Meet Ian James

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ian James and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ian, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve always been creative and wanted my profession to be an output of my creativity. As a kid, I dreamed of being an architect (when other kids wanted to be exciting things like a race car driver or astronaut). When I entered high school, I began to appreciate the power of aesthetics and how clothing/accessories can influence people’s perceptions. From there, I started a t-shirt “brand” – it wasn’t really a brand since I mainly sold them to friends and family – but I loved being able to design the shirt graphics and lookbooks. I also loved the aspect of selling the products just as much.

I couldn’t afford to continue my fine arts degree at Parsons, so I dropped out and needed a new creative outlet. A couple of years later, I started sewing simple canvas and leather pouches/bags to gift to family and fell in love with creating accessories. From there, I dove headfirst into this hobby and started an Etsy page, which slowly became a collection. As I began a corporate career, I noticed how many people used the same oversized or cheaply made bags we all used in high school and wanted to create affordable leather goods that you could wear with a suit and wear casually on the weekend. The core aspect of the brand is enabling people to customize products to fit their lifestyle, and to this day, we continue to handcraft all of our bags in-house to allow for endless options.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
A few things set my work apart from others, but mostly my use of leather sculpture. During the height of the pandemic, I started sculpting leather flowers, and from there, I created leather vases. The vases were originally a failed experiment; however, I came to love their amorphous nature. From there, I started to create abstract art using the same technique and experimented with leather dye manipulations, ways to sculpt leather, and stitching techniques. These art pieces and products are my favorite things to make as they are a pure form of my artistic expression.

However, it hasn’t been all rainbows and sunshine to get where I am now. I first got into leather crafting since I couldn’t finish my art school education. During the first several years, I didn’t make any money from the hobby, and even after all these years, there are still many ups and downs. What always pulls me through is the excitement of merchandising the store, creating bold leather artwork, or the smile on a customer’s face when we make their dream bag. I’ve learned to take my work very seriously, but I’m now learning not to take things personally if an idea fails or there is a setback.

I want people to know how much work it takes to have not only a small business but also a brand that makes everything in-house, how many hours it takes to do even a simple custom order, and the joy we get from meeting all of the wonderful customers who come in. This small but mighty team of 4 looks forward to growing and continuing the craft of bag-making!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love an itinerary, so here’s my idea! Let’s say they arrive on a Friday night:

Friday: We could get sushi and drinks at Kuma on Valencia Street (and show them my store down the street!) Then maybe we would go see live music at the Chapel.

Saturday: We sleep in and have a picnic at Dolores Park. From there, we could walk through the Castro and see an art exhibition at Strut or Queer Arts Featured. Having dinner at Fable’s outdoor patio and seeing a late movie at the Roxie Theater would be fun.

Sunday: This would be an arts and culture day. First, we would check out Inclusions Gallery down the street from my house and see nearby galleries, like Strikeslip and City Art Co-op Gallery. From there, we would go to MOAD to see their latest exhibition and then run over to the SF MOMA. If there was time, we could drive over to the DeYoung Museum.

Monday: Since many establishments are closed on Mondays, we could have an outdoorsy day and walk around Golden Gate Park to Lands End. We could also go to the Golden Gate Bridge and then drive through the hills across the bridge into Sausalito.

Tuesday: We could hang out in North Beach, get some pizza from Il Casaro, and sit in Washington Square Park. From there, we could go shopping, walk to Coit Tower, and then head back to see a show at Club Fugazi.

Wednesday: Most of my friends enjoy wine, so I would take them to Sonoma (on a weekday, so it’s not as busy). First, we stop at Ram’s Gate for amazing wine and views, then have brunch at Girl and the Fig. We could do a bit more tasting in the Sonoma Plaza while seeing the charming shops. From there, we would have an early dinner at Cafe La Haye and finish at Buena Vista Winery to enjoy their Shakespeare in the Park activities and wine.

Thursday: This is the day we would cram all of the “tourist” things, such as Fisherman’s Wharf, Painted Ladies, riding a cable car, seeing the Ferry Building, etc.

Friday: We could have a lazy morning and lunch at Bernal Star. Then, we could head back home for them to pack and say our goodbyes before heading to SFO.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband, Raden, has been the best cheerleader, unpaid intern, sounding board, and model I could ask for. He encouraged me to start making bags years ago and still reassures me to keep going. He is also brutally honest, which is great when I need the hard truths about designs.

Website: ianjamesmade@gmail.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ianjamesmade/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ianjamesmade/

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ianjamesmade 

Image Credits
My headshot credits info: Meika Ejiasi