Designer Feature
All Hands designer Jennifer Stilwell
March 14, 2014
Jennifer Stilwell, designer of All Hands, our newest handmade line of leather goods, is all heart and spirit. Traveler, artist, seafarer, adventurer, and do-gooder, her designs embody the way she lives. Both have a raw exhuberance for life and a reverence for the natural world.
Stilwell recounts: "I was traveling the globe as an integral member of an artisan development fund aimed at promoting and supporting indigenous artisans. In order to combat the extreme solitude that sometimes comes with living at sea, I set up a portable leather studio in the bow of the ship."
Her handbags are unlike anything we've ever seen. So much love and time and craftsmanship have clearly gone into each piece. The leather is vegetable dyed, and every "imperfection" is testament to the fact that the animal from which it was made was able to roam freely throughout its life.
"It is my goal to start with domestic production of goods," Stilwell says, "and over time to move at least 50% of production overseas to artisan groups and women’s collectives in order to help support a sense of purpose, pride, better wages and fairer working conditions. I feel more comfortable putting things out into the world that were constructed by hand and by limited means of production. I take great pride in helping people empower themselves through craftsmanship."
Her promise: "All of my products are made by hand, whether it be in a small local workshop, in my studio in NYC, or in the portable studio I travel with wherever I may roam."
Featured Look
Pretty Palette
March 11, 2014
Gypsy 05 Tunic, Love Heals Necklace, Coclico heels, Subtle Luxury scarf.
A little peachy, a little beachy, and a lot of what we need this March. The sun is finally out, and we're definitely ready to lighten up.
Window Design
Yarn Bombing
March 7, 2014
Liz makes bombs. Yarn bombs, that is. Newest Director of Design here at Ode, she's spent the last couple weeks creating, as she puts it, "sweaters for sticks." She took the concept of yarn bombing (graffiti-like tactics with a crafty bent) to a whole new level. The Ode level.
Eye love you.
Bomb-maker at work.
Lucky stick.
Neutral yarn-bomb. It's the Switzerland of our sticks.
Secret Agent Stick. Can you spot it?
Loose-knit Stick
The Watcher
The Bomb
Still Life with Walking Stick
And...it's a wrap!
Behind the Scenes
Folklore Photoshoot
March 6, 2014
A behind the scenes look at our Folklore Collection photoshoot.
Dana and Tatiana, getting cozy on our many rugs and textiles.
Embroidered and beaded.
We built a yurt!
Twist and pin.
Baubles and charms.
A study in layers.