What happens when an environmental lawyer trades the courtroom for the world of fashion? For Jimena Suarez, founder of From Sentient, it means creating vegan handbags that blend Mexican craftsmanship, innovative materials, and ethical values—without sacrificing style. Sixteen years after going vegan, she saw a gap in the market for beautiful, high-quality accessories that align with her values.
Her path took her from advocating for gender equality and animal rights to studying social entrepreneurship at Berkeley, where From Sentient took root. Today, her brand redefines sustainable luxury through thoughtful design and artisan collaboration.
Key Takeaways:
- Desirability Drives Success: Purpose alone isn’t enough—people must want the product.
- Innovation Takes Time: Like the iPhone, great design evolves through research, iteration, and patience.
- Craft + Ethics: Partnering with skilled artisans transforms vegan materials into luxurious, culturally rich handbags.
🎧 Listen now for a story of innovation, ethics, and style converging in fashion’s future.
Our Guest:
Jimena Suarez is the founder of From Sentient, a Mexican-based vegan handbag brand merging ethics with aesthetics. Formerly an environmental lawyer, she collaborates with artisans trained in traditional leather craftsmanship to create elegant, innovative vegan bags like the flagship Raíz (“roots”) collection.
#WomenInBusiness #FashionInnovation #VeganHandbags #SocialEntrepreneurship #HandbagDesigner101 #MaterialInnovation #LuxuryAccessories
Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.
Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com.
Youtube: / Handbagdesigner101-ihda | Instagram:/ Handbagdesigner
TikTok: / Handbagdesigner | Twitter: / Handbagdesigner
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And I'm always very candid about this.
Like we work with materialinnovation, we will get better
in time.
And I always compare our bagswith the iPhone.
Like the iPhone 1 was not theiPhone 16, right, like didn't
have the same features.
Like you require time forresearch, for development, for
investment.
You know we fund the trainingof artisans in Mexico for them
(00:22):
to be prepared.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Hi and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the
podcast with your host, emilyBlumenthal, handbag industry
expert and the handbag fairygodmother.
Each week, we uncover thestories behind the handbags we
love, from the iconic brands andtop designers to the creativity
, craftsmanship and culture thatdefine the handbag world.
Whether you're a designer,collector or simply passionate
(00:46):
about handbags, this is yourfront row seat to it all.
Welcome, imena Suarez, toHandbag Designer 101, the
podcast with the brand FromSentient as opposed to by
Sentient, which is your website.
You are from sentient asopposed to by sentient, which is
your website.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
You are from sentient and from mexico I almost feel
like I'm by sentient by thispoint.
You create a brand and then youlive, breathe, eat and
everything that you do and I'msure you know this better than I
do it's almost like as if itwere directly created or
emanates directly from the brand.
(01:26):
So, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
From Mexico.
Yeah, fabulous.
I mean, hey, if you're going touse a preposition, use from
over.
Anything but welcome to HandbagDesigner 101, the podcast.
I am so excited to have you.
You are one of our selecteddesigners that will be at our it
Bag X New York Now at the tradeshow that's coming up from
(01:50):
August 3rd through 5th in NewYork City at the Javits.
When this airs, it may bebefore, it may be after, but
regardless, if buyers arelistening, they should find you,
and if customers are looking,they should find you also.
So good, that's my plug for you.
And if customers are looking,they should find you also.
So good, that's my plug for you.
(02:10):
I want to know cause.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
I'm so excited that we're connected.
Are your bags made in Mexico?
So up until now, I would sayabout like 95% of our products
have been made in Mexico.
We have worked with Chinesefactories in the past as well,
who are also highly specialized,and I would say in my
experience, they are some of themost specialized and
technologically advanced when itcomes to next-gen materials.
But yes, 95%, and what you'llsee at New York now is all made
(02:38):
in Mexico.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
So how did all of this come to be?
Because, as everybody has theirstory of how they ended up
starting a handbag brand, it wasreally an accident slash,
necessity, slash, yearning,slash.
What am I doing?
How did this happen to me?
Speaker 1 (02:55):
It's a good mix of everything.
You just said Everything, andit's a very eclectic story.
I'm actually an environmentallawyer and there we go, not at
all from the design world.
Everything kind of started whenI went vegan around 16 years
(03:19):
ago, didn't feel like the veganspace really marinated well with
that aesthetic, beauty andsense of desirability that the
fashion industry sells and thatthere was some some sort of gap
between beauty and ethos andmission-driven brands and and
often and I don't know if youcan relate to this, but often
(03:41):
mission-driven brands somehowsell themselves as like an NGO.
It's much more about themission than the actual product
and the beauty of that productthat is inherent to fashion.
So I guess when I went vegan asa consumer, I was like oh, it's
weird, it's missing swagger ina way, I don't know.
(04:03):
It's missing this element ofpizzazz like selling a mission,
selling an ethos or a message.
And after many years working asgeneral counsel to different
organizations I mean I was alawyer in areas, you know, that
had to do with gender equality,reproductive rights, all the way
from that to climate action,biodiversity protection, animal
(04:23):
rights, from that to climateaction, biodiversity protection,
animal rights and everythingled me to say I really want to
do this.
I want to try and see what itis to form a really strong and
rich message curated within thelanguage of the fashion industry
.
I do believe that fashion isdefinitely and I'm not the only
(04:45):
one who says it.
I think it's common knowledgethat fashion is one of the
pillars of modern society andone of the cultural pillars of
modern society.
Even political discussions arenow being held within the
fashion space.
We saw Willy Chavarria's Parisfashion show and how he
discussed everything that'sgoing on with the ice rates and
(05:06):
everything through the beauty offashion, through the lens of
creativity.
So I think I wanted to takeadvantage of that and tell the
world my message, what I wantedto sell and the problem that I
wanted to fix.
And the problem that I wanted tofix was leather goods, the
leather goods industry, what itwas to create a great vegan
handbag that would be a symbolof innovation, like the
(05:29):
conventional PU, microfibers oreven PVC, but with next gen
materials, which is somethingcomplex.
(05:51):
We can get into that.
But yeah, that's how I got intoit really.
And the kind of extra nudge toforming this brand was studying
my master's in law at Berkeleyin the midst of like this whole
ecosystem of innovation andsocial entrepreneurship and this
beautiful political bubble thatreally favored creating
(06:11):
something with impact.
So I came back to my countrywith obviously a load of debt
that I couldn't get rid of formany years to come and until I
did, that's when I formed thebrand.
