Cimarron Custom Leather Handbags
Cimarron Custom Leather Handbags is 3-year-old company, founded by Susan Kellogg of South Glens Falls, New York. Susan grew up one of six children with a seamstress mother. From her mother,… Full Aritcle
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Cimarron Custom Leather Handbags is 3-year-old company, founded by Susan Kellogg of South Glens Falls, New York. Susan grew up one of six children with a seamstress mother. From her mother, she picked up the ability to sew and she grew up sewing her own clothes and even won prizes at local fairs for some of her work when she was a child. Susan studied Design at LIU at Southampton. At this point in her life, Susan took a break from sewing and pursued other interests and opportunities.
A few years ago, Susan’s husband, Phil, recruited her help in sewing for his upholstery furniture business. This reinvigorated Susan’s interest in sewing and her talents for it. Around this time, she attended a trade show in Las Vegas and there, she purchased a leather handbag. This purchase further spurred her to start designing and producing small-run leather handbags and accessories.
Susan and her husband started looking for sources for leather. They found Townsend Leather in their own backyard – approximately 40 minutes away. They knew Townsend was located in an area well-known for its rich heritage of leather-making. Upon their first visits to Townsend, she found a lot of different styles, colors, and patterns of leather that would be used in her first handbag designs.
Over the coming months, Susan formally established her business as she began to produce leather handbags and word-of-mouth spread and orders started coming in. She named her business after her prized horse, Cimarron, who itself was named for the Cimarron Valley in New Mexico. Susan’s love for the West is obvious in some of her designs. She has incorporated conchos and horse bits as embellishments to many of pieces. The equestrian customer base she has established has come to love Susan’s work because of these details.
Cimarron Custom Leather Handbags started to grow over the months both by word-of-mouth and by its participation in a wide-range of trade shows all over the country and presence in boutique stores in different locations. Susan’s target customer ranges in age from 25 – 65 and is, of course, largely female. What connects Susan’s customers to her pieces is a blend of the leathers used, the beautiful designs and combinations of materials, and the lightweight quality of her handbags. Susan doesn’t use stiffeners in her bags to keep them lightweight and easy to carry. Susan has different styles for different customers and geographic regions. Some customers tend to go for the trendier options – bags incorporating acid wash hair-on hides and foils, for instance, while others opt for more classic and traditional designs and colors that can be used from year to year. Susan has options for everyone and works hard to stay in front of the customer with new ideas, color trends, and options.
Susan’s customers love the Townsend Leather used on these bags. They demand the full aniline drum-dyed leather Townsend makes and recognizes that the best leather is dyed all the way through from top to bottom. The customers love the softness of the leathers Susan selects, especially the lambskin she incorporates into many of her products. And they love the fact that Susan is making these handbags and accessories in Upstate New York, USA, with leather that is produced a short-driving distance from her shop.
In the short 3 years since Cimarron Custom Leather Handbags has started doing business, Susan has seen tremendous growth. Her product line has grown to more than a dozen options, including not just bags now but also accessories such as bracelets and belts. Susan takes feedback and ideas for new products she receives from speaking to customers very seriously, and she quickly incorporates new ideas into her line on a regular basis.
Because of this growth and increase in orders, Susan has already had to relocate her workshop from the original location to a new one that is larger and can better accommodate the daily orders and work. Susan often stays up until 11:00 PM working on catching up on the orders she takes in. Susan’s sister, Debbie Braley, also works full time with her sewing and doing design work. The sisters say they have more ideas for leather bags and accessories than they can keep up with at this point. Susan says when she comes to Townsend to shop for leathers, it’s like Christmas to her with all the leather options available to her. She looks forward to continued growth in her business and to using more and more of Townsend’s innovative leathers in her future designs.
Susan says, “Our Handbag business would not have come as far as it has, without the help of the Townsend Leather family. The enthusiasm, willingness, and extreme knowledge of their product have given us the tools we need to be so successful!”
