Shaina Mote and Are Studio Have Made a Non-Trendy Bag to Keep Forever
One of the major themes to emerge from the spring 2020 shows was timelessness, with designers favoring simplicity and functionality, as well as the allure of the handmade. The runways’ turn to approachability and understatement highlighted the fact that it’s been a while since we’ve fallen in love with a classic bag. For the last few seasons, popular carryalls have been defined by a novelty factor. It bags are either too small for Airpods or big enough to double as fluffy pillows, and more often than not they’re drowning in logos.
Shaina Mote and Are Studio’s Cecilia Bordarampé noticed this shift to the silly and set out to create a “minimal, functional, and beautiful bag with the ability to be worn multiple ways.” Made in the United States with a matte tan cowhide, the Moura shoulder bag will retail for $525 on the Shaina Mote and Are Studio websites, as well as at Mote’s recently opened Los Angeles store. It’s the result of a new residency program in which Mote is collaborating with various artisans. “Over the last eight years of designing clothing, I’ve developed some incredible friendships in the design and art world,” Mote said. “I’ve always worked in solitude and behind the scenes in my studio, but the idea of partnering with other designers has been particularly appealing lately.”
Launched in 2012, Bordarampé’s Are Studio produces handmade bags using sustainably sourced leather hide. She shares with Mote a passion for “simplicity of form, attention to detail, functionality, and versatility.” When the two started conceptualizing the Moura bag, they played with the draping of leather and discussed size and weight. “Size was the most important consideration,” Mote says. “When thinking about who each of our customers are, we know that they have places to go and things to do. We wanted a bag that could be their everyday choice, large enough to carry notebooks and laptops, but elegant enough to elevate any look.”
Originally Appeared on Vogue
