Get To Know: Rym Jarbouai of bagatelles&co.
Hooray! It’s time to get to know another fun sponsor. Enjoy!
Meet Rym Jarbouai of bagatelles&co:
Name: Rym Jarbouai
Business Name: bagatelles&co
Where are you located?
London, UK
What is it that you design and create?
Colourful accessories made from brocade silk and Liberty fabrics.
Where/How did this all begin?
I have always been making things, and after sudying Textile and Fashion design in Paris, I moved to London to work as a freelance designer/tailor. bagatelles&co started last summer when I was desperately looking for a nice evening bag for a wedding I was attending. I couldn’t find anything beautiful yet affordable so I ended up making my own…! I haven’t stopped making bags since then!
Who or what inspires you?
Lots of different things! Randomly: fashion and movies from the 20’s, photography, packaging design, blooms and flowers, walking around in the city, people in the street, cute cakes…
What is your favorite part of the design process?
Looking for new fabrics, whether on internet or directly in shops or thrift stores… Designing new styles, inventing a new story… And of course, the best is when I get returning customers who tell me how happy they are with their special item. :)
Crafty folks know that accumulating new tools and supplies is something that comes along with the territory. What are your favorite tools and supplies?
Pins, scissors, tape measure, chalk, a mannequin and very important, a good iron… The simple gear of a Tailor:)
What advice would you give other independent artists who are just starting out?
I’m still quite new in the game but here what I’ve learnt so far: don’t be afraid to try new things and to get out from your comfort zone. Be perseverant and believe in yourself. Things do not happen overnight, so be preapared to work very hard.
What is your favorite indie purchase or trade?
An adorable little flower brooch made from felt by my little sister. I’m still wearing it!
What’s on your iPod/music player right now? What’s on your “Crafting Music Playlist”?
Nouvelle Vague: it’s a cool band covering punk and new wave classics in a bossa nova mood.
What’s your favorite food?
I can’t say no to good fresh bread with a piece of dark chocolate.
Coffee or Tea?
Tea!
What store could you wander around in and be happy?
Liberty, Anthropologie, Etro and Hermes, ah and also the Victoria&Albert Museum shop in London.
Favorite place to visit or place you’d like to visit?
Venice during Carnival: simply amazing ( a bit too cold though!)
What do you secretly wish you could do/be?
Occasionaly, I do some freelance design and pattern cutting work.
Do you speak any other languages? If not, would you like to learn one?
French is my mother tongue and I’m curently learning Italian (as my boyfriend is Italian).
It’s a brand new year! What are your plans and/or goals (business/personal) for 2010?
Keep doing what I love and grow bagatelles&co.
Thanks so much, Rym! Can’t wait to see what new things will pop up at bagatelles&co! Oh, and Nouvelle Vague is on my iPod, too! Here are a few items you can find at her shop…
Bold Peacock Gigi Small Purse: $42.00; Multicolored Floral – Liberty Print Medium Clutch with Chain: $95.00
Azulejos Lili Medium Clutch: $72.00; Little Flowers Small Gigi Purse: $27.00
Marigold Ambrosia – Silk Tie & Leather Large Clutch with Chain; Amber Floral – Jacquard Medium Lili Clutch: $82.00
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