This started out as a passion project for me. I designed and laser cut leather handbags from leather that I bought from a reuse craft store. Most of these were sold on my website and Art at the Market (a co-op located at the Flint Farmers Market.)
Duration: 2015 – 2018
Challenge: Creating a bag that held a lot of items, but also allowed for those items to be found quickly.
Solution: I gave my bags a box-like structure. The sides are propped up at all times. This allows items to easily be found and provides the opportunity for better organization. Another benefit to this is that these purses have enough stability to be placed on a table without falling over.
Large bag with lotus pattern
Large bag with fringe
Medium bag, braided strap
Medium bag, flat strap
Small clutch bag
Wallets and small clutch bags
Wallets and small clutch bags
My Process
I started by looking at inspiration and doing a competitive analysis. At this point, I didn’t know exactly what type of bag I wanted to create. I had just learned to use a laser cutter and I had a role of leather purchased from a reuse store. I created a mood board on Pinterest. After doing research, I decided that I wanted the sides to be made from wood to provide structure.
Then I created sketches for the structure of the bag. I roughly cut a pattern for the bag out of paper. I continued to refine that design by cutting and holding the pieces together. I also taped it together to see how it would rest on its own. Once I felt that I had the pattern finalized. I took a picture of the pattern and traced it in Adobe Illustrator. I then did sketches of the pattern that would be cut out from the flap. These were done directly on the leather and can be seen in the final products.
Sketches: structure (L), aestaesthetics (R)
Original paper prototype