As I haven't written anything for some weeks - I'm sorry about that - in which my boyfriend visited me here in London as well as I flew home to Germany I thought I might share an article I wrote (in a slightly different version) for an internship application not long ago. It's about the designer Amy Malcolm and her brand Opelle Creative that I spotted on Etsy. I simply fell in love with her gorgeous handmade bags and hope that I can afford being the owner of one somewhere in the future. Here is her Etsy online shop, if interested: http://www.etsy.com/shop/opellecreative. I hope you'll enjoy the article:
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Designer
Amy Malcolm in her attic studio in Toronto
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Amy
Malcolm, a young and talented Canadian, is the owner,
operator and entire staff of
Opelle Creative. Launched in 2010, the Toronto-based indie brand
stands for stylish leather bags of high quality that are sold on the
online platform Etsy and in only a few boutiques in Canada and the
US.
Every
bag is made to order by Amy herself in her attic studio. There, the
self-taught designer spends hours every day with washing, sewing,
cutting and crafting the butter-soft Italian leather used for her
handbags. Creating handmade products is, in fact, very important to
the creative Canadian who studied and consolidated her talent for
sculpture, industrial and fashion designs at Concordia University
Montreal and Toronto School of Art. “When we invest in something
handmade, there’s a value to it beyond just the monetary price
tag.“, she says.
And,
truly, each of the pieces she spends hours of her time on reflects
her personal vision of uncompromising craftsmanship and, moreover,
local focus. “It’s very important to me that the processes
involved stay hands on and local as much as possible.“, Malcolm
notes. In order to implement this, the Opelle Creative owner keeps a
close working relationship with each stage of the creative process.
“I’m really proud of the fact that we’ve been able to do that
almost 100%.”, she adds.
The
idea for creating an own handbag line mainly arose out of her
unsatisfying search for a bag. “I
really had a hard time finding a good quality bag that worked with my
lifestyle, was big enough for everyday, comfortable and with it’s
own personality,” Out of her own needs and expectations, Amy then
designed her first and favourite bag, the „Lotus“. With its
timeless look, elegant and tear-drop shaped, the brand's signature
bag is made for women who search for more than an item that follows a
trend. Indeed, Amy's collection features eternal style. An Opelle bag
is a companion for a lifetime.
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| The "Lotus"bag |
Opelle
Creative is steadily growing and has just introduced its collection
for A/W 2012 with new colours and shapes. In the next year, more
stores in Canada and the US will sell the brand's handbags.
Meanwhile, lots of ideas are brooding inside Malcolm. “My problem
is I don’t have enough hands - the ideas are always there, burning
holes in my head, especially when I am really engrossed in a
project.” It is to hope that she will turn her ideas into further
gorgeous designs available in the future.
The
designer's goal is to buy a storefront in her home town Toronto in
the next two years where she can retail and craft her bags, but also
offer workshops to local aspiring artists. And despite the continuing
expansion of the label Amy wants to maintain the local focus,
providing fair and ethical work as long as possible. For this is the
story behind an Opelle bag's justified high price tag – and this
what makes Amy's creations a worthy and magical fashion experience.
Pictures taken from Etsy.com
