Craft That Earns the Hand: Grant Anderson on Meaningful Building Bags | Emily Blumenthal & Grant Anderson

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<v SPEAKER_00>Acceptable back then would go straight to the trash can today.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But just seeing that growth, I'm really happy I didn't throw everything away just to look back.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And even some of them that, you know, I thought, oh, I'm really doing well here.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And looking back now, it's like, oh yeah, I missed that a little bit.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You know, it's like wouldn't pass the test anymore.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So the growth over time, everything is a saddle stitch, so I don't use a sewing machine.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Oh, you don't?

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<v SPEAKER_00>I do not, no.

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<v SPEAKER_00>What do you use?

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<v SPEAKER_00>You hand sew?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Hand sew, yes.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Wow.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Hi, and welcome to Handbag Designer 101 the podcast with your host, Emily Blumenthal, Handbag Industry Expert, and the Handbag Perry Godmother.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Each week we uncover the stories behind the handbags we love, from the iconic brands and top designers, the creativity, craftsmanship, and culture that define the handbag world.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Whether you're a designer, collector, or simply passionate about handbags, this is your front row seat to it all.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Welcome Grant Anderson of Uptown Common to Handbag Designer 101 the podcast.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Welcome.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So excited to have you.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I'm excited to be here.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Thanks, Emily.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Yes.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So you are one of our hand-picked, selected, curated, all those buzzy words, handbag designers for our New York Now X It Bag coming February 1st through the third.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So excited to have you.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Your bags really have something unique.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Part of this podcast is to feature and highlight people like you, to keep people inspired, to tell stories about what brought you to this amazing slash psycho world of handbags.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So welcome.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I'm done.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Thank you.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Yeah, it's it's been an interesting ride for sure.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So definitely something I started back in 2020 and really early in 2020 before COVID hit, and at the time was working in e-commerce and had a three-day work week schedule, which COVID quickly did away with and put me on six days a week.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But really just started and started with a kind of an inspiration was a briefcase that I bought that I thought was a really nice briefcase.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And come to find out, I wasn't very impressed with the materials that were used.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Despite being very solid construction and long-lasting, they just weren't inspiring, they weren't didn't age well, things like that.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And I just decided I can make a better bag than this.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Can I ask you a question?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Just as a man, is this something you've purchased before?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Because shopping habits and retail anthropology is a huge, huge part of what this is about.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And what brought you to saying, I'm gonna go out and buy a new bag?

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<v SPEAKER_00>I hadn't really, no.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Needed kind of needed a well, I was getting a little bit older and wanted a briefcase instead of just backpacks.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And yeah, just look for something and wanted kind of a a Western style leather bag, is what I looked for.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And and like I said, found a good one.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And they have the the company that I bought it from is a quality product.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It's just I think they're nicer products, especially for the price that was paid.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So you you paid, I assume, and can I ask where you bought it?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Did you buy it from their website?

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<v SPEAKER_01>You don't need to list the brand.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I'm just curious.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It was directly from them, and I had purchased a few other items before just to see, okay, is the quality really here?

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<v SPEAKER_00>So, you know, when you go in with and my brand, I've kind of tried to take that into consideration as well.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That not everyone's gonna come in and buy your top-of-the-line product, they're gonna want a trial piece first.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It's like, let's see how this quality really is, especially if it's online sales.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So, really looking at trying to have some lower price point items available so people can see the leather, they can see the craftsmanship.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So, I had bought some other things from them before just to see what the quality was.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And I did like the quality, but then really after living with the bag for a few years, it was like this just isn't over time becoming it, doesn't give me the grandfather's eye fold wallet feel that you know, you just the the patina, all the great things about leather.

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<v SPEAKER_00>This particular leather was not doing that.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It would scratch up and starts to crack.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And some of the lining was it was all leather, but it felt like plastic because of their tanning process and the actual material that they used.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So just uh yeah, some of those intricate details.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Were you an accidental expert in terms of backing in to see how this product didn't stand the test of time?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Because what you know, a lot of people don't realize is that leather is a skin, right?

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<v SPEAKER_01>It's like for better or for worse, it's like our own skin.

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<v SPEAKER_01>It's gonna get worn, it's gonna get teared, it's gonna get scratched, it's going to get a level of used love feeling.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And, you know, just to use coach as an example, that was what their specialty was, that it's loved.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So you could see and it would mold itself.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So for you to say that this leather didn't stand the test of time the way you would have wanted it to, it speaks to reverse engineering and becoming an expert in something that you didn't really realize you were, it sounds like.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Absolutely, yes.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Yeah, and it was just doing the research.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So, like I said, when I bought it, I was fully convinced this is top of the line and realizing I wasn't paying Louis Vuitton prices or coach prices.

