When a design idea just doesn’t work

 

I had a creative idea for this black up cycled saddle leather. A boho-style bag that fits a laptop. I hand stitched the bag in sky-blue, added a pocket lining of blue suede, and lined the bag itself with blue polyester. It seemed that the bag needed something else and I painted abstract florals on the lid. I made it for sale, it wasn’t my style. Then, I showed it to my clients— no one cared to buy it. Although, some asked for a bag that size before. I took it to fairs, with the same outcome. The bag then was forgotten on a seldom-used shelf in my studio, until years later, I looked at it as a material as opposed to an item. 

That happened, after a large store-bought leather tote that I loved taking on trips ripped in multiple places. It literally RIPped. I needed a new one and I was not going to shop for it. So, I took off the shelf this abandoned bag and decided to make it work for me this time. I removed all that blue stitching, added animal-print leather panels and accents, changed the lining in both the pocket and main compartment, added zippers and magnet closures, as well as structural reinforcement. It is unrecognisable. Yet, fully repurposed in material as much as in design.