Lockheart: For the Love of Handbags
Last year when Trang Huynh and Jennifer Tash left Isabella Fiore, the successful accessories company that they co-founded, the plan was to pursue lazy beach days and alternate artistic endeavors. But their spirits didn’t let go of the business. Even on a day off, their thoughts wandered to handbags.
“Trang was drawing in the sand and I was drawing in the sand,” said Tash about a day they spent at the beach shortly after leaving Isabella Fiore. “I looked at her drawing, she looked at mine and we were each drawing a handbag. We looked at each other and thought, ’Oh my God. We still have to do this.’”
Their new handbag company, Lockheart, takes the pair back to their roots of a small business model (there are currently seven full-time office employees) and back on the road, greeting customers face to face in the stores.
“As a company grows, you lose touch with your roots, you lose touch with your customer, you lose touch with marching where you need to march to evolve,” said Tash, explaining one reason why she and Huynh left Isabella Fiore.
The founders still have a stake in the Los Angeles–based Isabella Fiore and wish the company the best.
“Even though we are not there, it’s still our name, and you want anything that has your name attached to it somewhere to do well. We want to see them blossom and keep on their rising climb,” Tash said.
Lockheart’s unique artisan leather designs with meticulous handiwork are a testament to the designers’ prowess in the business.
Ann Helpern, owner of Habit in Brentwood, was immediately attracted to Lockheart’s craftsmanship and has carried the line in her shoes and accessories boutique for the past three seasons.
“I think that it’s at the very highest quality leather and workmanship, and every aspect of [the handbags] is just beautiful,” said Helpern. “Everybody who touches it recognizes the quality and the value and the feel of it.”
One handbag with a vintage-style faux frame is embellished with French knots made by hand, saddle stitching, whipstitching and a hand-braided handle. Another group has a Los Angeles casual rocker slant and features laser-embossed leather in a python pattern cut into strips and woven with cowhide leather.
Details to make life easier are hidden throughout the design of the bags. Pockets are integrated on the outside design for easy access; the hardware, made of a lighter metal than brass, cuts down the weight, and a leash with a hook attaches a matching wallet to the bag. Wholesale price points range from $150 to $400 for handbags and are under $100 for small leather goods.
Looking ahead, Lockheart plans to expand upon its offerings of fabric and leather bags, starting with a linen document floral-print bag for Spring 2007. Belts to complement the handbag designs are also in the works, with their touch of artisan quality.
“What we like when we send a bag out for anybody to buy, is that it needs to look like somebody’s hands touched it. Not that it was just sewn up on a sewing machine,” Tash said.
For more information, call (800) 783- 2160. —Rhea Cortado