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<v SPEAKER_00>This was, you know, below that, it wasn't such a big name brand badge on it, but I was fully convinced.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And they're one of, I don't want to say their motto.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I don't need it, not trying to do that, but basically this bag will last forever, and I'm fully convinced it will.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But when I was, I want to say my wife was talking about a car a while back, a Toyota Corolla, and she wanted a Corolla, and I went, and this has been decades ago, and I went and looked at the consumer research and said, yes, it lasts forever, but also everyone hates it.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So, and it's it's just one of those that okay, it lasts forever, but I don't like driving it any day that I go and drive it, you know.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And it this was a couple decades ago.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I'm sure the Corolla, if they still make it, is probably a fine car now.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But yeah, I just kind of relate it to that that okay, it'll last forever, but do I really want to use it?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Is this something that I look forward to picking up and carrying and being seen with every day?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, and my mom had a Corolla, and I remember that we had it forever, but it wasn't anything as like, oh, you know, you're buying into, and this is vintage, obviously, but you're buying into something that you know might last.

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<v SPEAKER_01>But how much work do you have to put into the starting and the driving?

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<v SPEAKER_01>So if you're going to invest in something that is basically an extension of you and how you see yourself, you want it to look the part.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So a lot of us, I'd say a good portion of us who end up becoming handbag designers who aren't technically trained in design, end up becoming that person of I had something, I liked it, I couldn't find what I wanted.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So therefore, I ended up making it.

00:07:07.519 --> 00:07:11.279
<v SPEAKER_01>Was it a COVID thing that you were like, maybe I could do this better?

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<v SPEAKER_01>How did that work?

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<v SPEAKER_00>It was just about a three-day work week at the time, and knowing that I would very easily waste the other four days of the week.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So I wanted to get a good hobby that I could be productive and really get outside of the corporate world, have some creativity, something that I think is freeing for all of us to kind of explore that side of ourselves and just spend some time like internally focused instead of just yeah, watching movies and like you know, told people, okay, I'd work out for a half hour and then I could sit there and watch movies all day.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And it's like, well, that's not a great life.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So we need to uh find something that would be productive.

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<v SPEAKER_00>My wife was had started uh Uptown Common, and she was doing macrame at the time, so plant hangers, things like that.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So I was doing some small items, adding it to her booth, and she was actually selling those wallets, keychains, coasters, a lot of small items that she kind of added and kind of helped me grow into what I eventually wanted to do.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I knew from the beginning I wanted to do purses and large bags and just took some time to get there.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So, did you know how to sew before this?

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<v SPEAKER_00>No.

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<v SPEAKER_00>No, I have some of my first projects still around, and it's fun to look back and just see how far it's come.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You know, what was acceptable back then would go straight to the trash can today.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But just seeing that growth, I'm really happy I didn't throw everything away just to look back, and even some of them that you know, I thought, oh, I'm really doing well here.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And looking back now, it's like, oh yeah, I missed that a little bit.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You know, it's like wouldn't pass the test anymore.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So the growth over time, everything is a saddle stitch, so I don't use a sewing machine.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Oh, you don't?

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<v SPEAKER_00>I do not, no.

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<v SPEAKER_00>What do you use?

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<v SPEAKER_00>You hand sew?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Hand sew, yes.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Wow, yes, everything's hand sewn, and I've actually I've done I used a traditional saddle stitch for really the first four years of the business, and then it was, I guess, 2024.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I started doing a modified saddle stitch where I'm actually using two pieces of thread and four needles, and I can get kind of a two-tone stitching, and something that's become a a little bit of a kind of point of emphasis for me.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Just it's a small detail that you know doesn't stick out like the Louis Vuitton logo from across the room, but the person using the bag sees that and sees that extra detail and just kind of a little bit of luxury in your hand that's not like projected out for everyone to see.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Right.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Wow, that's amazing.

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<v SPEAKER_01>That's so interesting.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Do you think so you have basically and the funny thing is that I think craft has gotten a bad rap as being something very female focused.

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<v SPEAKER_01>But ironically, if you go all the way back, you know, sewing and tailoring was very much a men's world.

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<v SPEAKER_01>In fact, the first handbag designer that was a female was like a radical, like, oh my God, I can't believe someone is doing that.

