Where it all started: My first handbag design

The first handbag I ever designed was actually one I made for myself, long before SJW Bags began. I had a bag I loved from Henri Bendel that inspired the shape, and I wanted to reimagine it in my own way, adding vibrancy with a beautiful Uzbek Ikat fabric. There was no big business plan then, just a feeling that ikat and leather belonged together. Around the same time, I met some amazingly talented leather craftsmen in Istanbul whom I began to develop more bags with, and ten years later, we’re still creating unique artisan-made handbags together.

What I love about ikat is that it’s not perfect - you can really see the handcrafting in it; the unique process that delivers different results every time, and the emotion that comes from every weaver’s personal style and skills passed down through generations. The result is a collection of sustainable luxury handbags where no two are ever exactly alike.

From the beginning, it was about respecting the textile and letting it speak in a modern way. And today, with that same team, it’s evolved into pieces like the Fergana Clutch and the Rhonda Bag.

It’s all one continuous journey, just refined over time. And when you wear it, you’re carrying more than a bag, you’re carrying the emotion of the weaver, the human touch behind it. There’s a quiet bond between the maker, the designer, and the wearer. For me, that connection is the real luxury.