But I knew then that my pathwas as a startup founder,
specifically in fashion, becauseof this passion I have for the
(06:31):
arts and creativity, and thatlaw was not really something for
me, it just kind of led methere, that's.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
I mean, listen, I would say your story is unique
and different, but it's likeeverybody has this journey that
takes them to what it was thatgot them different.
But it's like everybody hasthis journey that takes them to
what it was that got them there.
And it's like I started myhandbag brand while I was in
business school.
Like you know, kim stumbledupon an idea and then just ran
with it.
And you know the interestingthing about getting a master's
(07:01):
other than you have to take atest to get into the school,
which is a lot of training andstudying.
You have tons of extra homeworkthat you're doing on purpose
with the limited time thatyou've got, and it's forcing you
to be very organized, verymethodical, very responsible,
very strategic.
And then you come up with thisidea for a handbag brand which
(07:23):
makes no sense there's notraining, there's no idea it's.
You come up with this idea fora handbag brand which makes no
sense there's no training,there's no idea.
It's like you just get thisyearning and you got to get it
out of you, like, ok, I havethis idea, I really should do
this, and it's almost contraryto everything to who you are as
a trained, responsible humanbeing who got a secondary degree
, like, ok, let me just find afactory, let me just make a
(07:46):
sample, let me just dump a tonof money on making a sample.
Okay, now I don't know what todo with this sample.
Let me just talk to some people.
Maybe I should like, I don'tknow, maybe a store will want to
buy it.
And then you bring it to astore and they're like I'm not
buying this, you don't know whatyou're doing.
What's a wholesale cost?
What's a line sheet?
What's this?
What's your MOQ Like?
(08:07):
What's MOQ?
Are you MOQ?
Yeah, and I think it's.
It's this journey that reallycreates this community of
handbag designers, where it'slike a bucket of I don't know
what the hell I'm doing.
To I'm creating something and Iknow I'm not going to let it go
because it serves a purpose.
And to what you were sayingabout mission-driven brands and
(08:32):
I teach this that you can't be amission-driven brand if you
don't have a brand to support it.
You need to have a product thatwill sell in order for people
to care about your damn mission.
So don't go telling me thatyou're saving the world if I
don't want to buy your product.
This is not going to do me anygood and it's going to waste
(08:52):
your time and mine.
So, especially with this newgeneration, with this new
demographic who cares abouttransparency, will do the work,
will do a deep dive on you, willeven do you dirty if they find
something they don't like.
Having this kind of moraltransparency is so important
(09:13):
because that's part of yoursellable tenants, that's part of
your unique selling points.
But it's not what you'reselling.
At the end of the day, you'reselling a handbag that you want
people to like and you wantpeople to come back and buy
another one.
That's it.
That is the baseline ofcreating a product.
What comes after is them lovingyou, loving your story, loving
(09:33):
what you represent, loving allof that good stuff.
But at the end of the day,someone walks by and sees your
bag in a boutique.
They're walking by and they'regoing to buy it.
Either they like it or theydon't.
So it's just a very, verydifficult, I think, thing to
grapple with as a new designer,especially someone who has no
experience designing or creatingproduct.
(09:56):
When you're trained insomething totally, that makes no
sense whatsoever other than thefact that I bet you can do a
really good contract and you cancheck to see if your factory is
doing the right thing.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
That is so smart what you just said, because I think
a lot of mission-driven foundersget it wrong.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
They really do believe, and that was especially
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(10:38):
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Savvy Susanna is available onAmazon, barnes, noble or
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Thanks for your support and weall have to learn that.
We have to learn that that isnot something you know.
After the pandemic, everyone'scoming out with like I'm special
, I'm unique, hear me roar andit's like girl, nobody cares,
(10:59):
they just don't.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
And I think that's so smart, what you just said,
because I got it wrong for along time and I kind of wish
this podcast had come like threeyears ago.
You know they say it's nevertoo late, so let's hope that's
true.
But I think the idea that yourstory will sell without a
desirable product is somethingthat, especially in today's
(11:22):
world, is not true and it's afalse idea that you give people
that want to create something,whether it's in fashion or the
food industry or the techindustry, whatever it is.
I do think that it is soimportant to level expectations
when it comes to the worth oflike the story, and that's
really painful because sometimesthe story or the mission has to
(11:43):
do with who we are and how welive and the values we live.
That we breathe and eat, youknow every day.
But it's true that levelingexpectations on how much the
story matters in today's worldis ever more important, because
I really do think that, nomatter how much uproar there is
against like fast fashion like Iwalked by one of the biggest
(12:04):
fast fashion shops in the worldthe other day and it was full,
you couldn't even walk inside ofit and it's desirability, it's
convenience, it's being, youknow, on point with like, with
you know tendencies and what's,what's the it style of the
season or the year, and I thinkovercompensating your offer with
(12:25):
a story is something I think I,if I could advise startup
founders in any industry, but inthe fashion industry
specifically, because it's theone I know, I would say be
careful, because there are thereare a lot of mentors, a lot of
books out out there that saythat you're so much so much yeah
.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
It's crazy.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Yeah, that's key and I've had to work on that a lot
and that's part of, like, thedisappointment of the road,
understanding that people, asyou say, people don't really
care as much as you think.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
No, no, it's funny.
I spoke to one designerrecently who said that they were
approached by a consultant andI have it in quotes who said if
you pay me $15,000, I will findyou a factory, I'll work with
you on product development, andyou know what?
The sun, moon and stars thatwere promised to her.
(13:19):
And the nutty thing is, notonly did she not have that money
, but she was considering tryingto figure out how to find that
money, and it's, you know, theconcept of being level-headed is
out the window when you'recreating something that you're
passionate about.
It's, you know, likeeverything's thrown out the
window, like this logical,responsible person who has a
(13:41):
very prestigious law degree.
It's out the window because shemeets someone who's like I can
change everything for you.
Oh, okay, sign me up.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Oh my gosh, okay, sign me up.
Oh my god, it's been so manyyears and and I've spent so much
time thinking that somebodywould come along and somehow
save me or show me the path, somuch, and all of a sudden create
this wave of like, abundanceand prosperity with something
that they did, and you come tothe crude realization that no
(14:11):
one is coming to save you.
It's a process and it's alearning experience.
I unfortunately fell for one ofthose consultants, not for that
amount of money, but I did fallfor a consultant that came from
Italy to Mexico to give somelectures and then he kind of
overpromised a lot of things.
