Feel Handmade

That's So New York - Ah yes, hours spend flicking through numerous pages of the internet followed by a whole load of frivelous emailing, recieving and replying have finally paid off as I have once again discovered a label which could be described only as adorable; not only because the designs which I have been presented with look like a mixture of elegance and child picture-book inspiration, yet also because the designers behind the label are both husband and wife; my parents have always told me that they could never work at the same job together and how if they had to spend day in and day out together they would most probably scream (okay, so I guess we all need our space) yet miraculously that is exactly what handbag label Feel Handmade founders Joshua Karl and Erin Kaleel do; not just on the odd occasion, yet everyday! I find it a little inspirational that as well as working together, this design couple also build each and every piece from scratch, without use of factory-style manufacturing, meaning that when when the products do in fact feel handmade that is simply because, they are!

The label launched not long ago back in Fall/Winter 2010 with the couples first ever collection which was titled Beaks, Feathers and Branches as the collection was orientated around that of birds, trees and pretty much anything natural; the use of earth tones was also rather apparent as the collection included a basic palette of beige, cream, brown, black and chestnut. The couple use a mixture of leather, silk and metal work to decorate each piece, occasionally adding patch-type decoration yet primarily leaning towards a mixture of silver and bronze metal cut-outs which are then placed and layered on top of one another to form various animal and plant shapes, along with the signature FEEL logo plaque which is placed on almost every Feel Handmade piece, using shaped metal to outline the lettering and water color illustration to add colors and imagery to each piece (primarily used to fill in the FEEL lettering.)

The collection which I wanted to primarily focus on is the labels most recent collection Oceans which is of-course the Spring/Summer 2011 collection and as a whole the couples second collection and counting (both Joshua and Erin are currently working on a third collection for this coming Fall/Winter 2011 as we speak.) You may have guessed it and yes, you are most probably correct, this collection is in fact based around the ocean and various things you would find in the ocean, including Sailboats, Seahorse', Octopus, Turtles and various Fish shapes (which are of-course again made from metal and embellished with water color resin.) This collection uses yet another fairly basic palette as it obtains the various cream and chestnut colors, yet we do have the introduction of honey, sole (pastel yellow) and pacific blue which are perfectly fitting to the Summer period, yet not too overpowering in the sense that you couldn't also sport the various colors and pieces during the Fall/Winter period.

I decided to go against my "save the best until last" trait on this one, seeming that this is one of, if not my favorite piece within the entire collection. I believe that the name for this piece is the Large Pacific Tote and the color? What I previously described as a pacific blue due this particular pieces name has in fact been titled aqua (yet I should have most probably known that.) I love the cross stitching on this piece; the one feature throughout the entire Feel Handmadelabel which I favor is the noticeable stitching and how the stitching has become a part of the overall design (in addition to being tucked away.) I admire the child-like metal octopus plaque which reminds me of my younger years (okay, so younger than I am now, so let's say around five or six) where I would sit and cut up pieces of paper in the hope that I would ... (CONTINUE READING)