I recently spent some time at our factory where I really enjoyed working with the talented and amazingly dedicated craftspeople there. Together we worked through several shapes - more than we ever imagined we would get done, addressing small issues and big. I got so excited about a few of the new pieces that I danced [ and hugged!] around. I love the collaborative aspects of being on the factory floor ... It is really invigorating. So here are a few glimpses of my time there, including some sneak peaks of our fabulous new color...

Materials draped in the sample room, loving our new colors, stay tuned for what these fabrics and leathers become...

One of the big components of the process is the leather cutting, which is done by hand. Leather is, of course, a natural material so it is an amazingly complicated and time consuming process to lay out, like a jigsaw puzzle, all of the shapes onto a hide while avoiding the natural imperfections to get maximum yield from a hide.... I could watch these guys for hours...

Last stop: FINAL INSPECTION... where pieces are checked top to bottom, side to side and inside and out to their adherence to the standard, the approved production sample. It is this step that keeps all the various parts working together toward a common, agreed upon goal and keeps the machine humming. Another inspection happens in the warehouse and bags are being upacked and inventoried where the strictest of standards is applied...