Archive for April, 2008
Nelle is a Finalist! Independant Handbag Designer Awards
Monday, April 28th, 2008Imagine my surprise when I checked my voice mail this morning and discovered that my bag was selected as a top five finalist in the Handmade Handbag category of the 2008 Independent Handbag Design Awards. If my clutch wins its category my bag will be featured in a window display at Henri Bendel and I will be invited with the other 5 winners to hold a trunk show at the legendary department store. Every time I think about this my heart skips a beat, it has been a dream of mine to have my bags at the store - shriek! Breathe….
Above is the clutch that is up for the award, it is a part of my 2008 Nelle Day Collection which will be available on-line the second week of May. It is the only 100 percent fabric bag in the Handmade Handbag category, which is amazing!
Designer Inspiration
Thursday, April 17th, 2008This week I took 3 days off to spend some QT time with my business plan. I am 75% of the way through with it and have myself so excited about the future of Nelle!
While researching for the bp I looked up Alabama Chanin, the latest reincarnation of Natalie Chanin’s original Project Alabama business model. Project Alabama was a grassroots fashion label that had quite a bit of success in the industry. Until a year or so ago all of thier pieces were made by local seamstresses and artisans in Florrence Alabama. Natalie’s business partners decided that they wanted to expand the business and have started production in India, Nancy decided to jump ship and stick to the founding principles of Project Alabama - Keep it local. Click here for the full story on Alabama Chanin.
I have always planned to keep my production local if Nelle ever decides to expand on me. So it was thrilling to learn even more about how Chanin’s production model works and how the slow design movement is starting to gain more attention in the national media. Slow design is defined as; Design for manufacturing with local/regional materials and technologies or Design that supports local industries, workshops and craftspeople. Chanin proved that a company can be profitable while not falling victim to the bottom line and the temptress mass production.
Accessory and clothing design can be about so much more when you invest in your community. After learning more about the slow design movement and reading a bit more about Chanin’s success I feel that my plan to keep production of Nelle goods local can do three amazing things: Provide work to talented crafts people, keep production in the united states, and most importantly create beautiful pieces made by the loving hands of local talents that may have otherwise been unused.
Nelle Mentioned in METRO
Sunday, April 6th, 2008