He actually ghosted me once Ipaid him to Yep.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Yep, yep, yep.
I actually I had that happenwith a showroom.
So again, it's a rite ofpassion where we meet these
people who are deemed experts insomething, and then we think
it's the panacea that they'rethe Jesus.
They're going to one who'sgoing to save me, save my brand.
I'm going to go from nobody tosomebody, overnight, all on this
person, and then you realize,oh my God, they've made a
(14:55):
business of finding people likeme.
I'm the easiest target known tomankind.
Who knew and you know?
The interesting thing is goingback to what you were saying
about mission-driven brands.
I think a lot of people tend toforget that if someone is
shopping for a handbag and ifyou're lucky enough to have them
come to your site, the lastplace they're going to go is
(15:19):
your about section.
I look at it because I'mlooking for the designer.
I want to hear the story.
But people are looking for theproduct.
They're going to look at theprice, then they'll look at how
it's made, what it's made, doesit align with everybody's core
values?
Then they're going to check ifthere's free shipping and then,
if they're smart, they'll checkthe return policy and then
(15:39):
they'll go and check your about,because it's more about I want
the damn bag and then maybe I'llfind out about who made it and
why.
That's the hook.
That's the 80-20,.
The 80% of your business comesfrom 20% of your customers.
That 20% will want to know you80% could care less.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
And I think a lot of like what we see on social media
and like the success storiesthat we get to be part of just
by reading, like this, anInstagram post or a TikTok video
.
We think that somehow, becausepeople are able to succeed at a
faster pace, that there'ssomething wrong with us.
But you can't skip the learningprocess and sometimes, like
(16:22):
there are very few people thatactually start a fashion company
with a very clear aesthetic,with a very clear view of what
they want, with a perfectproduct, for example and I'm
always very candid about thislike we work with material
innovation, we will get betterin time, and I always compare
our bags with the iPhone.
Like the iPhone one was not theiPhone 16, right, like didn't
(16:44):
have the same features.
Like you require time forresearch, for development, for
investment.
You know we fund the training ofartisans in Mexico for them to
be prepared.
These people are used toworking with animal leather.
They're not magicians, andskipping the fact that we have
been producing with animalleather for thousands of years
(17:06):
for different reasons, and thesize of the leather goods market
, and kind of like just brushingover that and thinking that
you're going to bring in newmaterials and people will just
adapt is one part that theecosystem is kind of missing.
So, like I, today, I woke upand you know, after I was having
my coffee I'm listening topodcasts of, like intelligent
(17:27):
women telling me not to check myphone when I wake up.
But when you're a founder, youknow, yeah, you get, get me.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
Honestly, my biggest fantasy is to have an OOO email
Like day job.
People can do that.
I've never been able to.
That is like a big, hard dreamof mine to have an out of office
email and to not need to checkmy email 24-7.
Because, honestly, when you runa business like this, it's all
(17:55):
about-.
No, no, yeah.
And the thing is and I've spokenabout this before that the
brands that are on the track oraspirational for prospective
acquisition or prospectivefunding or like angel investment
or co-foundership or anything,they need to not be the only
(18:17):
person involved with the brand,and if it's just you, you are
not desirable to anybody toacquire you, because your brand
is then not a well-oiled machinethat can copy and paste without
you.
If you need to be involved withevery single step, then the time
value of money of who you areto this brand ie means you're
(18:39):
not getting paid enough for yourtime.
So it's a long, long, longarduous process, especially with
one that has incredibleinnovation, like yours, and is
working with local people, isworking with artisans, is being
socially responsible, that'sgiving back to the community.
And it's difficult to makethese choices, to determine what
(19:00):
kind of brand am I going to be,what am I comfortable with,
what are my end goals, how muchmoney am I willing to accept
that I could potentially makeand what are the things that I
will sacrifice to get my brandfrom point A to point B.
And it's not easy, especially,you know, again, going back to
the fact that you have thisgreat law degree that you worked
(19:21):
so hard to get that the logical.
You would probably tell thedesigner you that you're off
your goddamn head.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Oh yeah, oh yeah, absolutely Like I.
I always tell people that whenI went vegan 16 years ago, it
kind of made me lose my mind,but it made me find my heart,
and I know that soundsincredibly cheesy, but at least
it'll allow me to find like atrue purpose what I live by and
what I want to do, from a deepsense of like not pointing the
(19:52):
finger at people, but creating,wanting to create something that
can compete, that can be better, that can prove that there are
other ways to do it right.
So that became a sense of likepurpose to me, right.
But I know that through thatprocess I I lost my head,
because none of this is rational.
Like this is not rational.
(20:12):
Thinking like the amount ofsacrifice, investment losses, a
heartbreak, you know, god likemental health problems that
arise.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Yeah, I don't mean to laugh at that, but it's just
God, we can all relate.
I mean I can remember sittingin my old apartment surrounded
by boxes that were not packedwell enough, and I was printing
out the labels and I ran out oftape you know the clear plastic
tape and I just had, like I hada full blown breakdown like oh
(20:46):
my God, I don't have tape, howam I supposed to close the boxes
?
How am I supposed to ship theboxes?
How am I, like I don't havetape?
And you know, to get to thatpoint of having bags made to
have boxes, to have labels, andit was the tape that literally
pushed me over the edge and Ijust kept thinking like I might
as well put myself in the boxand ship me off and see where I
(21:07):
end up.
It might be better than where Iam at that moment.
It's so challenging, especiallywith trying to even innovate.
What are the materials thatyou're working on?
Because, historically,plant-based leathers are very,
very tricky.
They usually need some sort ofunfortunately animal-based
(21:29):
product, whether it's the glue,whether it's the fusing.
Because they're man-made, it'svery difficult for them to
guarantee the structure of thekind of product you're trying to
make.
So you kind of have to beopen-minded once you find the
material to determine okay, whatis this bag really going to
look like, because it might bedifferent than what I've
sketched.
(21:50):
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Speaker 1 (23:24):
And that is so common .
Like, for example, I wassitting with a colleague of mine
.
She has her own agency and shehelps me.
You know, we co-direct we'rethe co-directors of like our
campaigns and we work togetheron creating content and
marketing strategies and she wasbehind our whole rebranding
strategy and she was like youshould really make a bag like
this.
(23:44):
And I'm like no, that's animalsuede.
I need to find the rightmaterial, I need to do the right
R&D, but at the top of my head,like now, I can tell you it's
going to.