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<v SPEAKER_01>When, you know, in the peak of Louis Vuitton and everything, like the trunks that came out, those were made by hand and they were all made by men.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So it is very much a it's very much vocational in a way when you find yourself doing and making, you're using your hands.

00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:30.720
<v SPEAKER_01>So it's it's not unnatural, I think, for a man to be doing this.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And I know some people might think that's weird to say, but it needs to be debunked, you know, because I think people just assume if anything's done by hand, it's done by women.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And I think I bet there's like something to say that you have to actually prove that to people actually saying, I'm the one who's making them.

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<v SPEAKER_00>We do a lot of art fairs.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That's been our primary sales um avenue for the last five years.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And yes, we get people that come into the booth all, you made all this.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And I'm not the only one that gets asked that, but it's it is amazing when you look at that and you consider that, well, it's either me or it's coming, you know, a lot of times from a shop where it's like, yeah, a whole bunch of laborers that are making very little money, unfortunately.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And that's a lot of the luxury brands.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I know there have been some TikToks recently about they're in Asia and sewing in a logo that says made in Italy while in Asia.

00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:31.279
<v SPEAKER_00>And you know, just seeing those things and realizing that the the skill set is obtainable by anyone.

00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:37.679
<v SPEAKER_00>And we're literally teaching children, unfortunately, in some cases, to make handbags.

00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:43.919
<v SPEAKER_00>And that's uh so yeah, it's it's fun putting the product out there though, and just the like I said, seeing my skill grow over time.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I'm kind of looking at my inventory that I'm making for the wholesale show right now.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So I'm still in the middle of production here and yeah, getting ready for New York to kick off here at the beginning of February.

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<v SPEAKER_01>If you ever wanted to start a handbag brand and didn't know where to start, this is for you.

00:12:01.440 --> 00:12:06.879
<v SPEAKER_01>If you had dreams of becoming a handbag designer but aren't trained in design, this is for you.

00:12:07.039 --> 00:12:11.440
<v SPEAKER_01>If you have a handbag brand and need strategy and direction, this is for you.

00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:20.159
<v SPEAKER_01>I'm Emily Blumenthal, handbag designer expert and handbag fairy godmother, and this is the handbag designer 101 masterclass.

00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:27.120
<v SPEAKER_01>Over the next 10 classes, I will break down everything you need to know to make, manufacture, and market a handbag brand.

00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:36.559
<v SPEAKER_01>Broken down to ensure that you will not only skip steps in the handbag building process, but also to save money to avoid the learning curve of costly mistakes.

00:12:36.799 --> 00:12:47.679
<v SPEAKER_01>For the past 20 years, I've been teaching at the top fashion universities in New York City, wrote the handbag designer Bible, founded the handbag awards, and created the only handbag designer podcast.

00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:54.240
<v SPEAKER_01>I'm going to show you like I have countless brands to create in this in-depth course from sketch to sample to sale.

00:12:54.480 --> 00:13:04.639
<v SPEAKER_01>Whether you're just starting out and don't even know where to start up again, or if you've had a brand and need some strategic direction, the handbag designer 101 Masterclass is just for you.

00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:08.320
<v SPEAKER_01>So let's get started, and you'll be the creator of the next it bag.

00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:12.879
<v SPEAKER_01>Join me, Emily Blumenthal, in the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass.

00:13:13.120 --> 00:13:24.879
<v SPEAKER_01>So be sure to sign up at Emily Blumenthal.com slash masterclass and type in the code oncast to get 10% off your masterclass today.

00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:40.080
<v SPEAKER_01>It's very hard to scale, right?

00:13:40.320 --> 00:13:43.279
<v SPEAKER_01>If you're still the one time value of money.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And I think that's a challenge for a lot of independent designers.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Again, if anybody who's listened to this, I have a huge aversion to the word emerging.

00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:53.120
<v SPEAKER_01>I hate that word.

00:13:53.279 --> 00:13:54.960
<v SPEAKER_01>I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Because after doing something for five years, you know, the gestational period of that is you've emerged.

00:14:01.039 --> 00:14:02.399
<v SPEAKER_01>Like you're out, you're out of the hole.

00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:08.000
<v SPEAKER_01>Like you've been running around, you're it like if animals have come, they've already left their parents by then.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So as an independent designer, if you want to grow and scale, it's very hard to say, I'm gonna be captain of this, because with the designers with whom I've consulted, and a lot of the work I've done is to try and educate designers because you have to relinquish some control if you want to grow.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Now, it doesn't mean you need to if you don't want to.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Like no one's putting a gun to your head saying you must do this.

