So after waiting patiently, or not so patiently, I finally received my leather bag samples from my NJ sewing contractor. The quality was really good. Whew, that potential disaster was averted. You know how in real estate they say the 3 most important words are "location, location, location". Well in fashion its "quality, quality, quality." (If you don't believe me, just read fashionCEO's interview with Dale Lindholm from Pure Accessories Showroom in NYC.) The quality of my new samples was perfect. Yes, there were a few things that looked different from my sketches, but that's because for the last several months I was going off a vision of what they would look like in my head. Once you see them in person, its not always the same. I did get a tad nausea after looking at one or two them...not because of the quality, but because of my design details. I probably should have researched and tested other bags before rushing off my sketches. I was in such a hurry to get them done, that I didn't take the time to really test some of the design's functionality. For example, on one of my designs, the shape of the bag was like a box. The zipper at the top went from the left top corner to the right top corner. Now, in theory, that sounds like a great idea, but it should have run down onto each side of the bag so that it opened wider. Little things like that turn into big things once your sample is "born", so try and find those flaws before sending off the sketch.

Another thing I figured out...the quality of a zipper is key. DO NOT use cheap aluminum zippers. Whatever you do, spend a little more and get a nice zipper. The ones used in my samples were very nice. They Were sourced by my sewing contractor, Manolucci, so I'm not sure where they got them, but they were YKK Ever Bright (metal) zippers. They are glossy and they glided very smooth. If you make a nice product and put a cheap zipper in it, you might as well call it a flea market special in my opinion. Same goes for all the hardware you use. Make sure its of the highest quality.

Okay, so I have my samples. Now what?