It could take about a year or ayear and a half to get that
design.
Like, for example, the bag thatwe have.
Like I would say that's likeour bestseller, like influencers
, like magazines and like yourhero bag.
(24:07):
Our hero bag is this one.
I actually have it here.
It's our name Rais from Roots,roots.
Yes, I'm so glad you speakSpanish, it's going to make this
conversation easier.
This is in olive vegan leatherand we wanted I really wanted
this flexible bag.
I remember I went on myhoneymoon and as I was planning
(24:29):
my honeymoon, I was thinking Ireally want a large bag where I
can fit stuff.
And I love photography, I havemy professional camera with me
(24:53):
and I just wanted a bag.
That was amazing.
I love them, the different SKUsthat they have.
They don't all work flat design.
You have to try them out andthat takes dollars.
That takes a lot of time,resources, and I cannot even
mention the tensions with thefactory and the artisans.
I'm sure Because they're not inmy shoes, they're not vegans who
(25:13):
went vegan and live bycompassion to animals, and even
the name of the brand speaks tothe message I'm trying to give
the world.
Right, they're not there.
So I also need to understandand make space for where they
are and, as you said, like, youhave to be very lean about your
processes, because if you wantto create a vegan bag, okay, so
what kind of glue?
(25:33):
And you already have attentionthere with the factory because
you're creating a problem forthem, you're rewiring their way
of thinking and doing things.
So it's like okay, so we haveto find any glue.
Good God, woman, okay, fine,what reinforcements are you
using?
Wait, that is upcycled leather.
You know how, like I don't knowwhat the name is in English,
but anyway, like this recycleleather that they and it's like
(25:56):
the best reinforcement in theMexican market.
So to find other ones likerecycled glass, fiber or even
microfiber, it took a long timeand it also depends
geographically where you're at.
You don't find the samesuppliers, and I'm not saying
that in a negative way againstmy country but it's true, the
advancements.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
No, it is the constraints.
They exist, they just exist.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
And not naming the constraints is actually
detrimental to the effort thatthe factory and the artisans do
and the work and the effort thatI do.
Yeah Right, because we're notItaly, we're not China, we don't
have the supply chain that hasbeen developed there, know, has
been developed there for yearsthrough a whole industry and
through a whole system that wasdedicated to creating that
(26:38):
supply chain.
So finding those replacementsis honestly something that can
really make you and really pushyou to question, like how
capable am I to do this, to goahead with this mission?
And it's not something that hashappened once, it happens every
week.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
I have one more question Now.
The fact is, when you aresaying vegan leather that is a
blanket term that nine times outof 10 refers to PU or
polyurethane, or used to beknown as PVC or polyvinyl
chloride, which is a chemicallymade product in a factory.
When you were referring tovegan leather, you were
(27:18):
referring to something that'splant-based, made completely
differently, made ethically.
How do you grapple with tryingto sell that without people
thinking that you're one thingwhen you're absolutely not, I
think.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
I've come to accept that it's gonna take a long time
for things to settle and forthis information to be much more
available and normalized,almost.
And I'll give you an example.
I'm a big storyteller, soeverything turns into an
anecdote.
I'll give you an anecdote.
I was invited I think it waslast year, by this very
(27:54):
prominent lawyer in Mexico whowill remain nameless, by the way
, as you do, and he's concernedabout sustainability and
environmental issues, and at thetable was a local handbag brand
that works with animal leather.
The breakfast turned into almostlike I don't know.
It turned into like this bigaccusatory process where he was
(28:16):
just pointing fingers at mesaying what you work with is
plastic.
You guys are tricking the world.
A cactus, vegan leather.
It's just, it's bullshit, it'sI'm sorry for my French, but
it's, it's just plastic.
You know, and and I didn'treally respond too much there,
because you also have to chooseyour battles and know when and
how to address these concernsand who will actually receive
(28:37):
the message, because a lot ofpeople aren't ready to receive
the message but one thing thatcame to mind is that a lot of
the brands that are trying to dobetter, like genuinely better
and use innovation we all knowthat we are at the very dawn of
things of the materialinnovation economy.
Like this is just the beginning, right?
(28:58):
It's like, and it truly like.
I, when I get invited to speakat events and conferences, I say
you do remember what that SteveJobs picture with that initial
computer looked like?
It doesn't look like the laptopthat you have in front of you,
right?
Like it doesn't.
It's going to take time.
It's going to take time, but wedo have to acknowledge progress
, right?
So all the leathers 100%plastic free?
(29:21):
They're not, and sometimes,when they're 100% plastic free,
there is a real challenge tokeep manufacturing going and to
keep the material at a levelthat it can scale and actually
you know, supply the amount ofmanufacturers and brands that
are out there that are trying todo something about the material
that they use.
(29:42):
So I think I'm trying to be verypatient and address this from a
place that that I don't soundlike a preacher, because I think
also people get tired aboutthat.
As we said, like the story hasto come in bits and pieces and
it has to come in the right wayand I want the product to speak
for itself.
Like I know that this, like I'mnot the first one to create a
flexible bag, like the lastyear's eight bag was a Brooklyn
(30:04):
right, but like I tried to likeby creating this bag.
What I was trying to do isthere's a way that we can reach
that result.
We can do that.
We can create that handbag withjust enough like research and
really committed to thatdurability, to that quality.
We can get there, but it takestime.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
Oh, my God, I am so excited to see you and your bags
in person shortly, august 3rdthrough 5th at the Javits,
ximena.
How can we find you?
Follow you, shop your beautifulbags.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Please visit our website.
It's by sentientcom, and you'llfind two of our permanent
collections there the Pantheracollection and the Semide
collection and they actuallyboth are very mission driven.
We have collaborations with twoorganizations, one in Mexico
and one in the US.
Other than that, you can visitus on TikTok as well by sentient
, or Instagram by sentient.
(30:57):
Just DM us, you know, give usyour thoughts, follow us, just
be part of the community.
We appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
And how do you spell sentient?
Speaker 1 (31:03):
just in case Good question Sentient spells out
like sentient beingS-E-N-T-I-E-N-T.
Sentient.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
Perfect, and it's by sentient E-Y.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
Our.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
URL yeah, it's by sentient, by sentientcom.
And Our URL yeah, it's bysentient, by sentientcom.
And our TikTok and Instagramaccounts are by sentient as well
.
My God go you with TikTok?
Speaker 2 (31:29):
I mean that's another conversation.
