Notes on Permanence
The Permanent Collection is a curated selection of our most iconic styles. These pieces represent the foundation of Opelle; where we started and where we’ve been. They are enduring, classic & timeless and many have been with us from the very beginning. They’re coveted season after season. Always available in black, selectively released in seasonal shades.
The fashion cycle is broken. In a perpetual state of motion, always moving forward, what’s next. Consumer culture has been trained to only desire new new new. Every season, this endless cycle drives the industry to produce entirely new collections. It’s like starting all over again, two, three, even 4 times a year.
Of each new collection that is developed only 80% of that actually makes it to market. From that initial edit, maybe 50 to 60% is purchased by retailers. Meaning almost half of any seasonal collection is left on the cutting room floor. Too much waste. And what happens to what has come before? There’s nothing wrong with it, yet it’s forsaken for no other reason than the fact it’s not new.
This is why the permanent collection is such an integral part of our brand: As a tiny label, with a conscious design perspective we’re focused on enduring styles that last as long as good design should. The designs are classic, functional and timeless and remain relevant season after season. This doesn’t mean we aren’t constantly striving towards the new like everyone else. We are, of course, with color, style, production methods and execution. But our core collection of permanent pieces will always be here, because they work and you want them.
Lotus: The first ever Opelle bag. Originally designed to hold Amy’s life + a bottle of white, to be brought everywhere, by bike, and to feel as organic as one of your limbs. Naturally elegant, we wanted it to work as effortlessly with jeans and a kimono as it does with a business suit
Meena Saddle: It’s the bag of the moment right now. The first bag developed in the Meena series & our first really structured style. The Calf leather is exquisite. It feels incredibly lady-like without being prissy.
mVanda: There was a time when every Opelle employee & all our friends and family were using the mVanda exclusively. We were a posse of satchel wielders, each one the same but different. Somebody had a fur puff on theirs. Somebody else’s was white. It really is the perfect size for mostly everyone.
mPochette: Perfection. Everybody we hang out with has 10 of these. They look like homes for sea creatures and lead a double life. Make up bag. Evening clutch. Lazy person wallet. Elegant snack tote. We made them long before the iphone 6 plus came out and they still fit, which is a feat because everything else had to be redesigned.
Meena Tote: Big bags like the Meena tote are challenging. They require a lot of leather; big clean, beautiful pieces and, once you add hardware and details the cost comes into play. So we don’t usually make them in say, pink. But Beth has one of these in Make Up, the perfect color of bad foundation. We made it for her because it’s so her and she had be very Opelle and ridiculous in New York and needed something for carry-on. So she wears it with her pink grandma cardigan and her macrame shoes and it’s the bomb.
ISSA: We really wanted a square bag. There’s something about coaxing your materials to do things they wouldn’t normally do, like crisp corners in buttery leather. Also of note is the simple metal bar on the pocket. These are custom and have become a bit of our signature detail. Also it’s ability to hold 2 - 3 diapers, a package of wipes & a sippy cup.
Baby Ballet: The second Opelle bag, designed to complement the Lotus, but with a more urban, younger vibe. The first Ballet was the size of the current Baby Ballet, compact, polished. As preppy as it is punk, depending only on the wearer.
Roberta Sling: The Roberta is intrinsically Opelle; a beautiful organic piece that highlights the leather and functions perfectly. More than anything else it’s simple. No fuss, but elegant and holds your entire life.