A few things to be said about the Beach....

2007 - and ever since...

Living in Canada has changed the way I enjoy one of my favourite places in the world - an Ocean Beach... I no longer associate it with basking sun, air vibrating from the heat, hot white sand and bright water (and certainly, no Martinis!). Those images, ingrained into my memory since my twenties, have been replaced with a Northern steal-grey landscape, violet waves, lengthy tide and low skies. Air became cooler, the horizon became wider and less defined...

Pacific Rim sunset

 When I think of the Shore, images of rugged lines and stormy waters come to mind....

Shore line, Vancouver Island

I am so fortunate to having discovered these shores and their untamed beauty, and even somewhat adjusted my skin to the windchill, taught my eyes to catch every rare glimpse of the sun...

More than ever, I felt inspired to create a Beach line, reflecting my changed aesthetics, and a pursuit of softness, warming and life in this rough landscape, alongside all the other living creatures of land and water...

QtBeach was a dream - from the memories of a Northwestern Island summer, to longing for Spring over the cold seasons, to thinking of flying birds, setting sun, fleece, sand, and tirelessly wavy water.

On a cold early Spring day I dreamed of Summer...

QtBeach comes in glowing, mostly warm or saturated colours - Sand, Pebble Grey, Sunset, Night Blue, Lime Green and others... Sun, peeking through the oceanic fog lights up every shade on this windswept corner of the land, every tiny blossom, feather, riping berries, raindrops...

Sunset

Lime Green

Pebble Grey

 
The basic, sharply rectangular shape of the tote is used to create resisting structure, strong, timeless and reinforced. I also made wide and long straps, to even wear it across the body. Instead of screen-printing animals, and embedding their direct images on the bags, I thought of how they moved instead. Cyclical movement of wings in flight, tales in the water, or bodies, gently rocked by the waves, have their motion recorded in the symmetric pleats; water glistens in the sequins and blossoms peek out of shade in the brightly coloured peek-a-boo zips...

Pink

Sea Blue

Night Blue

Lime Green/ Fuchsia

 Overall design turned out soft, flowy, but strong, as the landscape continuously waiting for the sun to warm it...  I could not have found better inspiration... 

It is great for the Beach, Picnics, Markets, Travel. Packs up and disappears when not needed.

**QtBeach totes in most colours are now available at the Webshop and PoppyHair Boutique in Vancouver.



Posted by Jolanta http://jolavdesigns.com

Me and Marie

I met Marie at the One Of A Kind Show this past weekend. She came wondering by my modest booth, and stayed to shop. Another customer of mine was trying a few bags on, and the colour of the bags caught Marie's eye. Jewel Purple... A wonderful colour, so rare for the "orphaned" leather I source for the bags.

We started to talk, and immediately I felt how positive and genuinely interested she was in what is it we all do at the show. How we make things, decide which materials we want to use for our wares and how we are bringing production of every day items back into our home countries. Marie told me that shopping for locally made items was a new thing for her, as most of the time she would make her purchases while visiting her remaining family in the Old World. Or go to the high end shops and look for the Old World brands she loved since she was a young girl back in Britain.

But those brands were no longer the way Marie remembered them. What was supposed to be luxury bags, watches, eye-glasses, china, - anything she once thought she wanted to have, -  had lost the story behind it all, lost the individuality and in a lot of cases, quality too. The Brand Name remains, so does the logo, but the spirit of the maker has long disappeared behind the conveyor of mass production, cheap parts, labour, and meaningless celebrity appearance gimmicks.

Nonetheless, Marie's aspiration for fashion and quality remained. She just knew she had to look outside of what is perceived as fashion in the mass produced world. Marie tried a lot of my purses on and asked questions about each of them. She was excited to meet the person, who actually made the "beautiful purses" and to learn that small businesses, such as mine, are in fact helping to preserve the environment, while using recycled or overstock materials, making and selling it all on the spot. Many of them are giving work opportunities for local artists too. She really enjoyed the personal attention she got from me and all the assistance she was given whilst picking a bag.

I also told Marie, that anything new in fashion always starts in the Indie community, and it takes months for the corporate producers to catch up.

She walked away with my Light Grey Sarah Limited Finish bag, which she loved. She came back the next day and told me that her husband loved it too.  She said, that up to now, her favourite bag in her closet was a Marc Jacobs bag she bought a few months ago. But now, my Sarah was the new favourite, not just for the looks and quality, but also for the entire shopping experience.



Marie was an example of a small victory for Indies. If we can convert one person into a local, environmentally conscious shopper, many will follow.
This meeting was one of the highlights of the show.

