Jil Sander once resided in this beautiful villa in Hamburg Pöseldorf. Now Susann Eschenfelder lives here since ten years together with her husband and Parson Terrier Nelly

„There’s only a very little market in Germany for what I’m doing”, explains designer Susann Eschenfelder in her Hamburg atelier and points on her extravagant, elaborate pillows. “The Germans prefer a rather reserved interior style and don’t really like experiments.” That’s the reason why she spends the weekdays in London, as there are lots of interior design bureaus with international clients.

Designer Susann Eschenfelder in her Hamburg residence

Susann Eschenfelders works are total artworks that consist out of high-quality fabrics. Those are embroidered with semi-precious stones, gold- and silver threads, nacre and tortoiseshell or elaborate veiled with fur. Of course everything is individually made by hand and specially tailored to customers. Like a cushion lined with sable and embroidered with gold threads for the yacht of a Russian obligator.

“I like animal printings and my leo-sofa”, says Susann Eschenfelder. “The snake- or croc patterns are embroidered, no animals had to die for them.”

Such a luxury costs in the higher, four-digit area. Susann Eschenfelder designed an elaborate embroidery for the wall with suiting silk curtains for an apartment in London at the Hydepark. And the private cinema of the client got a silken wall covering with filigree cherry blossom branches in Chinese stile. Of course, the fabric-refiner doesn’t say anything about the names of her clients or about the prices.

The cushions of the Eschenfelder-collection are unique pieces – prices are based on the project depending on the working effort and use of material: “At special prices the price scale isn’t limited.”

One of Susann Eschenfelders favorite furniture is a vintage Pucci-fabric covered French sofa

“The individuality and the exceptionality are very important to my clients”, explains Susann Eschenfelder, who creates not only romantic but also modern motives. “Nobody of my client wants something the others already got.” Thereby the Saarlander already made the experience that money and taste inevitably don’t have something in common: “I’m always happy when my pillows complement a succeeded spatial installation.”

“I like watching my French Chinoiserie”, says Eschenfelder about the wall panel that was painted on paper in the 50’s

Eschenfelder, who worked for Jil Sander and Wolfgang Joop for years, loves graphical-floral and colorful Pucci-fabrics, throughout her colorful lampshades are being made – meanwhile sought objects at her clients. The vintage-fabrics aren’t easy to find and accordingly expensive.

On an antique French desk Suann Eschenfelder decorates an 80’s candleholder from Migeon and Chinese Foo Dogs

It can take weeks until a pillow is finished, depending on effort and embroideries. “And then especially the German customers come to me and ask, why the cushions are so expensive”, says Susann Eschenfelder. “My foreign clientele appreciates the craft and rejoices the beauty of extraordinary materials. And isn’t it wonderful to afford oneself something to create a luxury surrounding?” BvH

The designer spotted the Foo Dogs that stand infront of the antique fireplace in London

Susann Eschenfelder loves a homy atmosphere in her studio

Parson Terrier Nelly deeply relaxed

Great contrast: Golden frame meets purple fabric

Here everything is just right down to the details, even the door handle

Contact:
www.susanneschenfelder.com

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The bag “Spacie” from the current Stiebich & Rieth collection in the color cobalt blue*

When Julia Rieth and Detlfef Stiebich first met in Hamburg, they both worked as designers for the brand Joop, before they started to work for other labels. There, products were created on the computer, which started to bother both of them after a certain time and so they founded their own label to work on the product directly. Since 2012, handbags under the name Stiebich & Rieth are being made in traditional handicraft – made in Germany. The design duo recently got awarded the “Young Designers Award” for their craftsmanship.

Detlef Stiebich at work: All seams are prepunched in order to achieve accurate seam courses

MyStylery: Lots of the coveted designer bags come from France and Italy. Your handbags are handcrafted in Germany. Do these facts build a persuasive argument to spread your luxury segment internationally?
Detlef Stiebich: “Made in Germany” yes, but ‘handmade’ wasn’t easy in the beginning, because the purchasers got the illusion of something like arts and crafts. There was a big need of information. The breakthrough came at the Paris fashion week, where the German fashion label ODEEH offered to show our bags.

The leather comes from Italy, France and Spain and is vegetable tanned. Only natural ingredients are used as tanning agents such as tannins, chestnuts, roots, fruits or mimosa

MS: You renounce computer drafts and sketches. Your handbags are being made on the table, directly out of the material and out of your inspirations.
DS: That’s right. And before the production starts, Julia is wearing each prototype so that we can find out what we can still improve. That’s how we also design the details of our bags, as well asthe colouring, the closing mechanisms and the internal divisions. And if Julia says that nobody would wear that, one has to think from the beginning again.

All handmade: Due to the thickness of the leather, the two-needle technique is used. A bag has up to 45 items

MS: That sounds time-consuming.
DS: Absolutely (laughs). I also underestimated this in the beginning. For example in the beginning we always had problems with the knotting of the yarn at the end of the seam. So I went to Paris to Hermès to get a demo how to do it right. It takes weeks to finish a handbag. It already starts with the material: we process vegetable-tanned, solid saddle-leather, which is manufactured with an extra saddler stich due to the thickness of the leather. Luckily we found a leather manufacturer near Hamburg, who understands and commands the art of “hand-stitch-processing”. We’re accompanying each stage of the production process.

Two collections are created per year, ten different bag types in four or five colors. The bags cost between 800, – and 2.500, – Euros

MS: Your handbags are sold in Hamburg in luxury boutiques like “Linette” to the corresponding prices. Why does the client choose your product, when she could investigate a similar amount in an established brand?
DS: The simplicity and objectivity of our design convinces. Our client is self-confident and doesn’t define herself by special brand, of which everybody knows the price. Our client also wants another handbag: One, which not everybody owns. BvH

MyStylery loves… the Saddlebag “Hunter” from the latest collection. The must-have of the season!*

Kontakt:
www.stiebich-rieth.de

Featured pic and Photos* by Stiebich & Rieth

The post Dream-Bags by Stiebich & Rieth appeared first on My Stylery.