My Story
I want to tell you a little bit about myself and how I came to be a leather bag designer and maker.
I never set out to create bags and work with leather, the work found me. I was in college, presumably on a path to who knows where, when I turned one of my leather jackets into a bag. A few friends asked for one, so I started making bags out of recycled leather jackets and selling them. I guess that’s how a business starts? It’s the seedling to where I am today.
I loved the craft, and as my budget increased slightly, I was able to work with new whole hides. I bought an industrial machine and started sewing.
I loved working with leather and always wanted the bags to improve in quality, craftsmanship, wearability, and look.
I met a man named Gio, a cobbler and a bag maker, who taught me to make sandals. We made a pair of leather flat sandals and a pair of heeled sandals. At the time, I was working on a structured bag for my cousin, Roxy. I asked him some questions about how to make it, and the friendship opened up. Gio, my eccentric mentor, allowed me to drive to his studio on his picturesque grape farm overlooking Seneca Lake every Friday. I did that for years. He would pick on me, in true Gio fashion, for not getting up early enough. I left my house around 8, I believe, sometimes earlier. It was a 1.5 hour drive from my house.
Gio would work on shoe repairs or handbag making while I asked him questions about this or that. I fell in love with hand sewing leather. The effects of all the hard work that goes into this method are incomparable to me. That’s when I made a decision to switch to sewing all my bags by hand. The structure and shapes that you can achieve are just so beautiful to me. I also began to believe in the quality that this craft produces. Hand sewing bags with quality hides result in bags that can be worn for years and passed down to generations. They are also usually repairable when sewn this way.
I believe wholeheartedly in what I make. I love my job. I make handbags for people who work hard themselves and need a stylish bag to carry them through their days. I stand behind the work that goes into crafting a Carrie George handbag. My goal is to keep improving my line through my hard work.
As I said before, I love working with leather and always want the bags to improve in quality, craftsmanship, wearability, and look. As this task is set out before me, I will work at it, to bring you the best quality handbag.
Best,
Carrie