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<v SPEAKER_01>But the time value of money to grow a brand, it potentially means at some point you may have to relinquish control.

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<v SPEAKER_01>What are your thoughts on that?

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<v SPEAKER_00>My thoughts on that are more around the idea of bringing someone in and having an apprenticeship and really, yeah, and teaching someone the craft from the ground up, really looking more towards, I guess, more like the guitar world, where some of the high-end Martins things like that, it's it's a luthier that takes it from selecting the wood all the way through the finish.

00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:11.679
<v SPEAKER_00>And I think that is more where our brand is aligning.

00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:14.720
<v SPEAKER_00>We've looked at some outsourcing before.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It did not go well.

00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:20.639
<v SPEAKER_00>Um, I should have checked the Better Business Bureau before working for the particular company.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Listen, I I think what you just said is an unfortunate but honest and realistic learning curve effect.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And, you know, I tell every handbag designer have at least$5,000 earmarked for loss.

00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:43.039
<v SPEAKER_01>And that is like trying something out that went really horribly wrong.

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<v SPEAKER_01>You just got to expect.

00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:48.559
<v SPEAKER_01>And when it happens, you beat yourself up so badly.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Like, why didn't I do this?

00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:51.360
<v SPEAKER_01>And I should have done that.

00:15:51.519 --> 00:15:58.240
<v SPEAKER_01>But it's like it's life, you know, it's like dating someone and then realizing, ah, so they are psycho.

00:15:58.399 --> 00:16:00.320
<v SPEAKER_01>I guess what everybody was saying was true.

00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:01.279
<v SPEAKER_01>Do you know what I mean?

00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:03.360
<v SPEAKER_01>But like, no, they're not psycho with me.

00:16:03.600 --> 00:16:11.840
<v SPEAKER_01>So I think, and good on you, had you not done that, you wouldn't have known, like, okay, well, next time we'll handle this differently.

00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:14.720
<v SPEAKER_00>Next time I'll need to talk to Nicole, Levy.

00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:22.320
<v SPEAKER_00>And yeah, she she seems, I listened to her uh episode a little while back, and yeah, definitely knows her stuff.

00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:28.240
<v SPEAKER_00>And but yeah, just really after that experience, decided this may not be the direction for our brand anyway.

00:16:28.480 --> 00:16:32.480
<v SPEAKER_00>And so, really kind of exploring that and saying, what do we really want to be?

00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:36.639
<v SPEAKER_00>We're very much, you know, as my wife and I, very much against the fast fashion world.

00:16:36.879 --> 00:16:41.120
<v SPEAKER_00>We want things that stick around, are going to be interesting, but not shocking.

00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:52.080
<v SPEAKER_00>So, you know, walking through Saks a while back and saw a bag by a a major designer that was bright orange plastic with spikes sticking off of it.

00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:58.240
<v SPEAKER_00>And you're just, you know, you see that and it's like, okay, yeah, that's shock value, but shock value only lasts for so long.

00:16:58.399 --> 00:17:07.440
<v SPEAKER_00>Once your friends have all seen it, then it ends up in the closet and your you know,$3,000 purse, like you're selling for whatever you can get for it,$600.

00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:09.039
<v SPEAKER_00>And so those are some of the things.

00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:13.039
<v SPEAKER_00>Once to really get the classic design, really good material workmanship.

00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:18.640
<v SPEAKER_00>So this is a bag that lasts for decades for you and is always interesting but never shocking.

00:17:19.119 --> 00:17:34.480
<v SPEAKER_01>What are some of the things you've learned in terms of price point and price constraint, I guess you can say, in terms of because you're front-facing with the customer on the regular, right?

00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:41.200
<v SPEAKER_01>Those craft shows and those art shows and trade shows, listen, they are not for the faint of heart.

00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:45.519
<v SPEAKER_01>It is a test of human strength.

00:17:45.680 --> 00:17:52.559
<v SPEAKER_01>Like people don't realize at the end of those shows, you are not only depleted, you are run down.

00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:57.599
<v SPEAKER_01>It's like, and you're tired and like you're like the sun is not coming up tomorrow.

00:17:57.680 --> 00:17:58.799
<v SPEAKER_01>And then it does the next day.

00:17:58.880 --> 00:18:01.119
<v SPEAKER_01>You're like, oh damn, we got to do this again.

00:18:01.359 --> 00:18:03.599
<v SPEAKER_01>So it is hard, hard work.

00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:09.440
<v SPEAKER_01>And granted, and I would say comparatively to a day job, it's a hundred times more fulfilling.

