The Violet Capital – a leather collection inspired by historic Rhinebeck, New York
Shops Volume I-A – an original collection study.
A September study.
A century ago this village grew violets under acres of glass and shipped them out by the wagonload each Easter – the world called it the Violet Capital. This small collection presses that story, and the river that frames it, into leather.
First, we rebuilt a violet house from the old postcards – the glass roof rushing to its vanishing point over dark beds of flowers, VIOLET CAPITAL OF THE WORLD arched above the gable. It presses at generous size into the center of the golden tan tray.
It looks genuinely beautiful.
Next, a hand-tied bunch of violets above RHINEBECK – the shape a grower's shipment took every spring. We stamped it small in the corner of the toiletry bags, navy over dark espresso, and centered on the keychain fobs in dusty lavender and dark espresso.
Then we drew the grower's label. Marie Louise was the double violet raised under all that glass, and the name sits in a small ruled frame in the lower corner of the journal covers – one journal in dusty lavender, one in deep pine green.
And finally, the long view from the river bluff. The Hudson reach settles into a few calm lines with the far ridge behind them and RHINEBECK letterspaced in the sky, run lengthwise along the luggage tags in pale sea-blue and warm caramel. Looks great when stamped onto the leather.
The black tag carries the design in gold.
We made this out of love. Leatherius Woodman is on a mission to create and share artifacts of beauty, craft and love – this study is one of them, and we hope the feeling is mutual. Every image is a render – how we prototype before cutting a die.
If you'd like these made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.
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