Enid Collins vintage box bags

Social networking is a relatively new and young phenomenon, and everything published there becomes as relevant as "last year's snow" after a day or two. This is why it is so amazing that there, of ALL places, we can find treasures and be inspired by things that happened even before we were born, and that we wouldn't have found so easily, otherwise.

I was introduced to Enid Collins' bags by looking at the instagram feed of Victoire de Castellane, the creative director of Dior jewelry. few weeks ago she uploaded a picture of her collection of Enid Collins bags, and i was amazed to meet them for the first time.

The picture enchanted me - I felt I found a treasure, and that I must investigate what lies behind this visual and nostalgic richness, that Victoire (what a beautiful name) likes to collect. And indeed I became acquainted with a rich and charming world - a time capsule of the sixties and seventies of the last century, and with a creative and entrepreneurial woman.

Enid Collins and her husband Fred bought a small farm in Texas after World War II. She studied fashion and art and he studied engineering and sculpted as a hobby. They were looking for a way to increase their income from the farm, so Enid began designing bags at home, by the kitchen table, and Fred helped her with the technical work - designing the connectors for example.

The first bags were made of very expensive materials - leather, for example, or imported cotton. but Enid quickly thought of a great idea - wooden box cases, which had a lower cost and were affordable for more people. (Later canvas bags were added, but in this post I will focus on the box bags only, simply because they are much more to my taste).

Many designs - more than 100, appeared on top of the two types of bags that were decorated with contemporary designs - with prints, paintings, shiny stones, sequins and beads.

The first bags were produced in 1959, and after a while the production went to a real factory, and even two, because it was impossible to supply the demand from the home studio. The bags were very popular and was sold at most of the country's largest department stores. It is important to note that despite the visual richness and the detailed decor, they were not evening bags, but were intended for daily and casual use.

The inspiration for the designs came mainly from the nature world - birds, peacocks, fish, horses, trees, butterflies, owls and flowers, and of course farm life in Texas - the cavalry and horses. Because there are more than a hundred different designs - all these elements are mostly repeated in various variations.

At the height of their popularity, self-styling D.I.Y kits were also available, but it is difficult to get them today.

Nowdays, the bags are considered as expensive and nostalgic, and there are also imitations.

One of the popular designs, which appeared in many colorful versions is the money tree.

In 1970, Collins sold the company to Tandy Leather Corporation, which continued to produce the bags, but changed the logo and signature on the bags.

Here is a brief explanation of how Collins can be distinguished from a later bag by the company: the earlier ones were signed with Collins' full name, usually with the year's mark, or only a logo of the initials ec or c. The bags that produced by Tandy bear the words Collins of texas or only C with a capital letter.