The Brand Story
The First Bag
In 2015, I wanted a leather bag, but I didn't like any I saw in the stores. My partner encouraged me to design and make my own instead. Once I started carrying it around, I kept getting asked when I was going to start selling them. After enough of these asks, I invested in a proper leather sewing machine and started Lost Generation.
(Hint: That's her in the photo)
Inspiration
My grandmothers were born into the Lost Generation. I am inspired by their resolve and capacity to create beauty and joy for their families even when they were given so little to begin with. From them I take the lesson that we don't need to endlessly consume to be happy; we need to find the things that make us happy and take care of them.
I am a proud citizen of the Catawba Indian Nation from South Carolina. My lineage comes from my mother, Geneva, and her mother, Fannie. My core line of bags is made from soft, slouchy leather that reminds me of the deer skins that my tribe, the Catawba people, have tanned and made into clothing for millennia. When I shop for materials, I shop for that material feel first. As I expand into apparel, I am focused on natural materials that have that same luxurious drape.
The bag details are minimal but specific: carefully chosen hardware pairings and smaller accessories like pouches & wallets that you can mix or match with your bag. Any moments of flourish are still chosen specifically to align with our inspiration, such as a big, full fringe, calling back to Native regalia, or patterns of tiny flowers as on vintage fabrics.
My focus is on creating pieces that can live with you for the longterm. The shapes are clean and meant to transition from one occasion to another, from day to night, and from season to season. Colors, patterns, and shapes are consistent and stand apart from the trend cycle.
One Pair Of Hands
Each piece from Lost Generation represents the work of one woman (me) filling all of the roles: Designer, Sourcer, Maker, Marketer, Seller, and even Web Developer & Ecommerce. All making happens in my home studio in Austin, TX. The steps are slow and thoughtful, and the questions and service are straightforward.
Materials That Last
Leather is the oldest textile known to man. Through the ages, ancient and modern, a properly tanned hide would last practically forever. My own tribe was known for trading in both pottery and leather goods: items that were useful for everyday life throughout the years, and frequently, generations. This practical usability is at the core of Lost Generation.
Built For Real Life
Lost Generation firmly believes in only selling the goods that are worth putting out into the world. This means we focus on useful designs, tested construction, and timeless aesthetics. Every design has been prototyped and then used in normal life conditions for actual usability, and all features verified as normal-life-resilient.
Because of this testing, we don't expect you to have any issues with your own Lost Generation product. That said, life happens. And when it does, we ask that you reach out to us to coordinate repairs.