—————— In the Bags ——————–

urban:kitty made the cover of the Advocate’s People section! Woot!

BR designer producing urban:kitty line of unique handbags

By KAREN MARTIN
Assistant People Editor
Published: Nov 23, 2009 – Page: 1D

There’s only one thing Sherry Brown discovered she didn’t like about architecture after she got her degree from LSU.

“It takes too long to see the finished product,” she said.

Brown, 35, likes change.

And there’s nothing that changes faster than fashion.

So, in 2005, Brown started her own line of handbags.

“I’ve always been a fashion person,” said Brown, who grew up in Donaldsonville, where her mom taught her to sew. “One day I found these handbags online, but there’s no way I could justify spending that kind of money.”

So, to satisfy her fashionista soul, she made her own.

Friends saw and liked. She had a show. Then she had a hit. Her urban:kitty line was born.

Today, Brown continues to produce handbags unique not only in the design, but in the utilitarian qualities she builds in.

For example, there’s DECONstruct, which, by a quick presto-chango of the straps, goes from being a two-handle handbag to a messenger bag to a smart clutch, which can be worn with or without a strap.

“It’s really four bags in one,” said Brown, who works out of a small house in Baton Rouge not far from the Mississippi.

Then there’s her TravelCITY bag, a roomy tote that reverses to a completely different look. On one side, the “Driftwood” model has an abstract animal print and bronze metallic leather pockets; on the other, it is a brown/blue fleck pattern. “It’s like a walking gallery,” Brown said of the display of rich upholstery fabrics, which she uses for all of her bags.

The EL, her most popular style, is just an all-around bag, particularly nice in either a bright green “Bamboo” or rich orangey-red “Cypress.”

Her Roadtrip bag, which Brown, of course, designed while on a road trip, has an adjustable strap and extra large pockets.

“I sketched the design while I was in the back seat on a trip,” said Brown, pulling out the tiny notebook where the sketch appears, looking very much like the finished product.

She particularly loves this bag with its bright splashes of orange and lavender dandelions on the “Yield” version in pewter metallic and the green and lavender dandelions on the “Merge” version in gold metallic leather. She had the dandelion images screen printed by Storyville.

“I am very proud of this design because it showcases all the things I am passionate about right now — graphic design, local sourcing, handbags, and, for some reason, dandelions.”

She has her bags manufactured in Dallas from her specific design instructions.

“But I always sample first in the actual fabric before I have it made,” Brown said.

Beautiful leather straps, which she has specially crafted, are found on some of her bags, which retail between $140 and $260.

Brown enjoys that her bags get noticed.

“I like to design something that will stand out,” she said, adding that there’s nothing she loves more than hearing compliments her customers get on their handbags. “If you have a sense of style, people will notice.”

You can find Brown’s bags in Baton Rouge at Loft 3H, the LSU Museum of Art, SOGO Boutique and Stella Boutique or online at http://www.urban-kitty.com.

While she waits to someday go full time as a handbag designer — she currently pays the bills with her Twitch Design Labs graphic design business — Brown dreams even bigger.

She wants to expand her style beyond the handbag business into a home collection.

“I love placemats,” she said, adding with a laugh, “I’m a placemat freak.”

And throw pillows and cloth napkins. And other contemporary home textiles.

So someday, urban:kitty may be a litter of goods. And, if you’re wondering about the name of her enterprise, the story is bittersweet. When Brown and her husband, Rick, were living in a downtown loft, her cat, Tigger, roamed the rooftop deck.

“He loved it. I called him my ‘urban kitty,’ because no other cat had a life like he had,” said Brown, adding that she equated urban with home and kitty with fashion.

Sadly, after the couple moved, Brown said the 14-year-old Tigger was killed by wild dogs.