This is Tulsa Podcast

Recently I had the honor of sitting down with Austin from This is Tulsa at The Collaborative coffee to talk about the genesis of Blackburn Goods. We discuss everything from early childhood memories of selling pictures to my grandmother’s co-workers (shameless I know but hey I was 5) to the creation of Fall Fair Market in 2019. Listen to the full story here!

Austin is life long Okie and has a passion for sharing about the Tulsa community and the unique people, destinations, businesses that make it an exciting place to live! He started the podcast “This is Tulsa” to share his favorite finds with other curious listeners. Check out the link to listen to his story!

The Debruyn Backpack

The Debruyn Backpack

Occasionally I get the opportunity to work on a completely new projects and the Debruyn Backpack is one of them. As many of you know, backpacks hold a special place in my heart and I’ll take any chance I get to design one. This particular bag was designed for my friend TJ. He wanted something rustic and refined to match his elevated outdoor style. We took inspiration from the classic messenger’s bag, it’s rugged and storied design past and paired it with a modern backpack silhouette. The straps and buckles on the front flap invoke a western explorer feeling but the decided lack of tooling and structured design bring the aesthetic gently back to a modern side of style.

One of my favorite elements on the Debruyn Backpack is how the shoulder straps seem to just appear out of no where, see at 23 sec. in video. This took quite a bit of engineering and assembly planning to accomplish and I think the end result is spectacular. Design that leaves the viewer wondering “But how?” is the best!

Another element specially requested by TJ was a subtle asymmetry from the left and right sides of the bag. The right (facing you) has a tall pocket while left side features two buckles that double as keeper for a picnic blanket or light jacket. This asymmetry is fascinating response to mainstream bags.

The Debruyn Backpack has come to be one of my favorite custom projects and I’m so grateful TJ trusted me to bring his vision to life.

Cheers

The Bourdain Leather Duffle Bag

Many of you may know I offer a custom design service to those looking to add an heirloom piece to their wardrobe. Normally I receive a few requests in a year for custom projects but 2020 has already blown me away with challenging and exciting work!

The “Why”.

The Bourdain was the brainchild of my friend and business advisor Eric. We set out to create a duffel bag that represented the artistry, quality and unique character that the late Anthony Bourdain brought to the world.

The “How”.

In my experience most custom projects can take anywhere from 30 to 50 hours to complete and this project was no exception. Eric first submitted a sketch of his design aesthetic with estimated dimensions and then I got to work turning the sketch into a physical pattern.

The Work.

Because this project was a one off with a tight deadline I didn’t have the opportunity to film a time laps of the entire process. One-off design or original design results many hours of standing in front of a pattern and mentally designing and assembling all the pieces which doesn’t translate well in video. A good pattern, like the one above, acts like a GPS when the function and pattern don’t agree.

The leather we chose was aniline dyed, which allows the natural grain and texture of the hide to show through. Aniline dyed also imparts a suppleness to the hide, a waxy soft “hand” that not only feels great but stand up well in-climate weather. And the most unique element of the entire project is the repurposed military duffle bag that makes up the exterior pockets and the green piping shown on the ends.

The finally product.

I partnered with Eric Doyeto from Something Blue Studio for this photoshoot and enlisted the help of Dunn Beard to model. The day was set more than a week in advance when we saw, the night before, that heavy rain was in the forecast and with no time to reschedule we pressed on. What could be a better way to show the character of this rugged bag than to do a photoshoot in pouring rain?

Back in the studio Eric captured the elegance of the Bourdain.

The Bourdain is one of the pieces I’m most proud of for it’s complexity, size and the new challenges it brought. Thank you Eric for allowing me to craft this beautiful pieces to accompany you on your mind adventures. And thank you Eric from Something Blue Studio and Dunn for braving the rain to document the end result of many many hours of work that resulted in The Bourdain.

Cheers,

Emily

The Classic Tote - The first model.

The Classic Tote has evolved a little since these images were taken. It's not quite as tall, a little wider and features a softer body than pictured here. But the assembly process is quite the same. One of the coolest shots in this gallery is the match shot. I finish all seams with a lit match to ensure there are no loose ends on a finished product. Check out all the images to see the process!