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Project Dyad: Beautiful bags & purses crafted with intention
Project Dyad creates gorgeous leather bags and accessories. Dyad means something that consists of two elements or parts. It signifies balance and unity. This is mirrored in the design approach - finding harmony in contrasts, creating something dynamic and harmonious, something with a twist or surprise.
Here Project Dyad owner, Jessika Balzer, talks about her design process, inspiration and philosophy.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY?
Finding balance in design (and life). A marriage of form and function and how to make that interesting. I like to combine things that might be unusual, play with contrasts and find a harmonic balance between form, color and texture. I’m not interested in making just pretty things, they need to be functional and practical in everyday life. I love the idea of Dyad pieces becoming companions of their wearers for a long time, maybe even get passed on.
ARE THERE SPECIFIC THEMES OR INFLUENCES THAT INSPIRE YOUR DESIGNS?
As creatives, I often think of us as sponges that just absorb impressions and images daily, often it’s hard to pinpoint an idea to a specific inspiration. For me it’s an amalgamation of all of those impressions, images and things I feel drawn to like bold colors, graphic shapes, architecture and nature
People are a great inspiration too! Someone with a unique style or interesting way of living life is always inspiring. And then working in a workshop every day is a great inspiration. I get a lot of ideas by just making things or being surrounded by different materials and my team which creates this wonderful energy that just makes you want to make stuff.
WHAT’S THE CREATIVE PROCESS WHEN DESIGNING AND MAKING A BAG OR NEW COLLECTION?
When you design a bag or a wallet the process is very much informed by its purpose e.g. what needs to fit into it, the occasion etc. What follows is a process of problem solving on how to get to that shape, make it interesting and different from what’s already out there.
I usually start with playing around with cardboard and making a mock-up out of cardboard, canvas or off-cut leather. Now it’s all about proportion, checking size & shape, figuring out details like closing system and strap. There’s a lot of tweaking during that process and it can take quite a while.
Once I’m happy and I’m excited about the design, I will make the first sample out of leather. Usually that first one gets quite close to the final product but there are also always little details that need to be changed. Details you only notice once you sit on the sewing machine and try to put the bag together. After that I test it, wear it for a while to see if I notice anything that needs to be changed and show it to a select group of people to get feedback. When I’m happy with everything I get Tinashe, our machinist, to make the first one to get his feedback on what has to be improved in terms of production. Once all of us are happy, I get the cutting knives made and production can start.
HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN CREATIVITY WHILE DEALING WITH OWNING AND RUNNING A BUSINESS?
I think that’s probably the most difficult and frustrating part of owning your own business. I wish I could work more on the development of new products and just play around with ideas. Time management is key and I really haven’t mastered that yet. Stress kills any creativity so I try to not forget to feed my creativity by doing things outside of work that bring me joy, not related to my daily creative practice. Taking breaks and exposing myself to new experiences outside of my routine like taking a trip and traveling are key to staying creative.
WHAT PROJECT DYAD PIECE ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
There are so many. I love the Emele Bag and the Eclipse Mini (pictured above). Both took quite some time to get right.
WHY WE LOVE PROJECT DYAD
We love the attention to detail that goes into making each Project Dyad bag. Not only do they look stylish but they are also functional and practical with adjustable straps and slip pocket details. We share Jessika’s passion for great design and beautiful product. We love that these bags can take you from day to evening and come in a gorgeous array of colors, there’s truly something for everyone to treasure here.
All images courtesy of @projectdyad