Oh my God, Absolutely.
And for those of you who cansee, Ximena is laughing because
she just gets it.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
It's just all so much .
The demand for content is justso much.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
It's heavy, it's too much.
Thank you so much for joiningus.
It's been an absolute pleasure.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Thank you so much for having me, for taking the time
to you know, hear the stories ofdesigners.
You yourself are, you know, anexpert at the matter of like how
difficult and challenging thiscan get, but how beautiful the
work is.
So thank you.
Thank you for absolutely foryou.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Thanks for listening.
Don't forget to rate and review, and follow us on every single
platform at Handbag Designer.
Thanks so much.
See you next time.
And I'm always very candid about this.
Like we work with materialinnovation, we will get better
in time.
And I always compare our bagswith the iPhone.
Like the iPhone 1 was not theiPhone 16, right, like didn't
have the same features.
Like you require time forresearch, for development, for
investment.
You know we fund the trainingof artisans in Mexico for them
(00:22):
to be prepared.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Hi and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the
podcast with your host, emilyBlumenthal, handbag industry
expert and the handbag fairygodmother.
Each week, we uncover thestories behind the handbags we
love, from the iconic brands andtop designers to the creativity
, craftsmanship and culture thatdefine the handbag world.
Whether you're a designer,collector or simply passionate
(00:46):
about handbags, this is yourfront row seat to it all.
Welcome, imena Suarez, toHandbag Designer 101, the
podcast with the brand FromSentient as opposed to by
Sentient, which is your website.
You are from sentient asopposed to by sentient, which is
your website.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
You are from sentient and from mexico I almost feel
like I'm by sentient by thispoint.
You create a brand and then youlive, breathe, eat and
everything that you do and I'msure you know this better than I
do it's almost like as if itwere directly created or
emanates directly from the brand.
(01:26):
So, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
From Mexico.
Yeah, fabulous.
I mean, hey, if you're going touse a preposition, use from
over.
Anything but welcome to HandbagDesigner 101, the podcast.
I am so excited to have you.
You are one of our selecteddesigners that will be at our it
Bag X New York Now at the tradeshow that's coming up from
(01:50):
August 3rd through 5th in NewYork City at the Javits.
When this airs, it may bebefore, it may be after, but
regardless, if buyers arelistening, they should find you,
and if customers are looking,they should find you also.
So good, that's my plug for you.
And if customers are looking,they should find you also.
So good, that's my plug for you.
(02:10):
I want to know cause.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
I'm so excited that we're connected.
Are your bags made in Mexico?
So up until now, I would sayabout like 95% of our products
have been made in Mexico.
We have worked with Chinesefactories in the past as well,
who are also highly specialized,and I would say in my
experience, they are some of themost specialized and
technologically advanced when itcomes to next-gen materials.
But yes, 95%, and what you'llsee at New York now is all made
(02:38):
in Mexico.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
So how did all of this come to be?
Because, as everybody has theirstory of how they ended up
starting a handbag brand, it wasreally an accident slash,
necessity, slash, yearning,slash.
What am I doing?
How did this happen to me?
Speaker 1 (02:55):
It's a good mix of everything.
You just said Everything, andit's a very eclectic story.
I'm actually an environmentallawyer and there we go, not at
all from the design world.
Everything kind of started whenI went vegan around 16 years
(03:19):
ago, didn't feel like the veganspace really marinated well with
that aesthetic, beauty andsense of desirability that the
fashion industry sells and thatthere was some some sort of gap
between beauty and ethos andmission-driven brands and and
often and I don't know if youcan relate to this, but often
(03:41):
mission-driven brands somehowsell themselves as like an NGO.
It's much more about themission than the actual product
and the beauty of that productthat is inherent to fashion.
So I guess when I went vegan asa consumer, I was like oh, it's
weird, it's missing swagger ina way, I don't know.
(04:03):
It's missing this element ofpizzazz like selling a mission,
selling an ethos or a message.
And after many years working asgeneral counsel to different
organizations I mean I was alawyer in areas, you know, that
had to do with gender equality,reproductive rights, all the way
from that to climate action,biodiversity protection, animal
(04:23):
rights, from that to climateaction, biodiversity protection,
animal rights and everythingled me to say I really want to
do this.
I want to try and see what itis to form a really strong and
rich message curated within thelanguage of the fashion industry
.
I do believe that fashion isdefinitely and I'm not the only
(04:45):
one who says it.
I think it's common knowledgethat fashion is one of the
pillars of modern society andone of the cultural pillars of
modern society.
Even political discussions arenow being held within the
fashion space.
We saw Willy Chavarria's Parisfashion show and how he
discussed everything that'sgoing on with the ice rates and
(05:06):
everything through the beauty offashion, through the lens of
creativity.
So I think I wanted to takeadvantage of that and tell the
world my message, what I wantedto sell and the problem that I
wanted to fix.
And the problem that I wanted tofix was leather goods, the
leather goods industry, what itwas to create a great vegan
handbag that would be a symbolof innovation, like the
(05:29):
conventional PU, microfibers oreven PVC, but with next gen
materials, which is somethingcomplex.
(05:51):
We can get into that.
But yeah, that's how I got intoit really.
And the kind of extra nudge toforming this brand was studying
my master's in law at Berkeleyin the midst of like this whole
ecosystem of innovation andsocial entrepreneurship and this
beautiful political bubble thatreally favored creating
(06:11):
something with impact.
So I came back to my countrywith obviously a load of debt
that I couldn't get rid of formany years to come and until I
did, that's when I formed thebrand.
But I knew then that my pathwas as a startup founder,
specifically in fashion, becauseof this passion I have for the
(06:31):
arts and creativity, and thatlaw was not really something for
me, it just kind of led methere, that's.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
I mean, listen, I would say your story is unique
and different, but it's likeeverybody has this journey that
takes them to what it was thatgot them different.
But it's like everybody hasthis journey that takes them to
what it was that got them there.
And it's like I started myhandbag brand while I was in
business school.
Like you know, kim stumbledupon an idea and then just ran
with it.
And you know the interestingthing about getting a master's
(07:01):
other than you have to take atest to get into the school,
which is a lot of training andstudying.
You have tons of extra homeworkthat you're doing on purpose
with the limited time thatyou've got, and it's forcing you
to be very organized, verymethodical, very responsible,
very strategic.
And then you come up with thisidea for a handbag brand which
(07:23):
makes no sense there's notraining, there's no idea it's.
