Acajou by Mink Hebert

Mink Hebert, Seattle, WA, USA Brand: Acajou Shop: acajou.etsy.com, Maket Featured on Trunkt

Bags in general are hard to resist and Mink Hebert, maker of the lovely Acajou collection, does not help matters!

I love her modern take on patchwork and the subtle details she adds to each one her goodies. I think what I love most about them, is that they're feminine and cutesy, but not in an overly girly-pinky kind of way. I'm a new fan!

“I wish there were nine of me to accomplish everything I'd like to do and make- travel, research, paint, design, sew, learn how to cook, etc. I am a nightbird and work until early morning when I usually get a flood of ideas.”

1. What do you call yourself? (e.g., Independent designer, crafter, maker, artist) Sometimes I call myself an artist or designer though mostly I say that I "make things". That phrase seems to sum it up!

2. What inspires you? How do you get past crafter's block? I design things that I would have loved as a child. There is a seamless connection between what I create now and stuff I made when I was young. There is so much that inspires me... ocean life, children's books, the animal kingdom, anatomy, friends, origami, music, visual culture, and often the textiles themselves spark something! I keep sketchbooks that are filled with a collection of scraps and images of color and textural combinations that clarifies my overall concept for Acajou.

“ I wanted to construct bags that were beautiful and strong and unique in response to the city and people I met.”

“Music is always the background soundtrack to my work and keeps me energized.”

I don't suffer much from crafter's block. On the contrary- I wish there were nine of me to accomplish everything I'd like to do and make- travel, research, paint, design, sew, learn how to cook, etc. I am a nightbird and work until early morning when I usually get a flood of ideas. I narrow them down, and then push those ideas. I try and work a design to the point where construction becomes effortless. When I am stuck, I find it is helpful to either go inside- meditate, or go out in the world and absorb... visual stimulation can be found everywhere.

3. What tool(s) can't you live without? My necessary tools include, a sweet beast of a sewing machine, my laptop, camera, and mountains of fabric. Music is always the background soundtrack to my work and keeps me energized.

4. Who is your idol, current craft-crush? My idols include anyone who makes things on their own terms. Etsy is great for discovering crushes. Here are three that I just love... stiksel, for wallets and things, modofly, for etched moleskin notebooks, fluxproductions for screenprinted clothing.

5. How long have you been doing this? I started making bags when I lived in San Francisco a few years ago. I worked at a fabric store where I would dream about things to make while being surrounded by a forest of towering bolts of fabric. I wanted to construct bags that were beautiful and strong and unique in response to the city and people I met.

6. Where did you learn your craft? My mother is an artist and she taught me how to sew at a very young age. She made elaborate, complex clothing for herself and my siblings and I, so being around sewing and artmaking was very much a part of my early life. Later on, when I lived in San Francisco, I picked up tips, knowledge, and enthusiasm from fashion students I worked with as well as from local designers. I am still refining my craft and I learn something new with each bag that I make.


7. Do you do this full-time? If not, what pays the bills? I am looking into wholesale options for my bags. In the meantime I work as an editor part-time and I watch children.

8. How would you describe your style? Bold and defined yet soft. Childlike while being sophisticated. Functional and playful with French, Scandinavian, and Japanese influences.

9. Can you share any of your favorite sources for supplies? My most favorite supply source that I have found is an obscure place in San Francisco that I can't disclose because it is a guarded secret! It had a lot of remnants and cast-offs from the design district. Once I was able to buy an entire bolt of fabric for $3.