Conceived in 2011 and brought to life over three years, Garayalde launched softly in March of 2014. Since then we’ve been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Times, Sonoma Magazine, California Home & Design, and the North Bay Bohemian, amongst others. Now carried by seven retailers, in addition to our website, we’re preparing for a pop-up shop at the exclusive Hotel Healdsburg (by invitation) on October 24, 2015. We need to re-stock our inventory as the hotel will be carrying us exclusively in Healdsburg and announcing our partnership to it’s substantial mailing list, jump-starting the holiday season during one of the busiest weekends of harvest. Increasing our stock, will enable us give our customers what they’ve been asking and waiting for. We’ve had tremendous success with every piece in the line and need to refresh or inventory in order to meet demand. We’ve had requests from retailers in New York, Florida, Colorado, Oregon, Texas, and abroad, and we’ll use the new pieces to help satisfy those inquiries. We’ve bootstrapped the line on a shoe string, to make the vision come to life. Now, after a year and a half of market testing, and being carried at some of the most exclusive shops not only in Los Angeles, but also the wine country of Sonoma and Napa, Montecito and Santa Barbara, we know which pieces our customers are clammoring for most.
Our pieces are all sewn by hand, in California, each one lovingly brought to life by multiple artists, working together and contributing their best to the end result: a future heirloom. The Garayalde signature anatomical heart logo was conceived of and designed by Chantel. Created by a master jeweler of the highest caliber, the heart sets the tone for our creations with a solid nod to that which is authentic and represents the intention behind the brand; not life in the abstract, but rather, the essence of the life force.This heart, this line, is the real thing. These are pieces carried by those who wish to own something apart from the rest and are fascinated by nature’s raw forms. No two pieces are ever exactly the same, each one, a work of art. These bags become more beautiful with use, timeless and elegant. Clean lines, raw edges, no apologies, just durable, beautiful quality hides, and artisanal craftsmanship that will, just like our hearts, age with time and eventually tell a story of a life well lived. These pieces are representative of the actual beauty of life in it’s raw form, imperfect, yet all the more valuable for their character.
The Garayalde line was originally inspired by the organic modernist movement, and the handmade belt buckles designed in Mexico by Chantel’s aunt in the late 70’s and early 80’s. The fiercly independent films of the 70’s counter culture (think Easy Rider) also helped to drive the vision for the pieces Chantel wanted to create. With an eye towards simplicity, longevity and quality, the brand is informed by the highest standards in craftsmanship. These are the bags your children will want to steal from your closet in 20 years, family heirlooms, meant to evolve and getter better with age. All Garayalde leather goods are made of the finest quality vegetable died hides, each hand selected for their beauty and individual character. The hardware is solid brass, and our zippers are the finest on the market (Lampo, from Italy). All of our larger bags come with a branded dust bag for storage and safe keeping. Taking the time to source local talent to fabricate her creations and build strong relationships with everyone we work with has been critical to the success of our endeavor. We take great pride in a product that is not only beautiful, but one that is sustainable, ethically produced, American made, and helping to support local businesses, families, and our environment. We’re very excited that this round of production will feature the brand new anatomical heart rivet we’ve been working on for the past few months. There is no handbag in the world that has the level of detail offered in this piece of hardware. It is totally unique to our line and will set our pieces apart from anything else on the market today. Another special detail we offer is the freshwater pearls strung on leather that add a little bit of the sea to these earthy designs. It’s an embellishment that complements the heart zipper pulls and is something not offered by any other brand. Quality and integrity are the hallmarks of Chantel’s work and that thread is evident in each of the pieces created for the line. A Garayalde bag is instantly identifiable, while still exemplifying a subtle statement of elegance, and exclusivity.