Meet Jamie Seel | Handbag Designer & Maker

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

Hi Jamie, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve wanted to start my own business since I was 13 years old, so by the time I was able to fully realize a brand and niche that made sense, it felt natural. The process of getting to that point took a lot of turns, though. I started with broad ideas that didn’t really work when I was fresh out of college. It took a few years to hone in on something I actually wanted to work with, which ended up being leather. I was never a handbag person outside of the basic need to carry things with me, and fell into utilitarian habits of just using whatever bag I had until it fell apart – which was usually about a year. The overwhelming sense of wastefulness from that didn’t sit right with me, so I decided to take a stab at making handbags that actually lasted.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Although I do run a business, I am first and foremost a designer. When starting my handbag company, I wanted to offer designs that I hadn’t seen before but always craved. It was so difficult to find a bag that looked cool but wasn’t made of plastic. Rectangle bags are great but I wanted more than that. I wanted to carry an object that would catch the eye, so I made the Pallas Tote. I consider that bag (and its mini version) to be my best work. I love creating new ways to carry necessities. Wearing a statement bag is the most universal way to showcase a little bit of your personality on every outfit.

You would think that making a super cool bag would be the hardest part, but the challenges all came after the design. The semi-luxury price point is an incredibly difficult market to break in to, especially when your brand is bootstrapped like mine. In the beginning, I was selling anything extra in my house to afford hides, and using every extra dollar from my paychecks that my previous full time job provided. My friends had joked that I was selling $500 handbags, but buying single ply toilet paper. Every sale meant I could get more hardware, better boxes, better machinery, another makers market entry fee. I’ve never wanted anything more than to make my business successful. It required a lot of sacrifices along the way, but I’ve loved every step.

It took a few years to build up to the point where things weren’t so pinched, but I’m from a small-business-owning family, so I still carry the same habits of squirreling money away for the off seasons, keeping all of my profits in the business, and saving on expenses wherever I can. The greatest challenge has been the paradox of not compromising on material quality, but not being able to afford certain things like custom branded packaging, and the various bells and whistles that indicate a product’s quality. So I’m constantly reaching back to my roots and MacGyver-ing different machines and packaging materials until I can afford real upgrades. I still make and print my own duster bags, and I still use a bottle jack shop press that has steel plates welded onto it instead of an expensive clicker press. I was ashamed of that for a long time, but I’ve grown to appreciate it. I’m scrappy and resilient, and that comes through in my designs and brand identity. It makes my brand unique.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The first stop has to be Three Bites Bakery for the best pastries in the city. After we’ve eaten far too many, we’re probably taking our dogs to the Highbanks metro park to walk the trails, let the fur kids splash in the water, and see if we can spot any salamanders (sounds weird, but I highly recommend). After that, we would hit up any of the vintage/antique shops in Clintonville. Euro Classics, Eclectiques, Boomerang Room, and The Brass Hand to name a few. Dinner is probably at any of the great spots in the North Market, and then drinks are at Getaway Brewing, so we can swoon over the handmade landscapes.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout is dedicated to my grandpa, who showed me that it was possible to be in love with your work; my mom, who has been my greatest support throughout my life; and my partner, who enables all of my wild ideas.

Website: https://seelmade.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/seelmade

Facebook: https://facebook.com/seelmade

Image Credits
Photographer Credit: Jess Oktavec Model Credit: Sydney Jordan