4 minute read
Leather Designs from Italy
STORY AND PHOTOS BY FELICIA FRAZAR
Julie Simmons admits she doesn’t have formal training in the fashion world, but her leather creations would suggest otherwise.
Simmons, who moved to Seguin about two years ago with her family, has crafted a new line of hand-stitched Italian leather purses, under the name of Odonate Alexander.
From large totes to classic clutches and wallets for men and women, Simmons wanted to give people lasting accessories that can carry more than a few items.
“I like fashion, and I like handbags, but my whole inspiration was I wanted a product that would endure and last,” she said. “I want all of them to be a symbol of keeping something and not throwing things away, just like we should do with life with relationships and friendships, our stories and our heritage and histories.”
Starting wasn’t easy, but Simmons powered through learning how to sketch her ideas then transfer them to a digital blueprint.
The one thing she knew from the start was where she wanted her designs to become a reality. “I knew that I wanted to have these bags made in Italy,” she said. “About eight or 10 years ago, we were in Italy and, after dinner, we were walking along the cobblestones, and there was an older man in a window with dim lighting — it was almost postcard-looking — and he was there hand-carving a violin. That’s what they’re all about; they do it all by hand, and I knew that’s how I wanted my bags done.”
Simmons took a trip to Florence and began scouring the country for a factory that would best suit her product — then she found it –– a small, family-owned business.
“I looked in it, and it is kind of small, and there were a handful of people in there sitting at workbenches hand-cutting leather, and I just said, ‘this is the one,’” she said. “Every little thing is done by hand there. The detail is incredible. They hand-roll all of the edges; they hand paint all of the edges after the bags are done.”
An element that drew Simmons to the factory is their use of locally harvested leather that is naturally tanned.
“The leather is vegetable tanned, instead of using the really harsh products that are used in traditional leather tanning,” she said. “This is made from plants and tree bark, so it is tanned and dyed with natural colors. All of the leather comes from Tuscany and is a byproduct of food from family farms.”
With help from new friends and the factory workers, Simmons was able to bring her designs to life.
“The project is quality,” she said. “I’m very proud of it. Every hand stitch, every zipper, every button you pick out, it’s all like building a house.”
Once the purses and wallets were complete, Simmons came up with another design question — how would she present and package her goods. She hired a box engineer to come up with a stylish box with her signature color decorated with her logo.
“I had it in my head I want the presentation to be great and that when someone buys one, I want them to feel like ‘WOW’ with good packaging,” she said.
Simmons may not have grown up in Guadalupe County, but her family connections tie her to New Berlin, where her great grandparents immigrated to from Europe.
It was her ancestral history that gave her the inspiration for her brand, Odonate Alexander. Odonate is a derivative for the Odonata species, which encompasses an order of flying insects that include dragonflies.
When her great grandmother immigrated to the U.S., she brought with her only a few items —her clothing, a pair of ice skates and an heirloom brooch given to her by her mother that depicted a dragonfly with outstretched wings.
“My dad’s whole side of the family is from here,” she said. “When my grandmother died, my grandfather gave me a dragonfly brooch. She had so much tenacity, much like the dragonfly.”
Alexander is her son’s middle name. In keeping with the tradition of honoring loved ones, Simmons’ line of products is named after family members and close friends.
“Once I got the idea, I just ran with it,” she said. “I want people to carry these until they get tired of it and put it down, not because it got ruined.”
Simmons has already started to design her Spring 2021 collection, will soon take a trip to Italy to deliver the new designs and get stitching.