Fall Leather, Part 3 - High Wax, Oil Treated and Distressed

Watt Tyler park at sunset, The UK

I have always been amazed with marshlands. Must be the moody, almost haunted landscape, patches of grass and water, the birds.... Also, perhaps because I've spent most of my life in the city, I find marshlands exotically beautiful and mysterious. Dry land ends, and water begins, life ends, and begins again.

A landscape like that calls for acceptance - of beauty within mud; change in attitude - from town to country; change in attire - from cool to cozy.

I draw alot of inspiration from the country landscapes, ambiance and lifestyle and try to rework Country Traditionalism into streams, that would fit a broader range of preferences. Most of the Pre-Fall collection bags are one way, or another shaped by country looks, lines and influences.

Fox Hunt, source Old-Photos

My marshland fashion began in the previous season, with the pretty traditional Western Rounded sack, KERRY,  eventually transformed into Classical TCB satchel JAKI TOTE , which also features country lace detailing.  This season it is continuing with TERRI ANN, a minimalist saddle bag; SARAH,  a shoulder bag with a bridle loop strap and multi -tiered ruffles - just to point out a couple...  There still are several other styles to come...

Jaki Shoulder bag

For the Fall, I would like to go even deeper into Marshy Country, and use the materials, that are traditional for the theme, yet adoptable for my styling...

Some leather types are traditionally more "Country" than others. There is, of course, Suede - a staple for the look; there are heavyweight vegetable tanned leathers, various large grained or distressed hides, High Wax finished and Oil Treated (or Utility) leathers. They all represent the low gloss, humble, often sturdy and rugged, or cozy and elegant look of rural aesthetics. JAKI Shoulder bag (left) is made of Oil Treated leather.

High Wax leather, which I love, has matte, unfinished look and a sense of moisture to the touch. Usually lightweight, very pliable and ages beautifully. This exact Sarah bag (left) is made of Mustard Green garment weight unfinished High Wax. Also, think, gloves, hats, lightweight belts, clothing straps, book covers, etc.





Oil Treated (Utility) leather - is a rare find for me, and I get very excited each time I am able to snag some of it...

Oil Treated leather - Burgundy

It is beautifully matte; sturdy in its nature, yet surprisingly responsive to work with. Moist feeling supple surface, that changes its tone at the fold or stitch lines. This is considered a sign of high quality oil treatment, and this feature is unique and only found in Oil Treated leathers. Ages amazingly, building new character as it goes. Commonly used for bridles, dog leashes, boots, belts, handbags and firearm cases.

Distressed leather - Latte

Distressed leather - even though, come in all weights, I have mostly worked with upholstery. It is strong, drier feeling finished  leather, with unique colouring qualities. The edges of grain come off in paler tones than the rest of the surface, due to special treatment, preventing colour from saturating through.  Distressed hides look like an endless maze of pale webbing, stretched over a field of solid colour.

Very popular for country style interior furnishings, handbags, footwear and saddle decor.

This post sums up my main leather arsenal for this fall - as you know, it will change as the season progresses and will inform you on my upcoming finds. In the next few weeks I will try to deliver the  Pre-Fall 2010 Coming Of Age collection in its entirety, so we could give these patches of leather their new life...

In the case you'd like to know more - **Useful links on leather and leatherwork: **
Tandy Leather Factory

Zack White Leather
Kingsmere Crafts

Leather for the Fall part 2 - Unfinished and Deertanned cowhide

Not all my bags come in the most traditional leather surface finishes. As a true fan of this craft, I have always been trying to seek out the rarer, different types or treatments of leather, and try to work with all of it, within limits, set by my believes.

Because Leather is not a vegan by nature, and therefore, a cruelty free material, I decided to not contribute to the increase of its production, but use up the leftovers instead for my craft. Even though it would perhaps be interesting, I do not work with Wild animal, Exotic, Hair-on-hide, Fur, or NEW leather. I also do not shop charity stores for leather clothing to make my bags from, as only a small portion of the 'recycled' item can be used (usually shell only, making for 30% of entire materials), whilst the rest of it is thrown away (up to 70%).

To continue on my finds for the Pre-Fall 2010 COMING OF AGE Collection, I must admit, my personal favourite is a rare and beautiful Unfinished (otherwise labeled Deertanned) cowhide. It feels velvety to the touch, has deep, matte look, and to some it is reminiscent of deer leather. The matte finish shows its imperfections slightly more than a glossy one, but that is exactly what makes this leather both velvety, robust and, yet, fluid at the same time, with lots of character.

