Not All Cork is Created Equal
WINDOWS DOWN, MUSIC TURNED WAY UP AND MILES OF ROAD STRETCHED BEFORE ME. EVEN SPEEDING DIDN’T MAKE THE HOUR LONG DRIVE PASS ANY FASTER.
Waves of anticipation radiated off my limbs, making me tingle with excitement. Today I was going to see my first professionally sewn sample of Inizio.
With the squeal of tires only slightly louder than the music pouring out of my windows, I whipped into a parking place and rushed into Ron’s office. Holding Inizio felt like hugging an old friend. She was perfect. Visually, she didn’t look much different than what I had sewn myself, but instead of days, Ron’s sewers only took hours to create her. Bam! Time to take her to the streets and wear test her again.
Over the next few months I put Inizio through the ringer. She went anywhere and everywhere with me. The cork wore well, and cleaning was a breeze. Inizio’s design was still turning heads and the more I wore her the more I fell in love with how easy she was to use. Eeeek! I was so close to putting her into mass production….BUT, there was one request. Did Inizio have a brunette twin or was she only available in blond?
I ordered another yard of cork, this time in dark brown. Ron created another sample in the new color and I took her out for a wear test. FAIL. Like trip and fall in front of your ex, kind of fail. The cork wore off the fabric backing within weeks. This was NOT what I was going for. I was perplexed at why it would wear well in one color but not another. Knowing that quality should be consistent no matter the hue, I gave the cork supplier the boot and dug back into to researching the cork forests of Portugal.
I’ve heard it said that FAIL means the First Attempt in Learning. Heck yeah! The relief I felt at having tested it out overwrote any frustration I felt with backtracking to find a new supplier. I was learning more and more about quality cork, and you can be damn sure that my next sample would wear well in every color!
Want to read my story form the beginning? Click here!
Destiny, Tacos & Handbags
WITH INIZIO STUFFED FULL OF MY HOPES AND DREAMS, I MADE MY WAY TO SAN LUIS OBISPO TO MEET WITH A REAL LIFE MANUFACTURER.
Los Angeles is a crazy hub for garment production, so imagine my surprise to learn that a quality manufacturer was actually only 60 minutes from me! Kismit!
Ba Boom. Ba Boom. My heart beat with such volume I was sure everyone within range could hear it’s thunderous drumming. My sweet angel Arcy, her friend Lawren (a fab garment designer) and I were walking into meet with Ron, my (soon to be) manufacturer. My dream hadn’t just grown legs, it had wings! And I felt like I could fly away with excitement.
The unassuming storefront for sportswear didn’t prepare me for the cacophony of sound and color that greeted us as we entered the workshop. Bolts of fabric splashed color against the whir of machines sewing garments. Ron led us on a tour of the production floor, learning the names and operations of each piece of equipment and meeting the sewers who were sew (see what I did there?) carefully crafting dreams into reality. There was a music, a dance to the energy of the room and it swept me along with it!
Handing over my personally sewn sample to a professional was a little nervewracking... “Quality craftsmanship! Who made it?” Eeek! I almost asked Ron to say it again. I will never tire of having my dream affirmed.
Over tacos and margaritas, we discussed the possibility of Ron sewing my first professional sample. He was intrigued by my cork fabic...though he’d never seen or worked with it before. Thankfully he was up the challenge to work with it...and with me! I was giddy. And it definitely wasn’t from the tequila!
I left my sample Inizio with him so that he could construct a pattern and he left me with a to-do list. My craft cupboard was nearly bare from my previous forages, so I set off to purchase the needed items on my list. Though my hands were empty, my heart was full.
The Manufacturing of Dreams into Purses
THOUGH I BARELY NOTICED THE INIZIO’S WEIGHT ON MY SHOULDER, IT WAS HEAVY WITH PROMISE.
My sample was good. Like really good. My fellow students peppered with requests to buy her. No way! I mean...it was tempting, but I needed to see what she could do. How she’d wear. Plus, I wanted to take her to the streets and show her off a little.
