BLOCK Collection by Lucy

January 17, 2017 2 Comments

If you have followed along through any of our media channels, you've had the pleasure of seeing bits and pieces of work being done by my apprentice, Lucy. She is a gifted young woman who is able to come to the studio 3 hours each week to focus some of her 7th grade learning around leather work and help with studio needs and current projects/shows. While much of her time is spent on learning how to sew with the occasional small leather goods projects, we thought it could be a focused learning experience for her to journey through the process of creating a collection on a macro-level.

So about a year ago, Lucy endeavored to put together a capsule collection of leather goods. We decided to approach this collection as if it were a designer collaboration; meaning Lucy, as a designer, creating a collection for the CHC customer. 

This process included gathering inspiration, planning designs, creating samples, making patterns, production of the bags and then a photoshoot. While I guided her along in each phase of the process, the concept, construction and finality of this body of work is completely created by Lucy.

(Shop the BLOCK Collection here)

Inspiration:

" In the process of gathering inspiration, it was really important to know that inspiration can come from anything; light, plants, movement, art or anything.

This collection is greatly inspired by geometric shapes and images."

Design:

"The greatest takeaway I got from the designing process was that slowing down and knowing you don't have to have the final and exact product all figured out from the start but that you have to stay flexible and learn to problem-solve.

I found the design process, as a whole, to be a bit challenging because I'm still learning how to adjust to things that I create; and being ok with it not being perfect right away.

For the first two bags I made, I knew I had the final designs when I created them in a 3D form out of paper but with the last bag, I thought I had it when I made it in 3D but it required more adjustments along the way...three attempts later, and I was finally happy with the outcome."

 

Pattern-making:

"Pattern-making is a very important step to a collection because it is the stencil of your bag, used for making multiple bags of the same design. To make a pattern, you have to make a general idea out of paper which can later be altered and changed according to the adjustments needed for the bag design...this requires a lot of patience."

Fabric Samples

"Being able to make the bags in fabric was a very interesting and exciting experience because it was the first time I kind of saw what my bags were going to look like.

There was only one pattern I had to adjust, The Square Backpack. This design took about three tries to get it right."

 

"I've learned that a design that's very simple and minimal looking can be surprisingly difficult and complex to make because each part of it has to be fully thought through and very exact." 

 

IMG_4364 from Chelli Look on Vimeo.

Chelli Look on Vimeo.

 

Very proud to introduce to you.....

The BLOCK COLLECTION

 

(from left to right) The SQUARE BACKPACK,  The CIRCLE CLUTCH,  The BLOCK BAG

The CIRCLE CLUTCH

"I've found that professional and sophisticated design can also be playful..."

The SQUARE BACKPACK

"...satisfying design aesthetic can come from the most seemingly basic of places..."

The BLOCK BAG

"...minimalism doesn't lack thought but may just be the most thoughtful of all."

 

LOOKBOOK:

"This was the first time I've ever fully come up with a concept for a shoot...I was most inspired by light and facing"

 

 

 

 If you are interested in purchasing one of Lucy's designs, shop them on our Limited Edition page.

 

And, of course....a glimpse Behind the Scenes:

 

 

 

 

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