Monthly Notes : August

WHATS HAPPENING

I was scrolling back through the posts I'd saved on my phone, looking for something to spark an idea, and realised that a lot of algorithmic content is looking the same. Wes Anderson's eye, more or less, borrowed and borrowed again ~ the symmetry, muted tones, quirky crops, a lot of attention paid to small mundane actions. I actually love it, don't get me wrong. It’s so fun and romantic. And it works? It keeps me engaged! But reflecting on it now, it’s actually stifling, that I've let the algorithm decide my taste for years now without really noticing it happening. I am really yearning to explore my own point of view, and do something different. More on that later.

The other thing happening is that I'm on the tail end of my wholesale orders. Edicole at COMO The Treasury is already in the post, and Matilda Life and Gentle Threads will be finished next week. I've told you more than once in these notes that I'm behind my own schedule, and I still am, but this time the end is genuinely in sight ~ and once those orders are out the door I get to start prototyping for Figura, my next collection. I actually cannot wait! 

BEHIDN THE PROCESS

I've had five Nurture Totes on my bench for actual months! It's a bag with almost a hundred steps in it, and every one of them needs patience and precision, so it moves at the pace it moves at.

And then the worst thing imaginable happened. I'm still carrying one of the earlier prototypes I made last year, and the interior pocket tore along the stitch line. I wasn't planning to tell you about this, but here we are. What I worked out is that I'd skived the seams of the pocket too thin and created a weak point, so the stitch line was basically acting as a perforation, and with enough wear it gave way. So so sad! And it’s actually a very tricky repair.

My heart sank for the totes I've already made that are out there in the world. If you have one, and you're reading this ~ know that I back my work with a complimentary lifetime repair warranty, and I stand by it. If this happens to your Nurture Tote, I will take it apart, replace the pocket, and rebuild it.

The small silver lining was the timing. I hadn't started assembly on the pockets for the five totes sitting on my bench. So I spent another three hours re-cutting every pocket, re-skiving them and re-doing the logos ~ three hours I did not have, when all I want is to be prototyping ~ because I couldn't sleep knowing I was about to send out work that might fail.

CURRENTLY MAKING

Those same five Nurture Totes. I've just finished building the interior and exterior panels, which is where the padded, slightly rounded look comes from ~ that shape is the main feature of this bag's silhouette. I've also finished the saddle-stitched details that secure the shoulder straps. It's a detail not too dissimilar to a chesterfield lounge, except there's no obvious button. Just a little dimple in the padding instead, so it’s more discreet and refined.

ON THE HORIZON

I'm well and truly into the second half of the year now, and bracing for a seriously busy month of prototyping. There's a new shape I'm itching to make ~ an east-west tote, which I'm hoping will turn out to be the slouchier sister to the Nurture Tote.

And then there's the photoshoot, which is where all that scrolling comes back around. In the past I've hired highly experienced creative teams, and they've represented my work beautifully. Not always the way I imagined it, sometimes better than I imagined, and sometimes not quite hitting the mark. This time I can't realistically stretch the cash, and if I'm going to keep creating sustainably I need to find another way to capture my work. So I'm leaning towards putting my own eye behind the lens.

Which means finding my own inspiration, and not from my saved posts. I want to go back to primary sources ~ thank you, university research methods ~ and go deeper than the feed lets me. The next chapter is called Figura, the Italian word for figure, and it's an exploration of culture, of self-love in my own body shape, and of belonging. I've been reading about Malta's monolithic structures, which are said to be older than the pyramids at Giza, where the goddesses are carved with big round bodies. Old Italian films are next on the list, to see how I might extend all of that into the way I photograph and film the work.

It's frustrating as an artist that we have to wear so many hats. But this is a hat I'm genuinely interested in trying on. I'm excited to be planning something that feels truly me, and I haven't felt that way in quite a long while. I can't wait to see what you think.

SIMÉTRIE SCHOOL

I had a lovely course in early July with Caroline, Carrie and Joyce, and Audrey, a long-term customer of mine. They were so patient, and such a pleasure to have in the atelier.

Coming up on 8 August is a Card Wallet class ~ a beautiful introduction to my craft, where you make your own bespoke Pisces Card Wallet in whatever combination of colours you choose. It uses up the offcuts from my bags, which means something meaningful comes out of what would otherwise sit on my shelves as scraps. I read something on Bec Patterson's substack recently ~ Bec is the founder of Margos ~ about how carving out time to make something that isn't for your children and isn't for your job, but is just for you and just for fun, is the thing that sparks creative energy. It's exactly that experience that led me to my practice in the first place. You can book your place HERE for this upcoming simétrie school session.

A reminder that the Bay Baguette classes are sold out for the year, so I've started a waitlist ~ you can add your email on the product page. Once a few more names are added to the list I will reach out to schedule a new date that works for the group.

I'm also thinking about running a Make a Ravjul Bag Charm course later in the year, possibly in December, for a group of friends or work colleagues breaking up for the year. Hit reply if you'd like to bring in the silly season with something creative.

GATHERINGS

Nothing else in the diary this month beyond the workshop. As always, you're welcome to book a visit to the atelier if you’re undecided on a piece or you'd like to see and handle the bags in person ~ the booking form is online.

FROM MY BENCH

I have a Thick Lune in Red Rock and a Petit Bay Bag in Black Rock in stock right now.

Shell leather is running extremely low. It's a custom colour that needs a minimum order to produce, and the numbers don't stack up for me to reorder it, so this is the end of the road for Shell. There's enough left for a few small bags, wallets and charms, but not enough for a Nurture Tote ~ the lovely Diane is getting the last one, made to order as I write this.

Here are a few of my favourite pieces at the moment. If something here catches your eye, I'd love to make it for you. Current lead times reflect the reality of one person making everything by hand ~ smaller pieces take 2–4 weeks, bags 4–6 weeks, and totes 8–10 weeks. A few other pieces are ready to ship now if you'd prefer not to wait.

Thanks for being part of this journey,

xx simone