Mood leathers: Recycled Garment

All last week was spent turning vintage leather jackets into fresh handbags of a certain best selling design. And, several new designs - cos that's the kind of year 2014 will be... exciting and somewhat overwhelming. 

Jackets are all so different and challenging. Not only they require a more in-depth design process, but the cutting can be tricky, with many original features actually playing against the pattern. Oftentimes jackets are incredibly soft and require to be stabilized on an interfacing, before they can become a bag with structure and strength.

And, the main task, is making our jacket-come-handbag beautiful. Over the couple of years that we have designed with vintage coats, I learned, that a complete result has to be more, than just a mediocre outcome of scissor and stitch work. It has to be a special interpretation of the source garment, a real second life given to the source garment, carrying its history and value.

I can never say no to working with a special vintage jacket, because they result can be nothing short of a rebirth-like experience.



More #MoodLeathers are on our Instagram feed.

Posted by Jolanta http://jolavdesigns.com

Mood leathers: Select Rescued Upholstery

With the season gradually ramping up, to keep production interesting, each day we choose what to build based on mood and feeling. 

Unfinished shells of a few newbies

Select Rescued Upholstery is specialty leather found in odd lots, remnants and other rescues. All random colours and finishes. It has been our core source material since the very first season, because of its different properties and characteristics. I find it very educational to work with such a varied range of materials, as one hide is never like another, needing different kind of attention, and skill every time. 

The result is different each time, and that is what keeps things exciting.

our F/W2014 Collection will launch mid-Spring.


Posted by Jolanta http://jolavdesigns.com

Bison Leather - Real New Frontiers

Bison, source Wikipedia (via Google Images)

Bison leather is revered for its strength and durability. Saddlery, military gear and work aids are built from it more often, than other leathers. Perhaps because of its most common uses, it has been somewhat under-represented in the independent accessory community. It has been commonly associated with men’s’ goods, straps, steampunk or costume design. Women’s designers seem to stray away from the industrial nature of bison.

Distressed/ waxed upholstery grade. Source Buffalo Leather Store

Also, many finishes of the leather were not that visually different from any heavier cowhide, or other upholstery pieces. Oftentimes bison would be oil-treated, which is gorgeous, but really heavy; or finished and somewhat ordinary, resulting in just a heavier version of its more common upholstery cousins, rather than a unique, specialty material.

Seeking new looks and finishes for our upcoming Collection, I decided to finally re-visit a local family tannery I’ve been in touch for years. They specialize in BC sourced wild leathers, and, not being too impressed with bison (or other wild) pieces I’ve scouted elsewhere, I gave them a try, and was astonished by what I found.

Natural grain heavy garment. Pronounced grain is amazing...

What they have is truly special - a bare, full grained and pliable leather, of a wonderful natural, imperfect finish, that needs no enhancements from a designer. In fact, inspired by their leathers, I tuned down and minimalized my sketches to accommodate for what’s already so naturally amazing.

It is the leather itself, that dictates the design, and I am just there to serve it.

Fragments/ details of the upcoming styles

Fragments/ details of the upcoming styles

Those of you, who visited our booth this Holiday show season, got the first look at the early releases, and we are thrilled with your emotional reaction towards our completely locally sourced/ grown/designed and produced pieces of a high strength and aspiration.

Three locally tanned bison and elk handbag designs (alongside three new other styles and the Permanent Collection) will launch in early Fall 2014.

Posted by Jolanta http://jolavdesigns.com

And, now its 2014!

We're re-emerging from what was a long silence!

A large scale event was added to our what seemed to a be well-planned and anticipated Holiday season, and the entire team had to suddenly shift gears to accommodate. But we did  not give up our plans to create and build a brand new booth display, start rolling out new products little-by-little, and preserve energy at doing all that...

Well, the last goal was dropped - but it was the only one. Now, here we are in 2014, ready for new challenges and excitement.

JVD had a great Holiday show tour in Vancouver and Edmonton; had an early release of a few upcoming designs (the full new Collection is scheduled for this Fall - very thrilled!); joined a Vancouver based sales agency for independent and sustainable labels, and kicked off the first sale of the year (check out Tiny Sale).

Here is our fantastic looking booth display, first unveiled at Circle Craft art show in Vancouver.

Some of the new designs lined up at the front. More to come.

Posted by Jolanta http://jolavdesigns.com

Your Choice, 2013

Appropriately for today, we look back on the 4 designs that our shoppers (You!) chose for themselves throughout 2013...

No. 4
A simple, re-made saddle bag meets a large wallet. Sturdy leathers, long straps and a cute button. You chose Alex Petit for your casual needs, making our 4th best selling design this year. Created in 2011, this little side-kick is still going very strong.

