All parts are cut
Learning from really skilled craftsmen has been done for years as you can read here. Each time when I have made another project I have learned so much. For example, in which order should I attach each piece or how do I make very neat corners? In my last learning from the masters’ post, I have taken Mansur and Gavriel as my inspiration and studied there work very detailedly.
New master of inspiration
This time it will be Fred de la Bretoniere. I have admired his work for quite a while. It doesn’t matter if they are his shoes, accessories or bags, I just love them all. I have two bags of him and through the years it hasn’t given any sign of damage or destruction. So there must be something in his designs that works really well. Don’t get me wrong as I describe in my post about inspiration, it is not the goal to copy a bag but to learn from the applied techniques and integrate them into your own design.
A little background of Fred de la Bretoniere
If you don’t know Fred’s work, it will be time! Because (oh yeah) he is a Dutch designer and gained his fame since his first big order by ‘de Bijenkorf’ a Dutch warehouse. A few years later he has been named best Dutch designer of Bags and Shoes. Besides his own label, he starts different sub-labels such as Fretons and Shabbies Amsterdam during the years. Nowadays he is know all over the world and even praised by Italians(1). Not bad as inspiration, don’t you think?
Birthday bag
A friend of mine’s birthday is coming up and I found the most beautiful piece of leather for her. She likes the rough leather and was still in the “need” of a small handbag. Therefore I wanted to try something new, of course, inspired on Fred de la Bretoniere. As she desired, no shoulder strap, big enough for A-4 notes and a little enforcement on both sides. Well, her wishes are my orders…let’s make a Fred de la Bretonnier inspired birthday bag.
A lovely piece of rough leather
Measuring all pieces
Design scratched on the leather
The beginning of a whole lot of stitches
Folding some edges
Will be continued…
As the pictures show, I have made quite some progress, though I should get back to it because her birthday is coming up real soon. So this post is to be continued….
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