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| Peony spring basket, lined with a matching cotton floral print, ribbon tie closure, $65 |
Moss and Agate shoulder bag, crocheted raffia surrounds a matching lining, $85 |
Vanilla Silk and Beads evening bag, long beaded fringe from a silk floral damask, $55 |
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| 1. | I love these inspiration stories. Handmade bags are the most impressive I think. - Sarah from WA, January 19, 2007. |
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| I always try to avoid using pre-manufactured handles
and closures if possible. This is why you will see dressmaker snaps on my
purses, and not magnetic snaps. I want you to KNOW that a human being created
your purse, not a machine, and that your purse is singular and unique. There
aren't a hundred of them out there in the world. Anyone can go to the local
fabric store and buy a plastic handle. I MAKE my handles. I use my skills to
create something individually suited for that bag.
When I was 7 years old, my mom taught me how to sew on her secondhand Singer
sewing machine. While my sister played with the Barbie's, I made clothes for
them out of mom's scraps. I also taught myself to crochet, and cross-stitch. My
love of textiles was born! As I grew up, I earned an AA in Fashion Merchandising
and a BS in Marketing. The first 20 years of my career was spent in all aspects
of the jewelry business. I went from piercing ears to buying and selling estate
jewelry. But I wanted more. Finally, I opened my first boutique: The Wedding
Store and More. While I had that store, I participated in several fashion shows,
numerous bridal show exhibits, and created custom wedding accessories for a
select few clients. Brides grew to depend on me for sage advice and good fashion
sense. I became the local wedding expert. But I still liked designing and
creating the best but I knew this just wasn't enough.
During the last 5 years, I've been re-igniting my love of fabrics, trims and
beads. I've discovered the rich brocades and silks that come from the interior
design community. Oh! and I so love the texture and richness of India's sari's!
I even have a treasure trove of secretly stashed fabrics from the windows of a
famous jeweler (that I can't say who...) Everything my eye lands on has
potential to become a purse! Jewelry parts become zipper pulls. Broken necklaces
transform into purse handles. Sometimes I even hijack the tassels from friends'
pillows. (Now those are true friends!!) Making my wrist bags has been an
evolution in the textile arts. I get such joy from combining diverse materials
into a single unique expression, which also happens to have a practical use. It
makes me so happy to see my creations go to a fine and deserving home. I love
that my childhood passion for organization, and for fabrics, color and texture
has evolved into a skill and an art, which fuses form, function and design into
something useful and creative that many people can enjoy.
Speaking of which, I have a funny story related to that. Once I was in the
"zone" and was cutting out several bags at once. Well, of course, I accidentally
cut through too many layers and nicked through another purse front. Well,
necessity is the mother of invention... I created 2 corner patches to cover my 1
mistake. It looked like it was an intentional part of the design. That was one
of the first bags that sold at my next show. Irony is everything, go figure. |
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What is your name? |
AthensK |
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Where are you from? |
A Greek gal born in San Francisco, CA |
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Where do you live now? |
San Francisco, California |
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How old are you? |
44 |
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Do you have a design background? |
Not a formal one. |
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Do you still have a day job? |
Yes. |
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What year were your bags born? |
2000 |
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Bag brand name: |
AthensKDesigns |
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What is their retail price range? |
$45 - $125 |
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Where can a shopper buy your bags? |
www.AthensKDesigns.com and local
trunk shows in S.F. |
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For more information, contact: |
www.AthensKDesigns.com |
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Designer Archive:
Show more... | More Designers:
July 28, 2010 - BAGSLAG - Lee Sylvester July 26, 2010 - NAUTANKI by Carina - Carina Advani July 23, 2010 - Pink Koala Design - Katrina Griffis July 21, 2010 - Kristena Witherspoon Designs - Kristena Witherspoon July 17, 2010 - CATHY - Cathy de Leon July 16, 2010 - jlouise - Janet Fichtner July 14, 2010 - mony's - Mona Harake July 12, 2010 - Rives Parker Handbags and Accessories - Darlene Rives-Parker July 10, 2010 - A Woven Life - Elkie Soto July 08, 2010 - Joe's Brand - JoElynn Welsh July 05, 2010 - Unique Crochet Collection by Inna - Inna Bubnov July 02, 2010 - Kahri by KahriAnne Kerr - KahriAnne Kerr June 30, 2010 - Cyclodelic - Amy Fleuriot June 28, 2010 - XTHISMO - Valeria Hajdu June 25, 2010 - bewilde - Pieter Keyser June 23, 2010 - Heather Lair Designs - Heather Lair June 21, 2010 - Joanna Nuttall - Joanna Nuttall June 11, 2010 - mariaLamanna - Maria Lamanna June 09, 2010 - CLEVERSCENE - Evon Cassier June 07, 2010 - Saky Sacks - Rupa Wickrama June 04, 2010 - Muratori - Julie Berard & Anne Matzke June 03, 2010 - Jane's Kreations - Jane Staniewicz May 31, 2010 - laboixeta - Janina Rojas May 28, 2010 - Flower Art Bags - Joyce Hughes May 26, 2010 - Obi-Sacs - Laura Neadle |
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