00:18:09.519 --> 00:18:15.039
<v SPEAKER_01>But this is uh very much no pun intended, hunt what you kill, you know, eat what you kill here.

00:18:15.279 --> 00:18:21.440
<v SPEAKER_01>So, how have you learned to push forward for other people who are looking into potentially doing what you're doing?

00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:27.920
<v SPEAKER_01>Like, what are your some of your takeaways, like especially with price point and how far you can go with all of this?

00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:32.720
<v SPEAKER_00>I mean, price point, I I'm like a lot of makers, really struggle with price point.

00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:38.240
<v SPEAKER_00>So when I bring leather in and I cut it, I make a bag and I'm putting it out in front of you.

00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:41.519
<v SPEAKER_00>And my my lowest price point on a bag right now is$800.

00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:43.920
<v SPEAKER_00>A couple of years ago it was$400.

00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:46.480
<v SPEAKER_00>And even then there was pushback on the price.

00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:48.960
<v SPEAKER_00>I sell just as many now at the higher price.

00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:54.240
<v SPEAKER_00>And it's, you know, at one level, people perceive that there's more quality with the higher price.

00:18:54.400 --> 00:19:01.200
<v SPEAKER_00>Then on the other, going to New York now and trying to do wholesale, I cannot sustain at a$400 retail price.

00:19:01.359 --> 00:19:02.640
<v SPEAKER_00>That wouldn't be impossible.

00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:12.160
<v SPEAKER_00>I would have half of my cost would be material, and then I would be working an entire day on these things for about$100, and that's just not sustainable.

00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:21.599
<v SPEAKER_00>So yeah, price is my wife probably says we're still underpriced, and she could convince me that someone else is underpriced at my same price point.

00:19:22.400 --> 00:19:24.240
<v SPEAKER_00>I would have a tough time seeing that.

00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:26.799
<v SPEAKER_00>But yeah, just it is a it is difficult.

00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:36.079
<v SPEAKER_00>Having something made 100% in the United States, vegetable tan leather, mostly sourced from Italy, and so I do get the highest quality material I can, solid brass hardware.

00:19:36.160 --> 00:19:38.720
<v SPEAKER_00>So, you know, all these things just add up, add cost.

00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:43.599
<v SPEAKER_00>But when you're at an$800 plus price point, those are things that are essential.

00:19:43.680 --> 00:19:45.200
<v SPEAKER_00>It has to be top-of-the-line quality.

00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:46.559
<v SPEAKER_00>You can't take shortcuts.

00:19:46.720 --> 00:19:48.880
<v SPEAKER_00>So those are some of the things just trying to figure out.

00:19:49.119 --> 00:19:54.880
<v SPEAKER_00>I've been over the years bad at tracking how much time I actually have invested in every bag.

00:19:55.119 --> 00:19:56.640
<v SPEAKER_00>So, you know, it's just one of those.

00:19:56.799 --> 00:20:01.680
<v SPEAKER_00>I start going and it's I still have a day job, so I'll get distracted, go do that and come back to it.

00:20:01.759 --> 00:20:09.039
<v SPEAKER_00>And it's just kind of like, how much time did I, if I really sat down on a Saturday, what could I complete from start to finish?

00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:20.480
<v SPEAKER_01>Can I tell you for people like you, for the designers, like that I've dealt with on this level, is that I've told them to actually get a stopwatch, not your phone.

00:20:20.640 --> 00:20:21.920
<v SPEAKER_01>No, I'm not even kidding.

00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:27.440
<v SPEAKER_01>Like put a stopwatch and put it in front of you so you can see start, stop, start, stop.

00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:31.920
<v SPEAKER_01>So you can actually track the time value of money that you're putting into it.

00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:47.200
<v SPEAKER_01>Because it's a good reality check in terms of okay, if this took this one bag took me eight hours to do, and then I take into account my cogs, my cost of goods sold.

00:20:47.359 --> 00:20:50.960
<v SPEAKER_01>So that obviously at this point doesn't even include overhead.

00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:58.720
<v SPEAKER_01>This is leathers, it's hardware, it's materials, it's lining, it's all of that.

00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:02.720
<v SPEAKER_01>The bag technically should be, you should be charging like$5,000.

00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:06.880
<v SPEAKER_01>Like, you know, when all said and done for what you put into it.

00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:20.079
<v SPEAKER_01>So I encourage designers to while maintaining especially for growth, especially if you have something that people really like you key into something emotional, because that's hard.

00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:21.359
<v SPEAKER_01>You can't sell that.