You come up with this idea fora handbag brand which makes no
sense there's no training,there's no idea.
It's like you just get thisyearning and you got to get it
out of you, like, ok, I havethis idea, I really should do
this, and it's almost contraryto everything to who you are as
a trained, responsible humanbeing who got a secondary degree
, like, ok, let me just find afactory, let me just make a
(07:46):
sample, let me just dump a tonof money on making a sample.
Okay, now I don't know what todo with this sample.
Let me just talk to some people.
Maybe I should like, I don'tknow, maybe a store will want to
buy it.
And then you bring it to astore and they're like I'm not
buying this, you don't know whatyou're doing.
What's a wholesale cost?
What's a line sheet?
What's this?
What's your MOQ Like?
(08:07):
What's MOQ?
Are you MOQ?
Yeah, and I think it's.
It's this journey that reallycreates this community of
handbag designers, where it'slike a bucket of I don't know
what the hell I'm doing.
To I'm creating something and Iknow I'm not going to let it go
because it serves a purpose.
And to what you were sayingabout mission-driven brands and
(08:32):
I teach this that you can't be amission-driven brand if you
don't have a brand to support it.
You need to have a product thatwill sell in order for people
to care about your damn mission.
So don't go telling me thatyou're saving the world if I
don't want to buy your product.
This is not going to do me anygood and it's going to waste
(08:52):
your time and mine.
So, especially with this newgeneration, with this new
demographic who cares abouttransparency, will do the work,
will do a deep dive on you, willeven do you dirty if they find
something they don't like.
Having this kind of moraltransparency is so important
(09:13):
because that's part of yoursellable tenants, that's part of
your unique selling points.
But it's not what you'reselling.
At the end of the day, you'reselling a handbag that you want
people to like and you wantpeople to come back and buy
another one.
That's it.
That is the baseline ofcreating a product.
What comes after is them lovingyou, loving your story, loving
(09:33):
what you represent, loving allof that good stuff.
But at the end of the day,someone walks by and sees your
bag in a boutique.
They're walking by and they'regoing to buy it.
Either they like it or theydon't.
So it's just a very, verydifficult, I think, thing to
grapple with as a new designer,especially someone who has no
experience designing or creatingproduct.
(09:56):
When you're trained insomething totally, that makes no
sense whatsoever other than thefact that I bet you can do a
really good contract and you cancheck to see if your factory is
doing the right thing.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
That is so smart what you just said, because I think
a lot of mission-driven foundersget it wrong.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
They really do believe, and that was especially
true, right after the pandemic,I'm excited to share my new
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(10:38):
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Savvy Susanna is available onAmazon, barnes, noble or
wherever you get your books.
Thanks for your support and weall have to learn that.
We have to learn that that isnot something you know.
After the pandemic, everyone'scoming out with like I'm special
, I'm unique, hear me roar andit's like girl, nobody cares,
(10:59):
they just don't.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
And I think that's so smart, what you just said,
because I got it wrong for along time and I kind of wish
this podcast had come like threeyears ago.
You know they say it's nevertoo late, so let's hope that's
true.
But I think the idea that yourstory will sell without a
desirable product is somethingthat, especially in today's
(11:22):
world, is not true and it's afalse idea that you give people
that want to create something,whether it's in fashion or the
food industry or the techindustry, whatever it is.
I do think that it is soimportant to level expectations
when it comes to the worth oflike the story, and that's
really painful because sometimesthe story or the mission has to
(11:43):
do with who we are and how welive and the values we live.
That we breathe and eat, youknow every day.
But it's true that levelingexpectations on how much the
story matters in today's worldis ever more important, because
I really do think that, nomatter how much uproar there is
against like fast fashion like Iwalked by one of the biggest
(12:04):
fast fashion shops in the worldthe other day and it was full,
you couldn't even walk inside ofit and it's desirability, it's
convenience, it's being, youknow, on point with like, with
you know tendencies and what's,what's the it style of the
season or the year, and I thinkovercompensating your offer with
(12:25):
a story is something I think I,if I could advise startup
founders in any industry, but inthe fashion industry
specifically, because it's theone I know, I would say be
careful, because there are thereare a lot of mentors, a lot of
books out out there that saythat you're so much so much yeah
.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
It's crazy.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Yeah, that's key and I've had to work on that a lot
and that's part of, like, thedisappointment of the road,
understanding that people, asyou say, people don't really
care as much as you think.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
No, no, it's funny.
I spoke to one designerrecently who said that they were
approached by a consultant andI have it in quotes who said if
you pay me $15,000, I will findyou a factory, I'll work with
you on product development, andyou know what?
The sun, moon and stars thatwere promised to her.
(13:19):
And the nutty thing is, notonly did she not have that money
, but she was considering tryingto figure out how to find that
money, and it's, you know, theconcept of being level-headed is
out the window when you'recreating something that you're
passionate about.
It's, you know, likeeverything's thrown out the
window, like this logical,responsible person who has a
(13:41):
very prestigious law degree.
It's out the window because shemeets someone who's like I can
change everything for you.
Oh, okay, sign me up.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Oh my gosh, okay, sign me up.
Oh my god, it's been so manyyears and and I've spent so much
time thinking that somebodywould come along and somehow
save me or show me the path, somuch, and all of a sudden create
this wave of like, abundanceand prosperity with something
that they did, and you come tothe crude realization that no
(14:11):
one is coming to save you.
It's a process and it's alearning experience.
I unfortunately fell for one ofthose consultants, not for that
amount of money, but I did fallfor a consultant that came from
Italy to Mexico to give somelectures and then he kind of
overpromised a lot of things.
He actually ghosted me once Ipaid him to Yep.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Yep, yep, yep.
I actually I had that happenwith a showroom.
So again, it's a rite ofpassion where we meet these
people who are deemed experts insomething, and then we think
it's the panacea that they'rethe Jesus.
They're going to one who'sgoing to save me, save my brand.
I'm going to go from nobody tosomebody, overnight, all on this
person, and then you realize,oh my God, they've made a
(14:55):
business of finding people likeme.
I'm the easiest target known tomankind.
Who knew and you know?
The interesting thing is goingback to what you were saying
about mission-driven brands.
I think a lot of people tend toforget that if someone is
shopping for a handbag and ifyou're lucky enough to have them
come to your site, the lastplace they're going to go is
(15:19):
your about section.
I look at it because I'mlooking for the designer.
I want to hear the story.
But people are looking for theproduct.
