

Jolanta http://jolavdesigns.com

2009 reflection

So, we finally crossed over into the new decade. Cellebrations are over for most, costumes and fireworks had been put away. Time to make new plans and also - how to accomplish them...




Looking back on the year that past, I feel thankful - for all good things that happened; and for even more to look forward to. I re-discovered my creativity this past year. It has been placed on the back burner during the turmoil of settling in Canada. It changed the way I look at things and built new appreciation for this city and it's unique face.

It also built up my awareness of the environment and ways to preserve it, helped me to return to my roots and lifestyle of my younger years. I began to embrace simplicity again, re-using countless great finds, avoiding bad and pricey habits, creating unique identity. Where I saw shortages before, I now see an opportunity to fill them with creativity.

My biggest discovery - or change - have been the Van's Indie arts influence on myself and my esthetics. I suddenly re-found vintage items - anything from furniture, clothes, accessories, to decor, to craft supplies - as long as they don't turn into dust between my fingers. I let my eyes wonder around Main street and size up all youth sporting their great - and bad vintage (hey, after all, it's great no matter what - as long as the kids can still get a job wearing that stuff...); skinnies and fedoras, belts and sack-bags, used dresses and their dads' vests. It's a healthy antidote to anything stuffy, counterfeit or 'soccer'....

Simplicity, minimalism and thoughtfulness that comes along with it, is beautiful.... My understanding of what I should pursue has definitely shifted towards the independent, and marking new trends, rather than formal and following rules - and I am glad about that...

I've also committed to working more with recycled materials. My goal is to re-work each item I am using in full - to utilize all it's parts and pieces; and reduce the waist in the process as much as possible. The very potent source proved to be Recycled Wool and Scrap Leather.

I am still searching for ways to recycle leather clothing, but so far I am having concerns about the amounts of dispose.

A jacket can only be recycled in some 30-40% of it's volume - or just the outer shell, but the lining, padding, snaps, fasteners and seams will end up in a landfill... Leather skirts and pants generate less waste once cut apart, so they might be a good source or re-usable supplies...

Liquidated or overstock leather is what I choose to work with. These pieces are beautiful, but rejected by their primary industires, such as upholsterors, car seat or garment mannufacturers due to size, frequency of print pattern, branding marks, etc. These pieces would otherwise also likely end-up discarded... they haven't been shaped into anything, so I am able to use them up to small scraps, that I will later - recycle....

The demand for new leather is built artificially and is not always associated with meat production. Some leathers, just like fur, are the only product that is derived from an animal. Think of the exotic and wild animal types of leather, use of which most indie designers will not support.

If you are to buy a leather  - or fur made - item, I would encourage you to choose one, made of recycled or liquidated animal materials.

And - please, shop handmade. Let's support each other! You will get unique and environment cautious style; a different, distingtive look - and
We will be able to continue our mission of providing that to you...

*source of all images used in this post - Google Images...