Alex Petit

No. 3
Strangely, we didn't always have enough of this design  in stock. The leather for it would have to be fluid, and interesting, pliable and strong, and that was not always easy to find. Thanks to some of you, who came looking for this bag, we adapted it to its latest edition - built from recycled garments. On came button-holes, different pockets, sleeve details, and looks, not tried in the years past. Dating back from our first year in making, and landing a deserved spot in the Permanent Collection, Renata is our 3rd best selling style (in fact, it came very close to being No. 2).

Renata: recycled jacket (left) and upholstery

No. 2
An equestrian cross-body, that came to be your favourite right from its first appearance in 2011. Long straps, expandable sides and simple, strong construction. It was a great year for this style: the following grew at our trunkshows, through amazing work and knowledge of our retailers, and at the art shows. With upgraded leather and lining, Permanent Collection's Khela is our most high-end piece, as well as our second best selling design.

Khela

No. 1
Once again, this spot belongs to our favourite (and yours, too) 4 year-old. First coming along in 2009, this design instantly became our classic. Part of the Permanent Collection as well, it is not leaving anytime soon. Having undergone several shifts and transformations over the years, this design is now built exclusively from recycled garments, with all the bags being, essentially, OOAK. This design now has so many different looks, pockets, details, and no two bags look the same. For the fourth year in a row, you chose Sarah as your first choice of handbag from our line...

Sarah

Thanks for your support in 2013 - we're already very excited for what the new year will bring...
Happy and safe New Year from JVD.


Posted by Jolanta http://jolavdesigns.com

A simple serendipity..

A couple of weeks ago we built this bag:

(Renata in Cognac Jacket)

A part of a 3/4 length vintage coat was used to build it, and we admired to two-toned colourway of it, the sturdy, crease resistant leather and the snap buttons, some of which had to make it onto the bag.

Now, through our practice, which of course, has not been very long, especially, interpreting vintage coats and re-constructing them into bags, the chances of finding ANOTHER coat, just like we used before, are very slim.

Knowing, that many of these garments are a couple of decades old, made and sold in completely different times and quantities, those chances are merely non-existent. Sometimes they are imported from other parts of the world, too. That's why they are in such a high demand with contemporary accessories designers - for their uniqueness and rarity.

That's why we were so surprised to find another coat, just like the one we nearly used up a few short weeks ago...

In another part of town, and the tone of the jacket was slightly different, the two-toned bottom part was more monochrome, but it was the same model, size and series! Same beautiful slant pockets, buttons and collar.

So, this means that there are doubles - not many, but there are. This sure gives a little hope to a Custom Service client, who missed out on snagging a beautiful interpretation of a vintage garment.

Posted by Jolanta http://jolavdesigns.com

Fall season with the Permanent Collection

The Fall season is upon us, with its earthy tones and fresh scents of harvest.  It also means, preparations for the upcoming Holidays.

The Fall is the most plentiful season for Accessories, and each time it comes around, there is excitement – to see the new collections of our favourite handbag, hat, scarf, perfume, beauty and clothing labels, along with discovering great new ones to add to lists.

Our Fall will be all about the Permanent Collection this year (Sarah, Renata and Khela bags), accompanied by new smaller accessories.

Sarah and Renata designs have been in the works, with many of them built from reclaimed vintage garments. The two styles are quite adaptive and make for unique interpretations of the source properties. Slant pockets on an 80s style men’s coat can become great fast access pockets on Sarah bags, giving them the tomboy edge; a multi-tone leather from an Italian tailor can create a truly OOAK look for a Sarah; or an industrial snap detail and chunky filled button holes can transform a Renata to a utilitarian satchel to last three more decades.

Renata, Oje Kappel

Sarah, Black Jacket

Renata, Cognac Jacket

Sarah, 70s Brown

We love our recycled garment purses. Each of them is an interpretation of the source, highlighting the best features of it; rather, a tribute to the source.

Sarah, Black Melanosa Jacket

Sarah, Blue Melanosa Continuum

The Khelas will rotate in colours, phasing out some older shades, for newer ones, further showing off their polished silhouette and understated details. The mid-weight, inspired by equestriennes, remains one of our most coveted designs. We might even try our luck in bringing back the one colour, that started it all for Khela in 2011. Stay tuned in 2014.

Khela, Black

Khela, Granite

My favourite inspiration shot

Small accessories: we’re debuting our key-chains this Fall, for your gifting ease. Limited edition Latigo leather and compact cowhide tag key chains in several shapes will hit the retail shelves soon. You can view and purchase them directly from the hatchery here.

Small Key-chain, Tan

Latigo Key-chain, Tan

Pssst – we expect to have a new Collection ready to go for pre-Fall 2014, but the early styles will peak out here and there as early as the new year.

Posted by Jolanta http://jolavdesigns.com