BY SHALEEN DESTEFANO
Animal Handmade is a small but mighty team, who work tirelessly to create some of the most stunningly beautiful leather goods we have ever seen. Each piece is expertly designed to make a statement. When you first visit their website, you might get lost in the mystery of their message, “Built for Mischief, Built for Pleasure.” But make no mistake, to hold an Animal piece in your hands is to know the true passion of Ava Goldberg, from illustration to production. Ava made her first piece in 2014 as a gift to a friend and every Animal since has been born out of the same energy of communion with design, craft, and belonging. Each creation is a true work of art and we have been dying to learn more about her and her pack for a very long time. “We are deeply committed to making the very best work we can. If you look closely, you’ll see us in the stitching and painted layers coating every edge. These pieces are antennas of pride and love, reaching out from my pack to yours.” We were beyond grateful for the opportunity to talk with Ava about what feeds the inspiration behind her genius designs for Animal Handmade.
Can we start at the beginning? When did you realize your passion for art? How did you get your start in leather goods?
My interest in art never started, it’s always just been there. Working with leather happened by accident when I had an assignment in a college print class to complete a project in an alternative material. My boyfriend at the time was tinkering in leather-work so, if I can remember, I think I just put two and two together and did my assignment using his tools and materials.
We have yet to find a piece of yours that we’re not obsessed with. What inspires your creations?
It’s a compulsion. I have an internal pressure valve that has to be released. It’s not really a choice to create, it just has to get out or I’ll explode. I’m inspired by that pressure.
We love the fluidity and symmetry of your designs. How did you come with the Wave Reflector for instance. Do you have designs that you will always create, or do you retire them after time?
We definitely retire patterns and styles as we evolve. I have a lot of launch points, where I’ll want to make a round crossbody, or a tote. So oftentimes I will reformat a pattern to fit that style. Or I will decide what pattern makes the most sense for a new illustration. As far as the art of each design, I draw from life experiences, or some kind of quandary that seems to be universal as a human. For example, “Bon Sang,” the design of the bird stabbing itself with it’s own beak. This one is about how we get in our own way or how we tend to lean on the things that are already in our wheelhouse. So, our inherited strengths, or our natural tendencies that end up disrupting other experiences because we don’t force ourselves to grow other skills. We sometimes hide behind our primary strengths.
Can you offer a glimpse of your process and describe your studio?
Sometimes my starting point is an idea, sometimes it’s imagery, and sometimes it’s a function or silhouette. Regardless of the starting point, what proceeds is a hunt for the finished expression of the idea. I usually get lost along the way, sometimes I change my goals entirely, and am almost always humbled by the pursuit. There are different versions of prototyping and ideation which sometimes produces a million drawings and sometimes a million prototypes. It’s informed by materials and the limitations of being a small business—having limited influence and buying power. I consider myself a professional amateur: the ideas in my head and the final product are very different, but I’ve grown to accept and often enjoy the resulting surprise.
My studio has four windows, two sewing machines, two dogs, 13 plants (one of which is a 38 year-old-hibiscus tree currently blooming), one excellent assistant, and six bottles of booze for cocktail hour. We have a growing number of esoteric but essential tools, some hand-me-downs from my parents’ business Ava Baby and some from our old studiomates at Winter Session. There’s a framed photo of my grandparents’ pool in Maine that I took when I was sixteen. Lots of art by friends and a portrait of my mother painted by my grandmother.
Your designs would easily translate to prints, or fabric textiles, or even tattoos. How do you see your work evolving?
We’re constantly experimenting and branching out into new materials, with the emphasis always on pattern and texture. One of my big dreams is to collaborate with a hotel. Design wallpaper, bedspreads, glassware, etc.
Have you ever collaborated with other local artists?
I have a group of friends called the “Bad Art Club” and we collaborate all the time, but for joy not dollars. I recently collaborated with Kate Wilkonson at Arcatus Jewelry on a brass keychain and I’m currently working on a chair with my friend John Strieby. We’ve also worked with Penny Wood Co., Mohinders, Asrai Garden boutique in Chicago, and Lady Jane here in Denver.
How would you define your style? What celebrity would you love to see in one of your bags?
I feel like Saint Vincent would benefit from an Animal…our designs are a little goth, a little punk…maybe Natasha Leone or Tilda Swinton. My style is very dependent on my circumstance. I work all the time, so I’m in baggy, immojean + willie pants and shoes that are good for standing on concrete for twelve hours. I really love menswear, so like a droopy, crumpled button up. I need to wear things that get oil on them and it won’t upset me. Outside of work, I’m a big fan of the one piece wardrobe, so a dress and sneakers…when I can have fun with clothes I love proportions, so pairing something tight with something billowy.
Who makes up Animal Handmade?
A group of women who all share an obsession for detail and quality. My sister is my “business daddy.” She does the books, the taxes and we do strategy and calendar together. She shields me from the bank account, because it can be hard to be an artist and follow some wild hair into the woods when you’re worried about the budget. We have an agreement so that I have a little space to dream and float away. A small art and fashion-based business is basically the dumbest thing you can do, especially when you’re also manufacturing. I can’t float off very far into my fantasy world. I have a very high overhead, I use very nice materials, and I never go for a cheap application of anything.
I have a couple of assistants that work in my Denver shop with me. I also now have two satellite sewers in Oregon who both have had experience sewing leather, so they make up my Pacific Northwest division.
When you’re not in design mode, how do you spend your time?
In production mode. Or, I’m hanging out with my puppy and friends or traveling and eating, and, if I’m lucky, sleeping. Always searching for water.
Aside from your website, where can we find your goods?
We’re all over the US, and we have a list of our Stokist’s on our website. But locally, you can find us at Howl Mercantile in Salida, Haven in Boulder, MCA Denver, and DonLo Mercantile in Breckenridge.
What can we expect from you in the future?
More Animals in new materials to serve different pleasures and functions.
What is currently spinning on your record player?
Don’t have a record player, but we just put out a new Animal Spring playlist by my friend Hayley Helmericks.
Thank you, Ava, for taking the time to share a glimpse inside of your studio, your process and your passion. As fellow small business owners, we adored learning more about how you make your artistic dreams a reality. We have a strong inclination to support a company that puts so much love into each item they create, and Animal Handmade embodies this mission. If you would like to learn more about their made-to-order items or see the entire collection, visit animalhandmade.com. (Photo credit: Centerfold Keely Skyy, above images from left to right; Luca Venter, Sabrina Toscano and Cornelia Peterson)