Et Pantheras
bag collection
For this collection, I have constructed two bags, the Domitia Bag and the Julien Clutch, as well as three card wallets. The slightly more simplistic nature of these designs is rooted in my inspiration for the project, a Roman mosaic of two facing leopards in the Musée de la Romanité in Nîmes, France. The mosaic was quite simple and only two colors of tesserae were used, black and white, with the colors being a bit faded with time. This is the reason I chose neutral tones with hints of faded greens. I also wanted to put more of an emphasis on symbolism in material. Continuing with the idea of power and strength with the use of leather and metal embellishment details. These are juxtaposed with the humble material of jute.
Mosaic with panthers hanging around a fountain, early 2nd Century AD, Roman, Musée de la Romanité, Nîmes, France
the domitia bag
“Domitia” refers to the Via Domitia, the Roman road that runs through Provence. For this bag I created a pattern that repeats two leopards, which I screen printed and painted on suede. I sewed jute that was pulled through brass tubing to the leather, separating each row of leopards and putting them in a space as if giving them a path to walk on. The jute goes off the sides of the bag into the fringe, which I mimicked in the Julien Clutch.
the julien clutch
The Julien Clutch is named after the Pont Julien, a Roman bridge in Provence along the Via Domitia. This time, I screen printed leopard print on the leather to both connect it to the leopards in the Domitia Bag as well as mimic the tesserae in the mosaic. The brass handles are circular in shape in reference to the beautiful arches of the Pont Julien. I sewed pieces of jute together, side by side, to create the flap material which is sewed to the back and has a magnetic closure on the front, allowing the material to sit down the center of both sides, with the fringe hanging down.