00:21:21.519 --> 00:21:24.799
<v SPEAKER_01>That is something you're able to get or you cannot get.

00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:34.640
<v SPEAKER_01>And if you have that special opportunity to actually connect with your customers, you know, we say 80% of your business is controlled by 20% of your customers.

00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:54.960
<v SPEAKER_01>If you have that 20%, it's not bad to then evaluate finding someone who can help you in terms of production, just so you can, you know, like Rebecca Minkoff, when she started a hundred years ago, was working with one particular factory in New York.

00:21:55.119 --> 00:21:59.759
<v SPEAKER_01>And then when she grew, she moved to Asia, but she was still actually using that new.

00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:04.160
<v SPEAKER_01>York factory to help fulfill when she needed new orders.

00:22:04.400 --> 00:22:07.200
<v SPEAKER_01>So she was able to kind of do both.

00:22:07.920 --> 00:22:15.119
<v SPEAKER_01>And then for sampling and you know, it's like it's okay to hedge because you also need a quality of life.

00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:15.920
<v SPEAKER_00>Yes.

00:22:16.160 --> 00:22:17.680
<v SPEAKER_01>And you can't die for your work.

00:22:17.839 --> 00:22:22.160
<v SPEAKER_01>And then you're like, God, my whole Saturday is spent sewing one goddamn bag.

00:22:22.240 --> 00:22:23.200
<v SPEAKER_01>I'm killing myself.

00:22:23.279 --> 00:22:27.839
<v SPEAKER_01>And while I love it, I don't want to like, I don't want to like hate you.

00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:30.880
<v SPEAKER_01>I don't want to looking at the bag being like, I hate you right now.

00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:33.119
<v SPEAKER_01>Like I'm tired, my fingers, the whole thing.

00:22:33.200 --> 00:22:34.480
<v SPEAKER_01>Like I've watched four movies.

00:22:34.559 --> 00:22:36.400
<v SPEAKER_01>Well, you know what I'm saying?

00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:38.880
<v SPEAKER_00>Yes, I know exactly what you're saying.

00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:40.960
<v SPEAKER_01>I see you grand.

00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:41.920
<v SPEAKER_01>I see you.

00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:46.240
<v SPEAKER_00>I had a lot of people ask me in the past as a leather worker, do you do holsters?

00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:51.359
<v SPEAKER_00>And my response has always been no, that would become a job to me really quickly.

00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:52.880
<v SPEAKER_00>And then it's just it's production.

00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:53.920
<v SPEAKER_01>Holsters?

00:22:54.160 --> 00:22:55.839
<v SPEAKER_00>Holsters, yeah, for weapons.

00:22:56.079 --> 00:22:56.880
<v SPEAKER_01>Oh, okay.

00:22:57.039 --> 00:22:57.839
<v SPEAKER_01>I thought so.

00:22:58.000 --> 00:23:00.799
<v SPEAKER_01>I I'm like, you know, those things just kind of go over my head.

00:23:00.880 --> 00:23:03.920
<v SPEAKER_00>So I'm like I'm from the Midwest, so yeah, that's it.

00:23:06.319 --> 00:23:06.960
<v SPEAKER_00>There you go.

00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:16.319
<v SPEAKER_00>Yeah, a lot of questions about that, but I just know that I would immediately and and you'd get a backlog quickly on it if you make a quality holster, but then it's just production mode.

00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:26.799
<v SPEAKER_00>And it's like, all right, well, I have these 12 that are in various stages of completion, and I just have to move all of them two stages every day and start two new ones, and it's yeah, right, right, right.

00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:29.359
<v SPEAKER_00>That would just not be fun for me.

00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:29.759
<v SPEAKER_00>Right.

00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:31.680
<v SPEAKER_00>Would become would become a drag.

00:23:31.920 --> 00:23:32.960
<v SPEAKER_01>Right, right, right.

00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:34.720
<v SPEAKER_01>So what's next for you?

00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:36.720
<v SPEAKER_01>What do you like in a perfect world?

00:23:36.880 --> 00:23:39.759
<v SPEAKER_01>What would you want for Uptown Common moving forward?

00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:44.000
<v SPEAKER_00>I believe, and I'm working on, well, obviously the wholesale side.

00:23:44.160 --> 00:23:53.440
<v SPEAKER_00>So I'm looking at getting my well, I have a fifth design in process and I've made a couple prototypes, but it's always looking for that that new fresh design.

00:23:53.680 --> 00:24:02.799
<v SPEAKER_00>So looking at that, but then really looking at wholesale on my four kind of main bags right now, and looking at doing that, building a foundation with that.