Inizio was a looker. Her minimalist lines and stylish design were subtly sexy. And, people were in love with the cork fabric. Not to brag, but I knew they would! Only one reoccurring request was keeping people from falling fully under her spell. They wanted an interior zippered pocket.
Brilliant. Of course, a bag that was designed with an active life in mind would need a secure spot for essentials. Back the craft closet I went. Now, with more cork from my role, another yard of pretty interior fabric, and a zipper, I sewed sample number two. Can I tell you what a beast putting in a zipper is? Whew! But now she wasn’t just another pretty face. She was smart, with all of the style and strength to tackle any adventure.
Her second time out and about, Inizio continued to turn heads...but this time, without any suggestions for improvement. She was ready (and so was I) to meet with a manufacturer. I knew the stylish public was waiting for a purse like this and it was time to introduce Inizio to them.
This journey has been a series of one angel leading me to another. Now it was Arcy’s turn, this time introducing me to a manufacturer who could sew a professional sample. It was in meeting Ron that I knew I wasn't dreaming this thing anymore. I was making it happen.
Back to School and Other New Beginnings
YOU KNOW THAT TENACIOUS ITCH TO START SOMETHING NEW, THAT ONLY INTENSIFIES THE LONGER YOU WAIT? THE BEST REMEDY IS TO SCRATCH IT, AND THAT’S JUST WHAT I DID!
With the yard of Portuguese cork now on it’s way to my hot lil’ hands, I tore apart my beloved “a-ha” purse to see how it was constructed. My mind was brimming with possibilities: an improved strap attachment, cell phone pocket… Eureka! Now I had a purse with the style and function to take on any adventure!
Foraging through my craft cupboard, I pulled out bright floral lining fabric....because I dream in color Baby.....and some matching thread. I scoured the internet to find a magnetic snap and buckle (fun fact, we are still using this supplier for our current designs!) gave my high school Singer sewing machine a good dusting and waited on the FedEx truck.
The day before my cork arrived, a mailer from the local college arrived to my mailbox. I had just graduated the year prior ('cause it's never too late to create a life you LOVE) and typically tossed those straight into the recycle bin. But, fate, serendipity, destiny….she had her sights on me, so I opened it. Flipping through I spotted a sewing class. I knew some basics, but my dream deserved more than a passing knowledge of how to stitch something together. So, armed with a newly purchased sewing kit, my aspirations, and some snacks stuffed into a bag, I showed up to the first day of school. Again.
Much like every other step of this journey, I met another soul to lead me through to the next stage. Arcy, my instructor, lovingly guided me through the construction of my first sample. And as I held my newly sewn creation in my hands, I could feel the pulse of a new beginning; and so she was named, Inizio. Beginning or start in Italian.
If you are itching to start a journey or just looking for your next adventure, we’d love to be a part of your beginning. Won’t you take us with you?
The Pursuit of Cork, Coffee and Magic
I was coming down from the high of having a fabulous idea, and falling right into hustle mode.
I quickly discovered that Europe was way ahead of us, and cork accessories were super popular in Portugal and Spain. Turns out, Portugal is full of magical cork forests, where cork can be ethically harvested, to later be sliced thin and backed by fabric.
But remember, this was two years ago. A long time in the retail industry! Finding cork online was no easy feat, and after weeks and weeks of research, I found a local, California-based manufacturer that had it by the yard for $89. Whoa. In the fabric world, that ain’t cheap! Nonetheless, I was in this thing. I bought it, sketched a quick design, pulled out my classic ‘80s Singer and sewed my first bag. Then promptly sold it via a Facebook post. Cha-ching!
Fast forward six months, and I’m hopping around Vegas. (For a good reason, promise!) Magic, the leading fashion marketplace was in town and I promptly began seeking out every booth from Portugal. All four of them, out of hundreds. Good things never come easy, right?
At one of these booths, I met an angel by the name of Sara. Sara put me in touch with a friend that manufactured cork fabric in Portugal, and I knew I had finally turned a corner. Bingo! Time for the big leagues, Paula, let’s do this!