They're going to look at theprice, then they'll look at how
it's made, what it's made, doesit align with everybody's core
values?
Then they're going to check ifthere's free shipping and then,
if they're smart, they'll checkthe return policy and then
(15:39):
they'll go and check your about,because it's more about I want
the damn bag and then maybe I'llfind out about who made it and
why.
That's the hook.
That's the 80-20,.
The 80% of your business comesfrom 20% of your customers.
That 20% will want to know you80% could care less.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
And I think a lot of like what we see on social media
and like the success storiesthat we get to be part of just
by reading, like this, anInstagram post or a TikTok video
.
We think that somehow, becausepeople are able to succeed at a
faster pace, that there'ssomething wrong with us.
But you can't skip the learningprocess and sometimes, like
(16:22):
there are very few people thatactually start a fashion company
with a very clear aesthetic,with a very clear view of what
they want, with a perfectproduct, for example and I'm
always very candid about thislike we work with material
innovation, we will get betterin time, and I always compare
our bags with the iPhone.
Like the iPhone one was not theiPhone 16, right, like didn't
(16:44):
have the same features.
Like you require time forresearch, for development, for
investment.
You know we fund the training ofartisans in Mexico for them to
be prepared.
These people are used toworking with animal leather.
They're not magicians, andskipping the fact that we have
been producing with animalleather for thousands of years
(17:06):
for different reasons, and thesize of the leather goods market
, and kind of like just brushingover that and thinking that
you're going to bring in newmaterials and people will just
adapt is one part that theecosystem is kind of missing.
So, like I, today, I woke upand you know, after I was having
my coffee I'm listening topodcasts of, like intelligent
(17:27):
women telling me not to check myphone when I wake up.
But when you're a founder, youknow, yeah, you get, get me.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
Honestly, my biggest fantasy is to have an OOO email
Like day job.
People can do that.
I've never been able to.
That is like a big, hard dreamof mine to have an out of office
email and to not need to checkmy email 24-7.
Because, honestly, when you runa business like this, it's all
(17:55):
about-.
No, no, yeah.
And the thing is and I've spokenabout this before that the
brands that are on the track oraspirational for prospective
acquisition or prospectivefunding or like angel investment
or co-foundership or anything,they need to not be the only
(18:17):
person involved with the brand,and if it's just you, you are
not desirable to anybody toacquire you, because your brand
is then not a well-oiled machinethat can copy and paste without
you.
If you need to be involved withevery single step, then the time
value of money of who you areto this brand ie means you're
(18:39):
not getting paid enough for yourtime.
So it's a long, long, longarduous process, especially with
one that has incredibleinnovation, like yours, and is
working with local people, isworking with artisans, is being
socially responsible, that'sgiving back to the community.
And it's difficult to makethese choices, to determine what
(19:00):
kind of brand am I going to be,what am I comfortable with,
what are my end goals, how muchmoney am I willing to accept
that I could potentially makeand what are the things that I
will sacrifice to get my brandfrom point A to point B.
And it's not easy, especially,you know, again, going back to
the fact that you have thisgreat law degree that you worked
(19:21):
so hard to get that the logical.
You would probably tell thedesigner you that you're off
your goddamn head.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Oh yeah, oh yeah, absolutely Like I.
I always tell people that whenI went vegan 16 years ago, it
kind of made me lose my mind,but it made me find my heart,
and I know that soundsincredibly cheesy, but at least
it'll allow me to find like atrue purpose what I live by and
what I want to do, from a deepsense of like not pointing the
(19:52):
finger at people, but creating,wanting to create something that
can compete, that can be better, that can prove that there are
other ways to do it right.
So that became a sense of likepurpose to me, right.
But I know that through thatprocess I I lost my head,
because none of this is rational.
Like this is not rational.
(20:12):
Thinking like the amount ofsacrifice, investment losses, a
heartbreak, you know, god likemental health problems that
arise.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Yeah, I don't mean to laugh at that, but it's just
God, we can all relate.
I mean I can remember sittingin my old apartment surrounded
by boxes that were not packedwell enough, and I was printing
out the labels and I ran out oftape you know the clear plastic
tape and I just had, like I hada full blown breakdown like oh
(20:46):
my God, I don't have tape, howam I supposed to close the boxes
?
How am I supposed to ship theboxes?
How am I, like I don't havetape?
And you know, to get to thatpoint of having bags made to
have boxes, to have labels, andit was the tape that literally
pushed me over the edge and Ijust kept thinking like I might
as well put myself in the boxand ship me off and see where I
(21:07):
end up.
It might be better than where Iam at that moment.
It's so challenging, especiallywith trying to even innovate.
What are the materials thatyou're working on?
Because, historically,plant-based leathers are very,
very tricky.
They usually need some sort ofunfortunately animal-based
(21:29):
product, whether it's the glue,whether it's the fusing.
Because they're man-made, it'svery difficult for them to
guarantee the structure of thekind of product you're trying to
make.
So you kind of have to beopen-minded once you find the
material to determine okay, whatis this bag really going to
look like, because it might bedifferent than what I've
sketched.
(21:50):
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(22:58):
just for you.
So let's get started and you'llbe the creator of the next it
bag.
Join me, emily Blumenthal, inthe Handbag Designer 101
Masterclass.
So be sure to sign up atemilyblumenthalcom slash
masterclass and type in the codeI'm cast to get 10% off your
masterclass today.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
And that is so common .
Like, for example, I wassitting with a colleague of mine
.
She has her own agency and shehelps me.
You know, we co-direct we'rethe co-directors of like our
campaigns and we work togetheron creating content and
marketing strategies and she wasbehind our whole rebranding
strategy and she was like youshould really make a bag like
this.
(23:44):
And I'm like no, that's animalsuede.
I need to find the rightmaterial, I need to do the right
R&D, but at the top of my head,like now, I can tell you it's
going to.
It could take about a year or ayear and a half to get that
design.
Like, for example, the bag thatwe have.
Like I would say that's likeour bestseller, like influencers
, like magazines and like yourhero bag.
(24:07):
Our hero bag is this one.
I actually have it here.
It's our name Rais from Roots,roots.
Yes, I'm so glad you speakSpanish, it's going to make this
conversation easier.
This is in olive vegan leatherand we wanted I really wanted
this flexible bag.
I remember I went on myhoneymoon and as I was planning
(24:29):
my honeymoon, I was thinking Ireally want a large bag where I
can fit stuff.