Black Unfinished cowhide

Gold Tan Unfinished cowhide

Saddle Tan Unfinished cowhide

Other types of the touchable Unfinished leather I've found, were both, Upholstery and Garment weights will be great for bags in limited, fun colours... Just as gentle to the touch, and just as fluid to work with....

Azalea

Coffee Brown

More on my bags, pls, visit the web-page : JOLAVDESIGNS.COM

Leather for the Fall part 1 - Finished Light (and not just light- ) Upholstery

I have been slowly rolling out the new Pre- Fall 2010 Coming Of Age collection since late spring.

With the weather changing and fall season getting closer, I have compiled the colours and textures of leather, to use for the most of my new Collection. 

It took me a while to come up with a bunch this beautiful, as all the leather you'll see here is cowhide - either overstock, liquidation, orphaned and found or otherwise reclaimed. I learned to be an opportunistic buyer, and just snatch a great hide (or bits and scraps) whenever I see it... And it could be the only one of its kind.... So, inevitably I will run out of either some of the colours, or finishes, and eventually they'll be replaced by new ones, as the season progresses.

The leather will serve to create bags in all my new different styles, requiring different characteristics. These are NOT all the colours I have sourced - these are the best ones!

This post covers the Light Upholstery Earth Tones and Brights.... 

Here's what I found.....

Purple!

Staying true to my seasonless earth tones of Brick, Taupe, Ash, Navy and other neutrals. This fall, the colour perception divides into two sides, with neutrals standing in for one, and brights - for the opposite. Purple is a definite leading jewel tone - and the purple finished leather I found, is just beautiful. Glossy, fluid, captivating...  Also loved the Red, which, to me, speaks of Central European countryside's roofs and fences.

Brick Brown

Taupe Grey

Burnt Red

 
 But my very favourite finds, in fact, are these two: Orange! (I think Orange is great for winter, and I am only hoping I will not be the only one thinking so. It is the strongest 'Pick-me-up' colour for the dreary and rain filled Vancouver landscape..) and Olive - warm, somewhat mysterious, lightly textured and fluid. Can't wait to show you what I come up with, when I tackle these two....

Orange!

Olive Green

 

In the next post I will cover the remaining different types and shades of leather for the Fall: and that is Unfinished, Oil treated, Distressed, Garment weight and others.... Sourcing materials in definitely one of the best parts of what I do....

*for custom orders, pls. visit my web-page, www.jolavdesigns.com *

Back to the edge of the world....

Amazingly, having started at dawn this past Saturday in Vilnius, some 18 hours later I ended up on the West Coast of Canada - also, on the same Saturday....

I am back, yet my watches are still showing the European time; I am up bright and early each morning (we're talking 5. 30 am) and start feeling fatigued and nappy in the afternoon. I took a couple of days to re-adjust, and now things must go back to normal.


This week is for catching up on custom bag orders, that collected while I was away, rolling out the rest of the Coming Of Age Pre-Fall 2010 Collection samples (several styles of which you have already seen and loved - Sarah, Katie, The Bag and Terri Ann ) and also to start getting ready for the upcoming Holiday season shows....

I am glad to be back - and now that I am, I 've realized how much I missed my studio, and my work.

Have a rewarding week!

.......By this time next year.....

Lately, I have been trying to map further goals for my growing business, and my life as a whole.

There is more than enough that needs to be changed and worked on. 

The lack of my time, available to work on my business is the first thing on the list. Then there's the life and work balance I usually fail to establish; lack of work space in my home - and yet, luckily,  growing demand and interest in what I do.

Setting up a web-page for Jola V. Designs is my current priority, and and so is increasing my presence in direct sales events.

Last weekend I had a wonderful taste of what my life would be, once I faze out the day-job and make time for my business instead. I would actually be able to rest, spend time for myself again, and improve my social life, without the nagging guilt of "not focusing on business"...

I had a great photoshoot, the new bags went to the on-line store right after, then I went to the beach (yes, for fun!) and was able to catch up of housework  - and have a movie night!

Once the web-page is set up, retail is increased, and I am able to participate in more direct sales events, I am hopeful to not need to hold onto the day-job anymore.

I am hopeful, that by this time next year, I will be working solely for myself....

good luck to me

My retail and events update

This is what's been going on during my silent period! Now I am all geared up for action.....
 
Portobello West Fashion and Art market starts it's 2010 season on March 27 and 28th.

