Jill Haber: Fall / Winter 2016
Serendipity strikes (by definition we suppose) when you least expect it. Or maybe it’s just fate. No matter how you look at it, Jill Haber has been on an adventure ever since a boutique owner noticed one of the bags she’d been designing for friends. Now, for Fall / Winter 2016, she’s ready to take her fans on a trip to an enchanted forest.
Q: How did you get your start in fashion?
I started out designing handbags privately for myself and some friends. The store manager of an amazing boutique asked my friend whose bag she was wearing, he called me, placed an order and the Jill Haber collection was on its way.
I started out designing handbags privately for myself and some friends.
The SS16 Collection
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Q: What are some of your earliest memories related to fashion, and how do you think that influenced you in becoming the designer you are now?
My grandmother was a really chic lady. Her clothing and accessories were nothing short of fabulous. She went to work everyday in either an incredible suit or dress, high heels, and always carried a very structured handbag.
I think she was probably responsible for my early love of fashion … and certainly accessories.
My grandmother’s clothing and accessories were nothing short of fabulous.
Q: What are your influences: from the fashion world and nonfashion
world?
I shop for vintage bags in flea markets and I try to reimagine them for a modern woman.
I love to travel and I take pictures of everything: architecture, people, food, nature. I use all my photos as a huge source of inspiration for a color palette or a general vibe for a collection.
I also look at every woman I see on the street; in a store; restaurant; and look at the bag she’s wearing. I don’t even see faces at this point, I only see handbags!
I don’t even see faces at this point: only handbags!
Q: It seems like the Jill Haber brand is very fun and flirty. What’s the
“mission” behind the brand?
I think handbags should be fun and flirty. No reason why something practical can’t be pretty.
As a woman designer, I am very much in tune with what needs to fit inside my bag. And I know — like myself — no one wants to carry a bag that’s too heavy or too precious.
A Jill Haber handbag isn’t meant to sit in your closet. #LifeisShortWearYourBags
#LifeisShortWearYourBags
The FW16 Collection
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Photos: BFA
Q: What type of person buys Jill Haber?
She appreciates quality. She’s super confident, trend aware, but not trend driven. She buys what she likes.
Q: What’s the inspiration behind the Fall / Winter 2016 collection?
The enchanted forest. This collection is dedicated to all the fair maidens out there conquering the world.
This collection is dedicated to all the fair maidens out there conquering the world.
Q: What do you see looking ahead, both for the brand and yourself?
I would love to open an intimate boutique here in New York so I can feature the entire collection in a really beautiful space.
For me: a vacation — someplace warm — with no cell reception!
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Shop here
With love,
FWO
