Do you have any style/trend predictions for the season?I think this fall season is about exotics, animal prints, python prints, and color. Add purple, cobalt, green, red to your outfit. It just works, bringing some excitement to the black and brown that we have seen for so many years. I see also a lot of studs and embellishments. We need a mood enhancer, especially in these times.
You’ve said you are inspired by the vintage look and Italian culture. What else?
My friends – the special women in my life – have been the greatest source of inspiration. Their needs and also the excitement on their face when I come up with a new style is priceless. We live in a world that is so demanding. Our bags become heavier by the day – the iPods, cell phones, wallets, you name it. How can we still look stylish and sexy while we carry all this weight and responsibility? This is where I get challenged and inspired.
When you got started in design, did you know it was handbags that would ultimately be your passion?
The bags I had seen in movies always attracted me. Sophia Lauren had a great bag in one of her movies that I must have replayed a dozen times. The clutches that were in the Dallas episodes were among my favorite. As a teenager I was intrigued by this strange desire to know what was in my mother's friend’s purses, so sometimes I would ask if I could look … whatever it is that we carry says so much about who we are.
Why do you choose to have everything hand-made in Los Angeles?
There is a certain character about the bags made here. For some reason when we produce something overseas and the workmanship is perfect – sometimes even better – it is still not appealing to me. It loses its character.
I know the work and effort behind every bag. The fact that we can create jobs for people that live in the US, and especially in my city, makes me feel good. They put their energy, their heart and passion in what they are doing and that is reflected in the product.
See Available Carla Mancini Bags