Sa Tuna - Costa Brava - Spain
Are you a Kelly or a Birkin?
FABULOUS RAFFIA- THAT’S WHAT! IT’S EVERYWHERE IN EUROPE – AND WE LOVE IT.
Last bleak Melbourne winter, I was lucky enough to be invited to the Costa Brava in Spain for 10 days to enjoy sun, swimming and incredible food,. Who would say no? It was sensational - the sophistication, the cleanliness, the healthy food and the unabashed body confidence on the beach- it was uplifting. There was a sense of complicit respect -for the environment, for each other and for a healthy way of living. Commercial intrusion was minimal in the stone villages. They retained their integrity by being pedestrian only and we loved walking in each night to enjoy tapas in the town square and people watch amongst the very stylish crowds.
Rascassa Restaurant Sa Tuna Begur Spain
What I saw had a profound impact on me
BUT... there was something else - maybe there was another reason this random invitation came my way and thereby to Cecily Clune??? What I saw had a profound impact on me. And now 6 months later, I am almost ready to reveal what I have been up to.
Why? I saw RAFFIA HANDBAGS and I realised that well designed Raffia bags are the embodiment of what Cecily Clune stands for - classic, sophisticated, artisan, and ideally suited to small batch craftsmanship. And I knew I could make some exceptional designs with raffia's inherent characteristics of being light, totally natural, interestingly textured and pairing beautifully with leather. Also, raffia with leather - worn against bare skin- make the perfect Summer bag. It was clear that Cecily Clune had to make some very special RAFFIA BAGS... so I got to work.
THIS IS WHAT I DID.
I found natural raffia from Madagascar and had it hand crocheted into panels that were just the right touch and feel for three designs I have been burning to make. Caption: we love the crisp and soft hand of crocheted raffia Next I worked with the tannery to create the leather to form the handles, tabs and bases - the perfect smooth TAN/COGNAC leather that pairs so well with raffia
And one other colour: CHALK.
I had researched the phenomenon of the Loewe straw bag and found that many prefer it with CHALK coloured leather, so I made soft CHALK leather with a hammered finish.
The Hardware Also Had To Be Special...
As many of you know, I have been working on a CC logo piece of hardware and ambitiously tried to make it work as a connecting D ring. I failed!! It just wasnt' strong enough and I was bitterly disappointed as it had taken months to get this far.
So back at the drawing board, I was able to modify the design and added something extra to it- inspired by a pair of my husband's Ferragamo cufflinks- I added rope texture and made it into a zipper puller. It is perfect, and in my opinion, beautiful. It is plated in a complicated process known as 'Dior" plating. First, covered in a matte silver and then given its lustrous gold coat, then every facet is polished.
The rope texture beautifully complements the rough body of our new bee. Together they form a unique hardware set for Cecily Clune which lives up to our promise of excellent quality and artisan workmanship and more importantly complements our new raffia collection to bring an extra layer of sophistication and polish..
Every detail has been curated with perfection to make this new collection.
Our new RAFFIA collection hits Aussie shores in early January and I hope to have it up ready for sale by late March.
If you want to be the first to know when the new collection is available and have the best chance of purchasing a piece, as they are made only in small batches, sign up for email alerts.
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What’s New with Cecily Clune?
FABULOUS RAFFIA- THAT’S WHAT! IT’S EVERYWHERE IN EUROPE – AND WE LOVE IT. Last bleak Melbourne winter, I was lucky enough to be invited to the Costa Brava in Spain...
What’s New with Cecily Clune?
FABULOUS RAFFIA- THAT’S WHAT! IT’S EVERYWHERE IN EUROPE – AND WE LOVE IT. Last bleak Melbourne winter, I was lucky...
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