Sara’s source sold me their minimum order quantity: a whopping one yard.
So, I brewed a fresh pot and got back to work.
p.s. Miss part one? Head over here to read the beginning of the story.
How One Little “A-Ha” Moment Led To An Entire Line Of Cork Handbags (Yes, Cork!)
You know those moments when you get your best ideas? It’s always when you’re least inclined to write it down – in the shower, washing the dishes, driving on the highway. For me, it’s usually when I lie down to fall asleep after a long day. But my best idea, the one that led to the very site you’re reading this on, was (quite literally) a gift.
Once upon a time, I was gifted a cork purse from Portugal. I was delighted, to say the least. I’d seen plenty of wine and champagne corks in my lifetime, but never anything else made from cork until that moment. As a personal stylist, I’m always on the lookout for unique accessories, so I was intrigued. Okay, and it helped that it was beautiful and stylish. Naturally, I started wearing it.
You could say I have a thing for purses. I switch them out pretty frequently, always wanting to highlight a new one. But whenever I wore this cork purse people were mesmerized. No exaggeration! Strangers and friends would pepper me with questions:
“Can I touch it?” and then, “Wow, it’s so soft!”
“Cork...as in, wine? That kind of cork?”
“I’ve never seen a cork purse before!”
Women and men would stop me on the street, ask questions and make comments about it. As more and more people asked about my cork purse, the “a-ha” moment hit. There may or may not have been an actual light bulb floating over my head – it was that strong.
I had to make a line of cork handbags.
The go-getter in me immediately got to work, hunting down sheets of cork.
When I left my executive career to start my own business as a stylist, I knew – I’m talking super-strong-gut-feeling knew – three things:
1. Despite being in the second prime of my life (read: “middle-aged”), making a drastic industry swap, and facing an economic downslide, I’d make it;
2. I would design and launch a fashion line; and
3. I’d write a book. (This “a-ha!” moment was one of those 10pm, sliding into bed ones. and the universe shouted at me, “get your a-double-s back up, grab a notepad and write this shit down”. So I did. More on that later.)
And here we are, well past the beginning but oh-so-far from the happily ever after. Right in the middle of the journey, which is shaping up to be just as thrilling as that first jolt of inspiration. Want to come along for the ride?
Hello!
I believe yoga class is best chased by a vodka with a twist of lime.
I believe in adventure, whether it’s a road trip up the California coast in my comfy velour jumper or sipping champagne in first-class in my highest heels.
I believe in women having the freedom to go after what they want without batting an eyelash.
And I believe your wardrobe should effortlessly accent your lifestyle ...starting with a great handbag.
Late nights researching the cork forests of Portugal. Traveling six states in five days to meet manufacturers. Sewing samples in my California studio.
In a glance, the creation of this handbag line can be traced back over two years of research, design and exploration. To the moment when a handbag made of a vaguely familiar, attention-grabbing material sparked the "a-ha" moment that turned this personal stylist into an accessory designer.
But really, it can be traced back to a lifetime of experiences. To leaving a 20 year career to start my next life as a accomplished personal stylist. To going back to school while raising four teenagers (and three dogs). To waving buh-bye to the struggles I faced in the past to build the future I wanted, brick by brick.
That’s why I started this company. It’s for women {and fellas} like us, to prove that we can live life on our terms. To put those boxing classes to work, knocking out any obstacles that get in the way with a strong one-two punch!
I am showing up everyday to create a line that’s not only unique, lightweight, washable, duarable, stain resistant, water repelling, antimicrobial, hypoallergenic {fewf, say that 5 times fast!} but is chock- full of thoughtful features and is hand-sewn right here in the USA.
Let’s face it, our lives (and our closets) are filled to the brim! We need quality accessories that complement our individual styles and our busy schedules. And, most importantly, we should never have to sacrifice style for practicality. We deserve it all, don’t you think?
If we were together, I’d be pulling you in for a big hug right about now. Consider this a virtual squeeze, girlfriend!
Welcome to my journey,
