Leather Goods

The list of inspirations that designer Isaac Reina names include architects and industrial designers like Jasper Morrison instead of the usual fashion suspects. That’s not to say that Reina doesn’t know luxury – he spent years at luxury leather giant Hermes, and collaborated with Maison Martin Margiela. It’s just that his version of luxury relies on what is not said, knowing when to use luxury elements and when to refrain from all the embellishments and other. I am happy to present you our June interview with this amazing leather goods designer from Paris!

How would you describe “the user” of Isaac Reina leather goods?

Architects, designers, photographers, graphic designers… For now, our typical client is someone extremely cultured and exigent who is generally looking for an alternative to big brands that are too much distributed. They find themselves in our products which are more discrete and confidential.

Are your leather goods “minimal” or rather “sophisticated”? Or both?

Both. We are always looking for the right balance between minimal and sophisticated. If we tend to do minimal work, we might forget some practical and useful aspects necessary in a bag or a wallet. If on the opposite we tend to do sophisticated work we might loose the strength of the first and formal essence of the product. Therefore, we are always searching for something ultra simple and sufficiently sophisticated or something sophisticated without excess.

You have studied architecture in the past. Does it influence your wallets, bags, backpacks, clutches and others?

Definitely. Because architecture is only made of geometry (square, circle, triangle…)which is also our tools and is a very similar approach. Of course architecture has its own techniques specific to architecture itself, like all profession has, very different but incredibly parallel in the projects.

How would you define “luxury” in nowadays leather goods industry?

Luxury itself doesn’t interest me. But I am interested in someone feeling at ease with one of our bag or wallet because the product conveys values and shapes that correspond and suit him/her.

Your brand is all about leather goods. Are you planning to expand the brand with shoes, etc.?

Not shoes at the moment. It is too difficult for me. But since a little time, i am working on new projects like stationary, small objects and furnitures to edit in the future. Why not?

Special thanks to Isaac Reina for sending me the exclusive photos of his showroom and store in Paris,

38 rue de Sevigne

Visit http://www.isaacreina.com for more.

Gabriela Coll Garments focuses on the way of dressing and the value of garments, while working through series. Each series is the result of concrete imagery, they do not follow any season or have a fixed number of pieces, and are always permanent – their accessories, bags, shoes and clothes are hand-made. In their Serie 1, which is composed of 15 garments, the calm, beige colour dominates. Plus, the garments are really one-of-a-kind… and since it’s the beginning of March, I would like to present you an interview with Gabriela herself.

How the brand of Gabriela Coll Garments appeared?
It was just about making the decision; I’ve been always involved in different projects, so it was quite organic to bring it all together in Gabriela Coll Garments. My education was in fine arts, and there was a moment when I applied all those processes to Gabriela Coll.

What is your favourite material which you oftently use in your designs?
The nobility of the materials is one of the aspects that relate all pieces in Serie No.1. Of course, nobility can be understood in different ways, for me it’s about where and how they are made, how they look, how you work with them, their properties, how they evolve through time…The materials I actually work with most are natural leather and cotton, which I use for developing the pieces while I do prototypes. These plain materials relate more with the stage of seeking that might be even more interesting than finding. Lacquering them is also about keeping that presence of not defined, it has to do with the attractive part of prototypes more than with finished pieces.

I love the form of your bags and shoes – what inspires you while designing the accessories?
I design each piece separately, I don’t work with a concrete influence or theme, the pieces are the reflection of my imaginary.
One of the aspects I focus on while developing the accesories, are the very basics: how you sew things and how the pieces are constructed. I want the pieces to be easy to understand. The Babouche, for instance, is made without a shoe last, thus, the making is essential, or in the Long bag you can easily understand how both pieces of leather work together, I think this makes them appealing.

How could you describe the Gabriela Coll woman?
For me this doesn’t exist. I do garments; even though of course I believe in garments as part of the construction of oneself. In this regard I like how the architect Sáenz de Oiza compared architecture with people in an interview. According to him, architecture, just like people, is defined by its structure, but also by the decorum. I consider clothes part of this decorum. This is very important because decorum is the scenery one can build to appear in front of the world.

Any big projects for this year?
Working on the second series, which I’m really looking forward to.