Timmy Woods – Creating Collectible Handbags that are Pieces of Art
I met handbag designer Timmy Woods at the WWD Magic show in Las Vegas almost a year ago. Her gallery-like booth was filled with colorful, sparkly handcrafted items. These pieces of art immediately attracted the attention of everyone around. A colleague and I perused her display and were duly impressed. Breathtaking, well-crafted, one-of-a-kind, wood-crafted clutches are all accurate descriptions of Timmy Woods’ one-of-a-kind collectible handbags.
In 1985 Timmy started designing and manufacturing leather handbags, which were immediately placed in Bergdorf, Bendel’s, and Bloomingdale’s. She then accepted a position in a Fortune 500 company, Oxford Industries, to design Ken Done for the U.S.A. After a serious injury in a car accident, Timmy worked for her father, a real estate developer, and became extremely successful in the real estate market. But none of these positions proved as rewarding as designing collectible handbags.
Timmy went to UCLA, she attended the University of Heidelberg for a short while, she took courses at the University of Singapore, and she attended FIT. Her teacher looked at her one day and she said, “Why don’t you just get out of here and do what you have to do!”
I walked out of there and shook my head and wondered what was I going to do. That is when I started making my leather handbags.
Timmy’s grown children (a son who’s an attorney and a daughter who is a housewife) were part of the reason she began creating handbags. She knew she would miss them terribly. They were at the phase of their lives where they didn’t really need her around. So she gave birth to a new child–Timmy Woods Beverly Hills. The bags are individually designed, and most are commissioned works of art. It is quite a process she goes through when creating them.
First and foremost, it all starts with fallen Acacia trees. The tree trunks are sliced into sections, and each section of wood is cut into its basic shape. Using high-speed blades, the interior is hollowed out. The shaping process of the handbag begins to take form, which completes the initial scooping of the interior. The wood shapes are soaked for 24 hours in water to release any residue left on the wood and to prevent discoloration. The wood is oven and air dried to prevent warping. After drying is completed, the shape receives an initial sanding. The wood is then sent to the carving department to receive the initial carving of the basic character form. With each step of the shaping process, the character continues to emerge. The wood is re-sculpted in each step, constantly refining the process of smaller cuts within the wood. The process continues until all of the details of the character are completed and the final figure is completed.
The hinges for each bag are cut individually, and a matching piece is created to exactly fit into the hinge opening. Holes are bored into the wood to insert the hook for the closure device. The bags are hand sanded 3 times to ensure uniform smoothness. Each piece is coated with sealer to protect the wood pores. The bags are painted with a base coat, either white or black, then detailed and finished. In the final assembly department, the shoulder straps are attached, the lining is inserted, and the hinges are closed. The shoulder strap is dropped in, and the international certificate of originality is enclosed in the lining pocket.
Inside each of Timmy’s bag, is a certificate of acquisition, which the purchaser mails to her gallery. The owner becomes a member of the Beverly Hills collectors’ society, which gives the access to limited edition collectible handbags available only to Timmy Woods’ selected clientele. Timmy Woods’ bags are festive, yet fashionable. Her clients love the uniqueness of their collector’s item. Her bags have holiday, sport, university, animal, charity, and political themes. She has even sculpted King Tut.
If I make a sculpture, they’re usually custom for a client, but I really learned a lot about what people like and don’t like by doing these bags.
Celebrities flock to her designs because they are the perfect red carpet accessories, and the list of A-list celebrity clients is impressive. Liz Taylor, Diana Ross, Melanie Griffith, Maya Angelou, and Hillary Clinton, just to name a few, collect Timmy’s bags. She has even created bags for the White House and Governor Schwarzenneger.
Timmy believes that it is really important to give back to the community. She makes a little mirror of Sworovsky crystals with the breast cancer symbol, which can be worn around the neck or just carried in the wallet, and a handbag and a wallet, the proceeds all of which go to help cure cancer.
Timmy doesn’t just do wood bags; she also does leather bags with a variety of themes. She has recently started making fancy wooden tops with leather on the body. She also uses fur and faux fur on some of her bags.
I’m trying to teach my workers in the Philippines how to sew leather, and it has proven to be extremely challenging. They’ve been doing wood for so long, and there are so many different methods that need to be used when you are trying to cut leather into more than one piece. You’re not going to cut it with scissors; you’re going to cut it with a knife, and you have to think in terms of waste.
Highest High
When I showed my bags at a show in Paris and won an award. The French were really anti-American at the time. People walked past me and told me they would not buy my bags because I was American. I got voted one of the most creative designers at the show by the press. That was really exciting. My second high was having Carrie from “Sex in the City” wear one of my bags on the show.
Lowest Low
When you really can’t pay people, when you know that you’re really great, that your designs are appreciated, and you look at your bills and you think, “Oh my God, how am I going to get this covered today?” That gets hard, especially, the fact that I’m a designer. I’m not necessarily always good with numbers. I try to surround myself with people who are. My choices are not always great. It’s my Achilles’ heel, and I don’t like to owe people money.
Timmy is inspired by her love of art and fashion, which is obvious to anyone who sees her exquisitely crafted collectible handbags. They are created with love, and the utmost attention to detail is given to each individual handbag.
For more information about Timmy Woods Beverly Hills, visitwww.timmywoods.com to view her collection.
Interview by Kaylene Peoples