To learn more about Susan and Cimarron Custom Leather Handbags, please visit www.cimarronhandbags.com.
Studio E/Motions is one of the leading design firms around the world. Their core focus is head of state aircrafts. Francis Munch of Studio E/Motions used a wide range of Townsend Leathers Taj Pearlized products for this VIP aircraft.
Francis works closely with the owners and learns the style décor that they are accustomed to living in. These wide body aircrafts are essentially flying homes and are an extension of the owner’s lifestyle.
AMAC aerospace is the leading producer of custom designs for private aviation. The entire team from engineering to interiors brings to life the concepts of these designs.
www.studioe-motions.com/aboutushistory.htm
www.amacaerospace.com
Flying Colours, Corp. based in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada completed a Bombardier Challenger 850 using Townsend Leather, as pictured here. Kate Gillespie was the lead designer on the project.
Kate says her client was involved in the design process and their inspiration was “classic elegance”
The leathers used on this aircraft were:
- Classic Cowhide Cottage Beige K5164 for Seating,
- Classic Perforated Cowhide Porridge CL-73630-0809P for Seat Accent,
- Classic Cowhide Buccaneer CL-633 for Lower Sidewall
- Classic Embossed & Tipped Cowhide Dark Brown in Stingray pattern ECL-3310-SR for Lower Sidewall Insert
Townsend Leather has worked with Flying Colours Corp. for over a decade and Townsend is proud to be part of some of the beautiful work done by the company.
Flying Colours Corp., established in 1989, is a global leader in all aspects of aircraft completions and maintenance. Initially opened to accommodate a growing aircraft sales and leasing division in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, Flying Colours has grown into a leading aviation service provider with concentration in the following areas: Green Completions, Refurbishment & Modification, Executive Conversions, Maintenance & Repair, Exterior Paint, Avionics Upgrade & Installation, Engineering & Design, Component Overhaul & Repair, and Auxiliary Fuel Systems.
To learn more about Flying Colours, visit them at: www.flyingcolourscorp.com.
Faux Parchment Lambskin by Roger Thomas Collection®™ as seen in the 2008 Academy Awards Green Room and in the Baccarat room in the Wynn Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas
Townsend Leather Company has been fortunate to work with Roger Thomas, recognized leader in interior design for the hospitality industry, on several product lines he designed. The first such product line was our Faux Parchment Lambskin.
Mr. Thomas came to Townsend with the vision of updating the classic beauty of genuine parchment made popular by Jean-Michel Frank in the 1930’s. The Faux Parchment Lambskin leather created for this collection invokes the look of genuine parchment, but with a soft supple feel, suitable for wall covering or upholstery use. Skins are selected from Townsend’s finest aniline-dyed lambskin reserves for specific grain properties that will allow for the sophisticated sauvage look that is essential to the product’s integrity. From there, all color is hand-applied and built in layers of hues that accent the natural markings, graining, and beauty that become the “pattern.” The skins are then sealed with urethane for added protection.
Similar to genuine parchment, Faux Parchment Lambskin will change and develop a beautiful patina over time. The Faux Parchment Lambskin Collection by Roger Thomas Collection is now available to the trade with 3 standard colorways.
Mr. Thomas designed 2008’s Architectural Digest Academy Awards Green Room in which the Faux Parchment Lambskin leather was featured on wall panels of the “old –Hollywood- glamour-inspired” room. The look was met with much positive feedback and became the impetus for a full product line to be developed by Roger Thomas Collection and Townsend Leather. In 2010, Mr. Thomas also incorporated this leather into the Baccarat Room in the Wynn Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
In the last year, Townsend Leather also launched an additional Roger Thomas signature collection featuring a range of large-scale, damask embossed leathers.
Townsend Leather is known for elevating leather from a commodity product to a truly unique design tool. Mr. Thomas shares this same passion, creativity, and sense of luxury, creating a unique partnership with Townsend.