Rocky Mountaineer Station
1755 Cottrell Street
Vancouver
BC

 It will be my second time vending at the market - this time along with the main Spring /Summer 2010 Intro collection, I will have a few styles from the next one to preview.

Look for a roomy and compact TerriAnn, shoulder bag with button closure; and a day-to-evening ruffled satchel athat's still to get it's name! I will be offering 15% discount on both these styles  - just mention this post!

I am also hoping to have first batch of re-worked vintage pieces to present at the market.

See you there!

 Also .......................

We had some expansion happening since the two shows and post holiday sale last year. I am excited to announce that my bags can now be found in these 4 retail locations:

Two Of Hearts Clothing Boutique

Two of Hearts Boutique is Located at 3728 Main St. Vancouver, BC
Store Hours:
Tues - Saturday 11am - 6pm
Sun 12pm - 5pm
Mon CLOSED

   Dream Apparel And Articles For People           dream 311 West Cordova Street Vancouver, BC     little dream #130 – 1666 Johnston Street - Granville Island Vancouver, BC 604-683-6930            

Jipsi Clothing Movement 475 Cliffe Ave, Courtenay, BC                 

Hazel And Sid
423 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT 06977










Not so bad for the first year!

Big day for a small brand

Talk about bragging rights - my merely 9 months old line just may get another micro expansion. A third retail location! The lovely Two Of Hearts Boutique on Main street.


Really thrilled to finally sell locally! For someone who hardly does any major PR - or any PR for that matter, just as little marketing; and all design, production, purchasing -alongside a full time demanding job, this attention is not only a surprise, but a case of overwhelming.

So the day looks somewhat like this:

• dropping off several of my 'creations' at the boutique
• collecting packages that finally made their way in from around the globe, carrying goodies, ideas and inspirations
• signing up for a day-job related, yet interesting class;
• returning home and designing..... fall stuff. (I cant even think of fall in this weather - my mind is in the spring!)
• major replenishing, sweat shop-like sewing marathon for the rest of the weekend, if cold does not cripple me. 
• oh - and applying for another major handmade show - gee, I am not sure if I can pull it off...

Thank all of  you for finding me....

Pls, visit my bags alongside lots of great locally made pieces of clothing, jewellery, accessories and art - 

Two Of Hearts Clothing & Boutique

3728 Main St.
Vancouver, BC

http://www.two-of-hearts-clothing.com

 

**ps - fall stuff is nowhere in my head...

 

The 'I Think You Bloody Deserve It' sale

So.. here they finally are - the awaited, and the hated, the innevitable and joyous; ranging and overwhealming; giving and rewarding - Holidays ....

Most of the bustle is in the past now - we know, not all of it though, but, hey - at this point last week things were far worse! All gifts are now boxed, the party food is either already in our bulging stomachs, or will very soon land there, so prevent the bulge if you can (you'll thank me later...)
This is the time of a slower pace, plan making, stretching your legs and... rewarding yourself too for what you've accomplished this year...  Give to yourself the one item you wanted and have a suspicion you will not get it from any of your Santas....

For us, things have been just as hectic up till this moment; but now, all our creative chores aside, we also kick back and reflect... All the Art Shows are done for the year, no more sales to pitch, stores to hound; by now we've attended all the Fashion Shows featuring our products; done are all trades, exchanges, re-stock runs - all in the past. For now...

With a few moments left till the new year, we would like to give back to our supportive customers, silent fans, and those who just are good at waiting... Don't rely on your Santas - get the item you've been lusting after for months yourself.
Now!

Announcing the 'I Think You Bloody Deserve It' Sale for one 8 day week only - December 19th to 27th on all items on my Etsy store! 
The discount is 35% - 45% off - so you get your wish and I get to start fresh in the new year, spreading the good word at the same time.
Shiping rates are regular; all store policies apply.


Be sure to keep me busy!
Shipment may not arrive in time for the X-mas gift unwrapping, but it will sure be there for your New Years parties...

The sale is short; and on the 27th, at midnight, all bags of Intro 2010 Spring collection will go back to their regular pricing.

Dress To Your Own Beat fashion show on Van Isle - showcasing my bags

If you happen to be on Vancouver Island in the end of this November, do not miss Dress to Your Own Beat - a dinner and a fashion show event, brought to you by Herb'N Wear, Broken Spoke and Jipsi Clothing Movement, showcasing local BC designers. One of them happens to be yours truly - me - and a few of my little leather friends will put their best looks on for this event...

Just to warn you - they're so cute, you may be wanting to take them home....

Follow the link to find out the dates, location, where to get tickets and prizes you can win...

All details here