“I made something for you.”

I’ve been saying this for years - and honestly, it makes me so damn happy.

These days the “something” I’ve made is usually a leather bag.

Not a boring leather bag.

I like bold,

vibrant,

lasts longer than some other things in your life,

people stop you on the street to ask where you got it, leather bags.

I like color, shape, cut, length. It all matters.

This bag you’re browsing started as a dream of a shape that met a need.

Like “I need a bag with a pop of color for girls’ night.”

Or “I need a bag to take on a plane that will hold all the things but still make me look put together.” You know, real needs.

In my hands, this need becomes a sketch, becomes a custom pattern,

becomes something beautiful and functional.

Is there any higher calling than beautiful and functional?

Well, yeah, there is, but not for bags.

So, I made something for you – with my own hands, in my studio in Chicago.

I hope you love it.

It will last and get better with age.

Speaking of lasting love, Hazel Ray was one of my matriarchs.

She led a good life, fought through it all and never left the house with a purse that didn’t match her shoes. She used to encourage us to “get something nice for yourself.”  

Not a bad mantra, if you ask me.

Yours in long-lasting joy,

Caitlyn