In the bag

>> Jennifer Scott’s leather accessories are fashion editor favourites

by RALUCA STATE

Bohemian chic. It may sound like an oxymoron to most of us, but for Jennifer Kakon and Scott Richler it’s the sound of spring. Spring fashion, that is. “Our main theme was the bohemian thing, but we did a very luxurious version of it, not a shabby version,” explains Kakon in the St-Laurent atelier that houses Jennifer Scott headquarters.

The designing duo, both 27, who have been moonlighting as a couple since they were 16, have put their leather accessories on the map with a collection of belts, bags and hats that have taken fashion bibles such as Women’s Wear Daily, Elle, The Source, and even Vogue by storm. “The editors are always looking for things that are unique and they recognized the quality of our stuff, the close attention to detail,” Kakon says, remembering their first feature in Vogue.

Detail has remained an important style factor in their spring/summer collection: hand-made embroidery, delicate fringe, silk tassles and corseting extras have sprung up like fresh flowers all over their leather bags and belts. “Modern, clean shapes with ethnic details—it’s all really in the details,” Kakon explains. “Our inspiration came from this Prada bathing suit we saw in the winter resort collection, a white bathing suit with Turkish-style embroidery in many different colours. It was just so fresh, so pretty, so clean, but it had so much detail to it. And this was before we knew how big the whole bohemian/gypsy/ethnic thing was going to be. We wanted to translate that whole feeling onto leather bags and belts and luckily we were right on with the whole mood of the season.”

But the Jennifer Scott touch is not only about trends. “We want to stay with things that are classic,” says Kakon. “The crystal T-shirts (their big hit of 2000) weren’t really us. It was too ‘of the moment’ and we’re not really about that. We want to make something that somebody will love because it’s beautiful, not because it’s a trend item. You don’t want your customer to buy something and dispose of it one month later.”

Although items like the Mimosa belt and the Gypsy Fringe bag have made Jennifer Scott a fashion staple in showrooms and high-end department stores around the world, Montreal has yet to jump on these local creations. “I don’t think Montreal can absorb the price factor,” Kakon says. “We would like to sell to the Canadian market—it’s not that the Canadian market doesn’t have style—but they’re not as label-conscious as New Yorkers are. They don’t feel the need to spend the money.” Well, with these designs, they just may want to. l

Jennifer Scott creations can be found at Holt Renfrew. For more information, check out www.jenscott.com.