00:24:02.960 --> 00:24:05.839
<v SPEAKER_00>But on top of that foundation, I really want to do one-offs.

00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:10.160
<v SPEAKER_00>So I've made some um oh no, not the one-offs.

00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:12.880
<v SPEAKER_00>Oh no, not that.

00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:16.640
<v SPEAKER_00>I I've made some kintsugi bags.

00:24:16.720 --> 00:24:18.160
<v SPEAKER_00>Are you familiar with kintsugi?

00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:21.519
<v SPEAKER_00>It's the Japanese art where they repair porcelain.

00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:23.599
<v SPEAKER_01>Oh, yes, yes, with the painted, yes.

00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:25.119
<v SPEAKER_01>I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:25.440
<v SPEAKER_01>Okay.

00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:25.920
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah.

00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:36.319
<v SPEAKER_00>Well, I started with a trapezio, it it was my first one, and you can kind of expect it didn't go well.

00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:45.599
<v SPEAKER_00>So I took some lessons from it though, and I have since made a classica and a cresta with this type of idea where I actually have two layers of leather.

00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:58.480
<v SPEAKER_00>So the the bottom layer is a foil, a uh metallic leather, and then I have another leather on top of it where I cut so the the classica that I have very much was designed to look like cracks in the leather.

00:24:58.640 --> 00:25:02.960
<v SPEAKER_00>So it's black, has the gold underneath, and uh really came out, really looks nice.

00:25:03.039 --> 00:25:04.079
<v SPEAKER_00>I really like that one.

00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:09.279
<v SPEAKER_00>The cresta ended up looking kind of like branches and just that's kind of cool, though.

00:25:10.319 --> 00:25:12.160
<v SPEAKER_00>And it's like, but I think it works.

00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:16.400
<v SPEAKER_00>And someone who's helped us with advertising said that she really likes how that one turned out.

00:25:16.559 --> 00:25:20.960
<v SPEAKER_00>That one has silver underneath, and then well, really turned out great.

00:25:21.119 --> 00:25:28.720
<v SPEAKER_00>So I would like to kind of continue down that path of doing some one-off bags, and there are a whole bunch more work again.

00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:36.480
<v SPEAKER_00>Being hand sewn, you know, if I'm doing any kind of designs, I have to sew all the way 360 degrees around that design.

00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:38.799
<v SPEAKER_00>So that's part of the the challenge with it.

00:25:38.960 --> 00:25:45.279
<v SPEAKER_00>But it is very fulfilling when you finish something like that and just knowing that this is the one that's ever going to exist.

00:25:45.440 --> 00:25:47.119
<v SPEAKER_01>So can I ask you though?

00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:50.319
<v SPEAKER_01>And again, and I'm so sorry if you do this already.

00:25:50.640 --> 00:25:51.920
<v SPEAKER_01>Do you take no?

00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:55.359
<v SPEAKER_01>I mean, I I because I I know my brands, you're now part of under mine.

00:25:55.599 --> 00:25:58.640
<v SPEAKER_01>So lucky you know, you're now you're now part of my squad.

00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:07.359
<v SPEAKER_01>With the leftovers, the scraps, do you turn them into small leather good items?

00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:33.519
<v SPEAKER_01>Because I think, my opinion, the one-offs are best done for scraps, turning them into small things and then selling them that way, saying, you know, and this way you've got a healthier margin on extra pieces, like, you know, small, like they call them slugs, small leather goods, which when I worked in that, I was like slugs and they're like small leather goods.

00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:35.279
<v SPEAKER_01>I'm like, oh duh, of course I knew that.

00:26:35.440 --> 00:26:37.279
<v SPEAKER_01>SLGs, that's what they say.

00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:42.559
<v SPEAKER_01>But to take whatever scraps you have and turn them into something that you can then sell.

00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:49.599
<v SPEAKER_01>So this way it really helps with the narrative of sustainability, which people like you, that's your bread and butter.

00:26:49.759 --> 00:26:58.799
<v SPEAKER_01>Just I if you do that already, I apologize, but I always tell people like, if you got scraps, turn them into something and people will appreciate it.

00:26:59.359 --> 00:27:01.039
<v SPEAKER_00>I give a lot of leather away.

00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:02.000
<v SPEAKER_00>You do?

00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:02.559
<v SPEAKER_00>Yes.

00:27:02.720 --> 00:27:07.519
<v SPEAKER_00>So I basically smallest piece piece of leather that I can use is three inches by four inches.