Mr. Thomas is a recognized leader in interior design for the hospitality industry. As Executive Vice President of Design at Wynn Design and Development, Mr. Thomas has most recently created the interiors of such iconic properties as Wynn Las Vegas, Encore Las Vegas, Wynn Macau and Encore Wynn Macau.
photos.presslist.oscars.org/listanevent.php?events=1352&CSNLOOPCTR=1
www.rogerthomascollection.com
Abstract Art Cowhide in Lunar Eclipse for Headboards in Threadneedles Hotel, London
Townsend sales representatives Tim Beckett and Jean Luc DeLouche were on various calls in London in early 2012. They had with them special samples demonstrating new techniques that Townsend’s Hand-tipping department had been working on. They were done with paintbrush, stencils, sponges and other non-traditional techniques. They planned to show these samples only to a boutique handbag maker but decided on a whim to also show to interior designer, Ivana Cermovic at Jestico & Whiles, who was working on a very special hotel project at the time.
Ivana had been looking for something new and unique when she met with Tim and Jean Luc and the samples she saw overwhelmed her with all the new possibilities. Immediately following the meeting, Ivana sent Townsend the exact design she was looking for. The design was inspired by a large tapestry of a sun; the concept was that of a lunar eclipse – with a sun in the middle and black sky around the outside. She envisioned this look on headboards of the Threadneedles Hotel in London that was being completed in time for the 2012 London Olympics. Townsend quickly set to work to bring Ivana’s idea to life and in the deadline at hand.
The installation and final look was very well-received by the hotel owner who loved the rooms. You can see this captivating design and the use of this very special and unique leather in the featured photos.
This one-of-a-kind project demonstrates that Townsend’s specialty is working in conjunction with interior designers on whatever concepts they can dream up, and interpreting this vision on leather. With today’s blend of technology and old-world craftsmanship, the sky is the limit for what can be done to customize leather that adds a never-before-imagined creative touch to any interior design.
plus.google.com/101635117759663002541/posts
www.theetoncollection.co.uk/content.aspx?pageid=430
Our Designer Showcase page will give a prominent focus to your work through photos and writing. Just provide us with some details about your project and any photos that you have, then we pull it all together and place it on our beautifully-designed webpage for the world to enjoy.
Similar to a blog, but always relevant, the Designer Showcase features inspirational and creative work submitted by designers around the globe. These original works, which were selected by our review committee, represent some of the most innovative and varied uses of leather.
When you click on the image/post you are interested in, you get to see the full size images and read all the details. Of course, you will be given the chance to approve your images and information. After Townsend has collected everything we need for the Designer Showcase post, we will put together a quick mock-up of how the post will look. We send this mock-up out for approval to you and then post it to our Designer Showcase page. We know you can provide something stellar that will really stand out as a featured design.
We just have a couple easy questions to start things off.
- What project would you like to share with the world?
a. When and where did this project occur?
b. Give us a little of the story or background of the project
2. Tell us a little about yourself
a. Your name, company, location, brief bio
We will take your answers and write up a brief posting to showcase on our website. We will contact you for more information if we have further questions.
We would love to show off some photos of your project submission, so please send along any images that we can post, to us at info@townsendleather.com.
The Townsend Leather Designer Showcase is sure to be an exciting and popular web-destination. We are truly looking forward to the wide variety and interesting projects that get submitted and eventually make their way to the page.
If you have any questions or concerns about the new Townsend Leather website or the Designer Showcase contact us at info@townsendleather.com.
Thanks!
Townsend Leather’s mission is to treat everyone that we encounter in the course of business as a Partner. We have been very fortunate and grateful for all the recognition we have received over the years from customers, vendors, and other organizations for our work as a supplier and as a community member. It is always an honor to be selected, nominated, and recognized within or outside our industry. Your recognition drives us to continue working in the spirit of partnership each and every day.
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