If you haven’t heard, it’s my honor to tell you that I have been invited to show a collection at Midwest Fashion Week 2011. Midwest Fashion Week (MFW) began in 2006 when Catou Couture fashion designer Berny Martin, discovered a need for an outlet to allow local, national, and international designers, models, stylists, and photographers to showcase their talents. I’ve designed a new collection for the season and this is an amazing opportunity for me to share it.

I’m looking forward to showing a re-imagined, evolution of my Signature Collection with some smart and highly functional handbags. A handful of entirely new pieces  will round out the showing.

Summer has gone, no time to be sad.

The fall air is also bringing me closer to nature, natural (bold) colors and materials, these things inspire me lately. Structured shapes and refined finishes put a feeling of luxe and lasting quality to the natural materials. While I may find myself going back to the tried and true classics of fall fashion for a look, it’s always a good time for a ‘statement piece’ accessory, especially a handbag.

I’m REALLY excited that I get to show this new season in my hometown of Indianapolis. It means a lot after living outside of Chicago for the last ten years to get to come home and be part of this years show (extra butterflies). I really hope to get a group of friends and relatives to attend (hint, hint). Alas, these next four weeks (and sadly the show as well) will be gone in a flash, so I am going to make this one to remember, I hope you all enjoy it!

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Every so often I get the urge to give myself a challenge. Experimentation breeds both masterpieces and of course some of the most hideous creations, but as I’ve come to discover it is often more about the process than the end result!

Halloween had come and gone… and this year I decided to be a zombie lab technician, when I ordered the elements for my costume the company accidentally shipped me an entire case of green Nitri-Chem lab gloves instead of one pair. I figured I would at some point in time do enough cleaning to actually use all the gloves but then came the dilemma of where to store them and, who can actually use that many pairs of gloves? So in lieu of using them as stocking stuffers, I thought I’d reconstruct them and turn them into a handbag.

I’m still unsure at this point if I actually like the end result but as I said earlier it was the process that I enjoyed. And in case you would like to try your hand at one I documented the process just for fun:

* MATERIALS *

1. 8-10 pairs of sturdy rubber gloves

2. Nylon Fabric (for the bag lining)

3. (1) Zipper or Magnetic Snap

4. Handbag hardware (chains, rings etc. for the shoulder strap)

5. Decorative accessories

6. Scissors

7. Thread

8. Sewing pins

9. Sewing Machine

* STEP 1 *

Using a pair of scissors begin to cut apart each glove. I found it easiest to remove the cuff portion first, then slit it open on one side and cut the cuff area into four strips. After dismantling the cuff, cut the top “finger area” of the glove into strips. I cut the finger holes open at the seams to maximize the surface area and to eliminate waste. After all the gloves had been cut apart I began pining the pieces together to form longer strips for weaving.

I wanted to give this bag a very rough textural look so when I began piecing the strips together I twisted some so that the white inside would show through. None of the strips were at all uniform except in length.

* STEP 2 *

After all the strips have been pinned together in a pattern that you like attach the pieces together on your sewing machine. I decided to use black thread with haphazard top stitching to emphasize that rough look I was after.

* STEP 3*

Once all of the rubber strips have been sewn together you can begin weaving them together. I found that assembly was easiest on top of an ironing board so you have something to pin the strips down to while you are weaving. It is important to keep the strips flat throughout this process to eliminate bunching and to ensure that the panel you create is straight on all sides.

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Now that you have all the strips woven together you are ready to stitch the edges to secure them. After the entire piece is sewn together you can trim any excess from the edges.

*Repeat steps 1-3 to create a second panel for the other side if the bag.

* STEP 4 *

After both panels have been woven it’s time to select a fabric for the bag lining. I suggest a sturdy nylon since the woven panels do have a bit if stretch to them and it’s important that the bag has some structure to it.

* STEP 5*

Zipper installation…one of my least favorite parts of the process, I wasn’t exactly sure how well this would work given that this was a foreign material…but it wasn’t so bad.

Now that the zipper is in place, you can install the clasp hardware for your shoulder strap and pin and sew the seams of the lining and shell. Then turn the bag right side out and your almost done!

*STEP 6 *

All that’s left is adding the shoulder strap and any other decorative elements. I selected a mid-weight chain for this particular bag. I liked the contrast between the rugged weave and black top stitching, it added just the right amount of sparkle. I also added a another piece of chain to one side and a few signature fashionjenn charms…I guess I just can’t live without a little extra bling!

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The Nitri-Chem Rubber Glove bag by Fashionjenn

In all, the bag took about 5 hours to complete from start to finish…minus a few breaks. It’s not exactly a “green” bag when you take into account what kind of chemicals were used to produce the rubber gloves. But it is a new way to recycle something I had acquired by mistake. I think I have enough gloves left over to make a clutch and a pair or two leftover to use for heavy duty housework.

Being an indie designer can often be a bit lonely, spending countless hours holed up in my studio cutting fabric, sanding, painting and sketching. Though I think you never truly know yourself until you create alone there is an interesting phenomenon that has begun to take shape in our generation. Perhaps it is a need to be different, a need to have a voice, a need to share and to become a more responsible consumer. The definition of “community” has changed so dramatically in my relatively short lifespan. We are no longer defined by zip codes, state lines or vast oceans…all we have to do is to turn on our computers and type the infinite phrase:http://www.______.com. There is quite possibly a limitless amount of information available at our fingertips.

Most artists, designers and crafters are all very familiar with Etsy the premiere handmade marketplace to buy and sell handmade items. What I didn’t expect was a conversation I overheard this weekend while in an upscale salon in the Chicagoland Suburbs. Two twenty-somethings were perusing hair magazines, one toting a black Coach Bag and the other a very unique tote which had of course immediately caught my attention as well.

They were having a conversation about their handbags and the girl mentioned that she had purchased it on Etsy. The other girl started asking questions, commenting that she had never heard of that store but that she really would like to have a handbag that everyone else wasn’t carrying.

What struck my interest most about their conversation was the shift in consumer attitude. Now I realize that this isn’t any sort of ground breaking discovery on my part, it was just very unexpected especially given my location where labels are the ultimate status symbol. It drove home the realization that there has in fact been real growth in the independent market and that it had even stretched to the spot in which I was sitting.

And strangely enough this morning while sorting through my e-mail and favorite morning blogs I stumbled on an Etsy video I thought was worth sharing:

What I enjoy most about Etsy is the communal environment of creativity they have built. You can add items and shops to a favorites list, share, ask questions in the forums and of course buy and sell amazing items from artists, designers and crafters the world over.

The concept that we as artists and consumers are no longer defined by our physical location and now able to reach one another in a whole new way is exciting. This movement that embraces creativity and places a true value and opportunity to earn a living wage is the fundamental idea on which the American Dream was built.

And of of course I would be remiss not to mention that fashionjenn handbags are also available on Etsy!