00:27:07.599 --> 00:27:16.559
<v SPEAKER_00>And that's for I make one kind of standard wallet, our money clip wallet, and that's kind of the I've been making that for almost from the beginning.

00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:17.279
<v SPEAKER_00>Right.

00:27:17.599 --> 00:27:21.519
<v SPEAKER_00>But yeah, other than that, I mean, if it's smaller than that, I give it away.

00:27:21.599 --> 00:27:27.759
<v SPEAKER_00>And I've given away a lot of leather to a lot of people while making bags and being hand-sewn.

00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:35.599
<v SPEAKER_00>I I used to try to use some scraps at first when I really first started, and found that I spent so much time trying to use scrap.

00:27:35.839 --> 00:27:39.200
<v SPEAKER_00>Yes, and it's just there was zero margin on it for me.

00:27:39.359 --> 00:27:39.839
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, yeah.

00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:48.480
<v SPEAKER_00>So that I was making bracelets from like belt cutoffs and making you know the impossible braid, they call it, and doing things like that.

00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:52.319
<v SPEAKER_00>But yeah, I would spend so much time on that and it just wouldn't work out.

00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:53.839
<v SPEAKER_01>Right, right, right.

00:27:54.000 --> 00:28:02.240
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, it's one of those things that the flip side of that that people don't realize that when something is so, so small, the labor is that much higher.

00:28:02.559 --> 00:28:03.200
<v SPEAKER_00>Yes.

00:28:03.519 --> 00:28:11.039
<v SPEAKER_01>And people say, Oh, it's so little, but it's like, yes, but I had to turn corners, and that took me three hours to do a corner edge.

00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:12.640
<v SPEAKER_01>Oh my goodness.

00:28:12.880 --> 00:28:15.039
<v SPEAKER_01>Well, Grant, I want to thank you.

00:28:15.119 --> 00:28:19.279
<v SPEAKER_01>Uh, how can we find you, follow you, other than when this airs?

00:28:19.440 --> 00:28:26.240
<v SPEAKER_01>If people haven't been or are going to New York now to check out Grant Anderson at Uptown Common, I strongly recommend.

00:28:26.400 --> 00:28:27.200
<v SPEAKER_01>What's your story?

00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:28.640
<v SPEAKER_01>How can we get more?

00:28:29.519 --> 00:28:33.519
<v SPEAKER_00>You can see that we have a website, Uptown Common Handmade.com.

00:28:33.680 --> 00:28:36.880
<v SPEAKER_00>And we're also on Instagram and Facebook at Uptown Common.

00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:40.880
<v SPEAKER_00>And then we have actually launched also a new company called the Leather Reserve.

00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:47.200
<v SPEAKER_00>I will be importing Italian leather, some great material that a previous supplier was unable to continue ordering.

00:28:47.519 --> 00:28:54.240
<v SPEAKER_00>So for any pursemakers that are listening in, if you're looking for some cool materials, please check out the leatherreserve.com.

00:28:54.480 --> 00:28:57.440
<v SPEAKER_00>Can also be found on Instagram at the Leather Reserve.

00:28:57.599 --> 00:29:00.720
<v SPEAKER_00>So products coming from MPG Industria in Italy.

00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:02.720
<v SPEAKER_00>So really I love that.

00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:04.880
<v SPEAKER_01>That's amazing.

00:29:05.119 --> 00:29:06.720
<v SPEAKER_01>That's really, really cool.

00:29:06.880 --> 00:29:07.680
<v SPEAKER_01>Oh my gosh.

00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:09.119
<v SPEAKER_01>Looking forward to that.

00:29:09.359 --> 00:29:10.000
<v SPEAKER_01>Yes, yes.

00:29:10.160 --> 00:29:14.160
<v SPEAKER_01>Well, I will we we will help you uh amplify that because that's super cool.

00:29:14.319 --> 00:29:16.079
<v SPEAKER_01>I know a lot of people will appreciate that.

00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:17.599
<v SPEAKER_01>Thank you, Grant, for joining us.

00:29:17.920 --> 00:29:19.519
<v SPEAKER_01>Emily, thank you very much.

00:29:19.839 --> 00:29:20.880
<v SPEAKER_01>Thanks for listening.

00:29:21.039 --> 00:29:26.400
<v SPEAKER_01>Don't forget to rate and review and follow us on every single platform at handbag designer.

00:29:26.480 --> 00:29:27.119
<v SPEAKER_01>Thanks so much.

00:29:27.359 --> 00:29:28.640
<v SPEAKER_01>See you next time.