The Jack Blue Perspective

Nancy Osborne, the founder of Jack Blue Handbags is the ultimate designer.  She has worked in wide range of areas of fashion design: apparel, jewelry, shoes, which is evident when you look at her handbags.  She originally trained as a clothing designer at the University of Nebraska getting her BA in Textile Clothing and Design before moving on to Cordwainers College in London for another degree in Footwear and Handbag Design. She was also a jewelry designer for five years around the same time.  

After London, she moved to Southern California in 2003 and started Jack Blue Handbags.   Jack Blue is not just any handbag company. It is the culmination of her experiences as a designer.  Using classic shapes and working with unique materials such as python, texture hornback leather, she often juxtaposes found objects such as old keys-coins as metal hardware.   The result is a one of a kind, unique and fresh point-of-view unlike any other. And if that weren't special enough, each bag is cut, stitched, and put together by Nancy herself.

Jack Blue has been in NYC since 2007.  Her handbags are appreciated all over including a growing list of celebrity clients which includes Naomi Watts, Madonna, Paris Hilton, Jillian Barberry, Tyra Banks, Nick Cave and Dennis Hopper.  With her connections and wholesale business growing and her custom clients, Nancy plans to stick around New York for a while.

Jack Blue is at The Market NYC at 268 Mulberry Street on Saturdays and Sundays.

CLO: Taking Over Lingerie ....One Pair of Lace Panties at a Time

"You give the guy more, when you design for the girl," explains Claudia Ochoa, Founder and Creative Director of CLO Intimo, a lingerie line that she launched in 2003. Originally from Medellín, Colombia, Claudia started CLO after working for many years for the ready-to-wear fashion houses in Columbia. She believes designing lingerie should be for and about the woman, not the man. "When it's designed for the man, it feeds into a woman's insecurities and men will see that," she says.

CLO creates feminine, flattering lingerie influenced by the sophisticated modernity of the New York woman, while maintaining the passion, color and sensuality of her South American roots. CLO is all about Claudia. It has beauty, strength, confidence, and passion, which all happen to be important elements of her line. In addition, she is ambitious vowing to muscle her way into the upper echelons of the lingerie world as she says "one pair of lace panties at a time."

CLO sells at The Market NYC at 268 Mulberry Street on Saturdays.

Arza Design: Architecturally Inspired Handbags

 

Inspired by the architectural ideal of form follows function, Arza Design has created a line of handbags that truly has an architectural flavor with its clean, strong lines and simple shapes.  Even her name, Arza Gilad sounds and feels a bit architectural.  Adhering to the old adage that less is more, she eschews the notion that the more you add to something the better it becomes.  She doesn't overdesign, overmake, or overthink anything: "Whatever you do in life you need to know when to stop," she says. 

After studying Textile Design in Tel Aviv, Arza moved to New York and immediately started working in the fashion industry.  Like a lot of independent designers with the entrepreneurial spirit, Arza wanted to branch out on her own and "work for me and not for others."  She started Arza Design in 2002 and has been thriving ever since selling to stores all over the USA and some stores overseas.  As one of the original designers when The Market NYC first started, she can still be found at the back, you can't miss her.  Just look for her signature, US Patented Diamond Shoulder Bag (shown above). 

Liane By Design: Caterpillars Turn into Butterflies...

Liane Okamitsu, the woman behind Liane By Design began designing her unique line of beautiful, hand-crocheted jewelry in 2003. In just six years, she's been able to take her craft to a great place.  "I've brought the business to a new, hopeful, and exciting level, working harder than ever, but happier than ever," she says.

But Liane's road to success as a jewelry designer started differently from the traditional path of most other designers.  A successful woman's wear designer in the Garment District of more than 25 years, Liane was diagnosed with cancer in 2002.  After finishing her treatments, she became cancer free but felt uninspired to go back to the urban jungle, which didn't seem to hold the same exciting energy as it had in the past. 

She gave it all up and took an art therapy course in jewelry making at The Creative Center, an organization for people living with cancer.  She credits The Center for changing the direction of her life and "pays it forward" by contributing a portion of net sales to the art therapy and cancer groups that helped her through her illness.  Fast forward six years she is happy, healthy, and with a business that is doing well despite a down economy. She has always taken inspiration from a quote that serves as the theme of Liane By Design: "Just when the caterpillar thought it was the end of the world it turned into a butterfly."

Liane By Design began selling at The Market NYC in 2003. Since then she has built up a following who come specifically to see her and her new creations. Her technique of crocheting fine silver or 14 karat gold-filled wire and intermingling Swarovski crystals, pearls, or other stones produces pieces that are sumptuous, yet light, intricate yet uncomplicated. But you know to truly appreciate the beauty and craftsmanship of her pieces, you have to see them in person.

Liane By Design sells in stores across the United States, overseas, at designer and craft shows, as well as The Market NYC at 268 Mulberry Street on Saturdays and Sundays.

Umsteigen: Inspired by Joy

Straddling line between DIY and urban chic, Umsteigen (pronounced oom-schtai-gen) is hard to sum up. The limited edition hoodies, shirts, and dresses are casual, easy-to-wear, fun, playful with an overall feeling of joy and a dash of nostalgia.  Let's just say it looks and feels right.  But you know, I think the Umsteigen style is all about owner/designer, Susanne Schubert's passion and global background.  Born in Berlin, high schooled in the US, and then university in Montreal has given her a point-of-view that looks and feels uniquely not American (not that there is anything wrong with American).  Ameripean?  Euromerican?  Whatever the case, we just love Umsteigen!

Umsteigen started in Montreal in 2003 as a kind of experiment.  After producing some samples, she got into a few stores locally and then "it kind of just exploded and stores kept ordering more and more," she says.  When she moved to New York in 2004, she continued developing the brand selling wholesale and the following year started selling at The Market NYC.

Working out of what used to be a knitting factory (with a great view) in Williamsburg, she finds inspiration for her designs.  Doing four collections a year, transitioning between seasons, keeps her designs fresh, interesting, and continually evolving, not to mention really busy.  "I work intuitively.  I see what looks good.  I continue doing them (the designs) till I get bored. Then I change."  New styles, new designs, come out of her studio every few months. Umsteigen recently introduced a men's line last Spring and it's been a great addition to the collection.

Umsteigen sells at The Market NYC at 268 Mulberry Street on Saturdays and Sundays.