Donna Bernstein
Pursuing my love of art, I graduated with a BFA from School of Visual Arts in painting and drawing, but clothing design and construction were always a part of my life.
The love of design came from my Mom. As a single mother, she supported our family with a job as a seamstress in a factory and with a small home business making custom clothing and doing alterations. My Mom did not want me to learn how to sew ---having higher aspirations for her daughter. But I was always watching and absorbing. And now, looking back, I have come to realize that this was my natural foundation, the basis for my entrepreneurial spirit and my understanding as well as appreciation for clothing, beautiful, but well made.
While in college, I had a line of custom hand-painted scarves. Then after graduating I landed a job with a couple that ran a small childrenswear company call Animal Farm. With their help and encouragement, I designed a line of hand-painted childrenswear called Edibles. It sold well at juried craft shows and fairs. After gaining experience I developed a wholesale line for kids called Jellyrollers, using cut and sew textured knits. This progression eventually led to an 18-year career as a Childrenswear Designer for major companies.
Now circling back, the entrepreneur, the designer and the artist meet to create a line of handbags that are well crafted and beautiful celebrating form texture and function.
In my designs, I explore the mixing of textural leathers, fabrics and linings. In my art as well as my designing, I enjoy the challenge of ‘Contrasts in Harmony’. That is combining different or contrasting elements to work together or harmonize as one.
Unique trims are another individual feature. Shopping the market for vintage items to repurpose, I contrast the ‘old’ with the ‘new’ in modern designs with a twist.
A small artisanal production allows me to be ‘hands on’ for almost all aspects of the bags construction. This approach affords me quality control as the bags are professionally sewn as well as handcrafted.
The ‘one of a kind’ comes from the materials themselves used to inform the designs.
My bags are ‘tactile’ very touchable. They are comfortable, functional, with different pockets, and come in a variety of shapes and sizes for all.
The love of design came from my Mom. As a single mother, she supported our family with a job as a seamstress in a factory and with a small home business making custom clothing and doing alterations. My Mom did not want me to learn how to sew ---having higher aspirations for her daughter. But I was always watching and absorbing. And now, looking back, I have come to realize that this was my natural foundation, the basis for my entrepreneurial spirit and my understanding as well as appreciation for clothing, beautiful, but well made.
While in college, I had a line of custom hand-painted scarves. Then after graduating I landed a job with a couple that ran a small childrenswear company call Animal Farm. With their help and encouragement, I designed a line of hand-painted childrenswear called Edibles. It sold well at juried craft shows and fairs. After gaining experience I developed a wholesale line for kids called Jellyrollers, using cut and sew textured knits. This progression eventually led to an 18-year career as a Childrenswear Designer for major companies.
Now circling back, the entrepreneur, the designer and the artist meet to create a line of handbags that are well crafted and beautiful celebrating form texture and function.
In my designs, I explore the mixing of textural leathers, fabrics and linings. In my art as well as my designing, I enjoy the challenge of ‘Contrasts in Harmony’. That is combining different or contrasting elements to work together or harmonize as one.
Unique trims are another individual feature. Shopping the market for vintage items to repurpose, I contrast the ‘old’ with the ‘new’ in modern designs with a twist.
A small artisanal production allows me to be ‘hands on’ for almost all aspects of the bags construction. This approach affords me quality control as the bags are professionally sewn as well as handcrafted.
The ‘one of a kind’ comes from the materials themselves used to inform the designs.
My bags are ‘tactile’ very touchable. They are comfortable, functional, with different pockets, and come in a variety of shapes and sizes for all.