And I love photography, I havemy professional camera with me
(24:53):
and I just wanted a bag.
That was amazing.
I love them, the different SKUsthat they have.
They don't all work flat design.
You have to try them out andthat takes dollars.
That takes a lot of time,resources, and I cannot even
mention the tensions with thefactory and the artisans.
I'm sure Because they're not inmy shoes, they're not vegans who
(25:13):
went vegan and live bycompassion to animals, and even
the name of the brand speaks tothe message I'm trying to give
the world.
Right, they're not there.
So I also need to understandand make space for where they
are and, as you said, like, youhave to be very lean about your
processes, because if you wantto create a vegan bag, okay, so
what kind of glue?
(25:33):
And you already have attentionthere with the factory because
you're creating a problem forthem, you're rewiring their way
of thinking and doing things.
So it's like okay, so we haveto find any glue.
Good God, woman, okay, fine,what reinforcements are you
using?
Wait, that is upcycled leather.
You know how, like I don't knowwhat the name is in English,
but anyway, like this recycleleather that they and it's like
(25:56):
the best reinforcement in theMexican market.
So to find other ones likerecycled glass, fiber or even
microfiber, it took a long timeand it also depends
geographically where you're at.
You don't find the samesuppliers, and I'm not saying
that in a negative way againstmy country but it's true, the
advancements.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
No, it is the constraints.
They exist, they just exist.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
And not naming the constraints is actually
detrimental to the effort thatthe factory and the artisans do
and the work and the effort thatI do.
Yeah Right, because we're notItaly, we're not China, we don't
have the supply chain that hasbeen developed there, know, has
been developed there for yearsthrough a whole industry and
through a whole system that wasdedicated to creating that
(26:38):
supply chain.
So finding those replacementsis honestly something that can
really make you and really pushyou to question, like how
capable am I to do this, to goahead with this mission?
And it's not something that hashappened once, it happens every
week.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
I have one more question Now.
The fact is, when you aresaying vegan leather that is a
blanket term that nine times outof 10 refers to PU or
polyurethane, or used to beknown as PVC or polyvinyl
chloride, which is a chemicallymade product in a factory.
When you were referring tovegan leather, you were
(27:18):
referring to something that'splant-based, made completely
differently, made ethically.
How do you grapple with tryingto sell that without people
thinking that you're one thingwhen you're absolutely not, I
think.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
I've come to accept that it's gonna take a long time
for things to settle and forthis information to be much more
available and normalized,almost.
And I'll give you an example.
I'm a big storyteller, soeverything turns into an
anecdote.
I'll give you an anecdote.
I was invited I think it waslast year, by this very
(27:54):
prominent lawyer in Mexico whowill remain nameless, by the way
, as you do, and he's concernedabout sustainability and
environmental issues, and at thetable was a local handbag brand
that works with animal leather.
The breakfast turned into almostlike I don't know.
It turned into like this bigaccusatory process where he was
(28:16):
just pointing fingers at mesaying what you work with is
plastic.
You guys are tricking the world.
A cactus, vegan leather.
It's just, it's bullshit, it'sI'm sorry for my French, but
it's, it's just plastic.
You know, and and I didn'treally respond too much there,
because you also have to chooseyour battles and know when and
how to address these concernsand who will actually receive
(28:37):
the message, because a lot ofpeople aren't ready to receive
the message but one thing thatcame to mind is that a lot of
the brands that are trying to dobetter, like genuinely better
and use innovation we all knowthat we are at the very dawn of
things of the materialinnovation economy.
Like this is just the beginning, right?
(28:58):
It's like, and it truly like.
I, when I get invited to speakat events and conferences, I say
you do remember what that SteveJobs picture with that initial
computer looked like?
It doesn't look like the laptopthat you have in front of you,
right?
Like it doesn't.
It's going to take time.
It's going to take time, but wedo have to acknowledge progress
, right?
So all the leathers 100%plastic free?
(29:21):
They're not, and sometimes,when they're 100% plastic free,
there is a real challenge tokeep manufacturing going and to
keep the material at a levelthat it can scale and actually
you know, supply the amount ofmanufacturers and brands that
are out there that are trying todo something about the material
that they use.
(29:42):
So I think I'm trying to be verypatient and address this from a
place that that I don't soundlike a preacher, because I think
also people get tired aboutthat.
As we said, like the story hasto come in bits and pieces and
it has to come in the right wayand I want the product to speak
for itself.
Like I know that this, like I'mnot the first one to create a
flexible bag, like the lastyear's eight bag was a Brooklyn
(30:04):
right, but like I tried to likeby creating this bag.
What I was trying to do isthere's a way that we can reach
that result.
We can do that.
We can create that handbag withjust enough like research and
really committed to thatdurability, to that quality.
We can get there, but it takestime.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
Oh, my God, I am so excited to see you and your bags
in person shortly, august 3rdthrough 5th at the Javits,
ximena.
How can we find you?
Follow you, shop your beautifulbags.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Please visit our website.
It's by sentientcom, and you'llfind two of our permanent
collections there the Pantheracollection and the Semide
collection and they actuallyboth are very mission driven.
We have collaborations with twoorganizations, one in Mexico
and one in the US.
Other than that, you can visitus on TikTok as well by sentient
, or Instagram by sentient.
(30:57):
Just DM us, you know, give usyour thoughts, follow us, just
be part of the community.
We appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
And how do you spell sentient?
Speaker 1 (31:03):
just in case Good question Sentient spells out
like sentient beingS-E-N-T-I-E-N-T.
Sentient.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
Perfect, and it's by sentient E-Y.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
Our.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
URL yeah, it's by sentient, by sentientcom.
And Our URL yeah, it's bysentient, by sentientcom.
And our TikTok and Instagramaccounts are by sentient as well
.
My God go you with TikTok?
Speaker 2 (31:29):
I mean that's another conversation.
Oh my God, Absolutely.
And for those of you who cansee, Ximena is laughing because
she just gets it.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
It's just all so much .
The demand for content is justso much.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
It's heavy, it's too much.
Thank you so much for joiningus.
It's been an absolute pleasure.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Thank you so much for having me, for taking the time
to you know, hear the stories ofdesigners.
You yourself are, you know, anexpert at the matter of like how
difficult and challenging thiscan get, but how beautiful the
work is.
So thank you.
Thank you for absolutely foryou.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Thanks for listening.
Don't forget to rate and review, and follow us on every single
platform at Handbag Designer.
Thanks so much.
See you next time.
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