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 From her childhood, Alla Klingman heard stories of her grandfather. “My maternal Grand father was from the Frank family, which had provided Latvia generations of Artisans and Craftsmen. Grandpa was well known for his work with leather, particularly for the horse saddles, messenger bags and backpacks he made for top war generals. He was also commissioned to manufacture the cover for the Latvian Statue of Liberty, which was taken down to unveil the sculpture on the very day it was first seen by the people of Latvia”, Alla explains.
Alla was born in Riga, the capital of Latvia. As a young woman, she studied engineering, but her love for the crafts was something she never gave up and she eventually enrolled into an Art School to study Leather Crafts and Plasticity. She then directed her engineering skills and knowledge of Ergonomics to the design of leather bags. “I build the bags, not sew them,” she smiles, “For me, leather is a material, which you can sculpt art work from.
”How are you different?” It’s important that the Bag is practical and attractive, but beyond that, I hope that it joins the body, becomes a part of the person wearing it. A bag is a thing that you should wear on your shoulder or your back and forget it.” Another aspect that is original to Alla’s work is her use of natural materials. She says “designs and colors change with seasons, but using unique materials, such as canvas, wool and artistic drawings in the design, gives the wearer a truly original item”.
Alla is a mother of two, who aside of her all-consuming work as an artisan, also finds time to teach Art Courses for Army’s disabled Veterans. “Creating things of true value with they own hands will help Veterans to heal and provide them with positive recreation,” says Alla. She mentors graduates from famous Designer Schools. Talented and able students come to see Alla for her advice not only on how to apply their craft, but on how to do it in the highly competitive world of accessories business.
Moreover, shecontinues to create bags for her collections. The newest ones ‘Patels’,‘Firefly’, ‘City’, ‘Waterfalls’ and “The Sun” collections. You simply need tosee these bags
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