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

Better Later than Never - The North Shore News Weekly Paper features our Trunkshow with Radjuli

To add to the excitement we had leading up to our Trunkshow with Radjuli, our event was featured in the North Shore News, a paper covering the happenings on North Vancouver, home to Favourite Gifts.

The on-line article is here.

Posted by Jolanta http://jolavdesigns.com

Tiny steps towards the new Collection...

Great summer in Vancouver, partaking in a few events, shows, and even organizing a few in the Spring and Summer, slowed down the process of building an upcoming new Collection.

Even today, although, the blueprints and sketches are laid out in front of me at my desk, the Collection is very much a work in progress, balancing a few different directions of inspiration, different materials I am currently coveting, and trying to edit and boil all those ideas down to the most necessary.

I do not believe a collection of accessories needs to be generated every season, especially, if we’re talking handbags. It should rather reflect a flow of inspiration, a result of trials and research, whether it is searching the outside world, or within.

I so far have eight close to the heart designs (in progress), that may land a spot in the upcoming Collection. I will do some crude edits and re-draws to tie them into a cohesive mix. Then there is a whole other pack of ideas for small accessories we always carried alongside the handbags. There were very different factors at work shaping this bunch of designs, and for that reason alone, streamlining will be crucial.

Strap

One strong force was me trying to create pathways to bring more mixed reclaimed materials to our handbags, as well as new custom shapes and prints. I was sketching for both – leather and other raw-materials, from canvas to recycled fur. Then, there was a drive to simplify the existing shapes, remove the complications and grey areas from all new patterns. In addition, I realized I had expectations set by my customers and retailers, to maintain a recognizable look, with key features, they came to appreciate over the first few years; features, that would immediately say, JVD. And, then, there was my own, pure, inspiration behind some of the new bags-to- be: the country looks, the unique reclaimed materials, some lifestyle elements (we do want to hit the outdoor show and festival scene next year), the intimacy of our detail work.

All that is hard to boil down, as these features are not only different; they are very valuable for any Collection. Maybe, I even have more than one “collection” sketched up on this desk, waiting for the right time to take shape. We are not sure at this time, when the full new range will be released – while the early prototypes will begin surfacing during the Holiday season this year, a good estimate for the new  release may be Pre-Fall 2014.

Shell in construction

 

 Posted by Jolanta http://jolavdesigns.com

Circle Craft Summer Market recap

Last weekend was the debut of Circle Craft and BC's Craft Council's first ever outdoor show. The two organizations team up each year to put on one of Vancouver's best known high quality juried art shows in November.



We spent 4 days at the Summer Market, and everything was superb, starting from the smooth set-up, and great neighbours, to weather.



Blue sky in the background all weekend

This event was free of charge to attend, so any bi-passer could walk by and check out what was happening. The foot traffic was very busy all weekend long, with cruise boats landing nearby and otherwise busy Coal Harbour area.



The tents and the North Shore view

The show tents were supplied by the show, which was great for us, tentless accessory folks. We were in a close proximity of good neighbours on either side; covered for each other coffee breaks and helped each evening with closing.

The Olympic Cauldron and the Southern view

 

The venue was not only busy, but also beautiful - of course, like in any outdoor event, it all could have been different if it rained. This Vancouver Summer has been unbelievable, so taking our show outdoors, was a grand idea this time.

 

Below are some shots of our set-up...



 

J. in the booth, Saturday

Leather overalls turned out to be a conversation piece

An engraved pen - a little giftie from our neighbour, The Woodman

The weekend's give-away, QtBeach.

Many thanks to those who attended and supported. We hope to see you in our upcoming events.



Posted by Jolanta http://jolavdesigns.com