Bags that focus on what lies inside
- Chloe's bags feature personalised inner linings
- She completed an internship with Vivienne Westwood in London
- She ran Missibaba for 19 years, a studio where she mentored aspiring artisans
In her bag making, Chloe Seraphine focuses on intimacy, colour and personal meaning. Trained in accessory design at the London College of Fashion, she learned the foundations of pattern cutting and bag construction. Chloe later deepened her relationship with leather, drawn to its texture, malleability and richness as a material with a second life. At her namesake studio, she creates highly personalised bags. "My work places particular emphasis on the inner lining, which I see as a private canvas for the wearer," Chloe says. Inside her bags, she adds poetry, affirmations and customised pockets and colours that reflect the client's personal life. Mentorship remains part of her practice, alongside a belief in breaking perfection and trusting the process, values that have been shaped by years of making, teaching and listening.
Interview
- How has your upbringing influenced you?
- I grew up on a farm in Stellenbosch in South Africa, where I spent a lot of time in the mountains. This nurtured my appreciation and love for nature and all its wild glory.
- Where do you practise your craft today?
- I live in Tokai in Cape Town. I work from a home studio built around my favourite leather sewing machine and stacks of leather pieces, which I use in my bag making today.
- What has helped you on your path to creativity?
- At a moment when I felt stuck, I discovered dance and threw myself into it. Dancing helped me unlock creativity and energy that I did not know I had and needed at the time. Today, I recommend dancing to anyone who might be feeling this way.
- What advice do you have for aspiring bag makers?
- Do not be afraid to reinvent yourself by taking a moment of pause. There are other versions of yourself out there, you just need to give yourself permission to be them.
Chloe Seraphine is a master artisan: she began her career in 2005 and she started teaching in 2005
Works
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Chloe Seraphine
