Bag-maker Fernando Webb knows what makes a good bag, and it isn't big leather tassels.
"They seem unnecessary - they just look stupid," Webb said. "And I really can't stand the designer labels like Chanel or Louis Vuitton, where it's their print all over the bag. Some girls have them in different colors. I just can't stand that. I think it's really tacky."
He's the sole proprietor of the do-it-yourself company Nando By Fernando, which makes one-of-a-kind messenger bags and handbags. Some of these durable, double-stitched bags are made from simple cuts and asymmetrical patterns balanced with sparks of bright color. He is the featured designer of the month at the Designer's Lounge.
"I think you could carry a bowling bag around in it," he said. "I have one at the Designer's Lounge. I call it "nautical bling." It has all these golden sailor pins and gold chains hanging off of it. And it's just blinged-out in a nautical way. Right now, I'm really into messenger bags and more men's style. Its kind of a neat market 'cause not a lot of people are making stuff for men."
The Designer's Lounge, at 3218 Silver Ave. S.E., is a new school that teaches fashion-making techniques as well as basic sewing and how to make items such as skirts, ties and bags.
"It's great because UNM doesn't offer any sort of fashion programs," Webb said.
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In October, his bags were featured in a fashion show at a newly converted art space/bike shop in Nob Hill.
"The opening was super awesome," he said. "I made 30 bags and sold 22. Pretty good - it was a one-night show."
Before moving to Albuquerque from Colorado, he attended a small art school in Australia, studying art history, design and painting. Webb said that in the 1920s and '30s, while the Surrealists were popular in Europe, Australia was still into classical portraiture. Traditional aboriginal art is mainly composed of dots and bright colors. Webb made some of his first bags out of aboriginal-print fabrics.
"A major focus was on aboriginal art, which is really interesting to learn about," Webb said. "When I left, I went to this one store that sold aboriginal instruments and crafts, and they had a whole bunch of aboriginal fabric with prints from paintings on it. I bought a couple yards of my favorite fabric, and when I came home I made a lot of stuff with it."
Webb's friends give him materials, and he uses old tablecloths and drapes and thrift store materials.
"All thrift stores have a section with yards of old fabric from some old lady or something," he said. "And then for more durable bags, I'll go to a fabric store and buy a heavier-weight fabric."
Webb said he's self-taught and has come a long way since he started sewing almost four years ago.
"I've come to a point where I can visualize a bag and can draw it out and construct it," he said. "That's why a lot of the bags, especially the women's purses, have unique shapes, and they're one-of-a-kind. Sometimes I'll make it and sell it and forget what it looked like. Can't make another one."
Webb works out of his walk-in closet, where all his materials hang conveniently by his head. He said he's working on a small collection of bags for the holiday season. Check them out at MySpace.com/nandobyfernando.
