Annie Williams is proof that
you don’t need to live in a major fashion capital to gain a foothold in the
industry. Based in Nashville, the up-and-coming handbag designer, who is
perhaps best known as a singer-songwriter , is
building a following with her no-frills leather clutches and unisex weekender
totes. Williams got her start in Wyoming, making chalk bags for avid
rock-climbers, like her and her husband; she sewed them on an industrial Consew
machine, which she still uses today.
Upon moving to Tennessee for her musical pursuits, Williams met a local
who stoked her leather obsession and ultimately became her go-to source for all
things tanned. The designer described her secret weapon as “a country-bumpkin
man out in the woods who knows where all these closed-down factories are and
scores me all kinds of amazing scraps and whole hides for cheap—I’d be happy
just staring at a whole hide all day,” she said.
After several people put in personal requests for bags like the one
she’d been toting around, Williams decided to start producing and wholesaling
them in small batches. Fall ’13 is Williams’ fourth official collection, and
this season she began incorporating natural wool into her designs. “There’s an
emphasis on form and function. I let the materials speak for themselves,” she
said of her bags, which feature vintage hardware details. Williams plans to
grow her brand organically while still spending as much time in the recording
studio as possible. A range of home goods—like throw rugs and pillows—is also
in the works. “I like having full control, and still want to have my hand on
everything.”
Annie Williams’ bags ($200 to $800) are currently sold on her Web site, and in select boutiques,
including Clic Gallery in New York.
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