WAS THE NEWSLETTER #67

I’m Paige Wassel. WAS the Newsletter is your weekly dose of design inspiration, where we absolutely will fake it ‘til we make it.

THE IDEA

When inspiration strikes, sometimes you just have to lean into it. Am I a fashion designer? Not exactly, but I have years of working creative fields. So when I felt that flash of inspiration while sourcing unbelievable upholstery fabric, I didn’t tell myself it wasn’t possible because I’d never done it before.

Instead, I decided to trust in my skills and taste and see what else I could do with access to so many fun fabrics and palettes.

That inspo led to what will be my second Home Tote drop, coming (tentatively) on March 30th. We’re launching a total of ten different bags.

My idea was to create a gorgeous tote out of high-quality, durable upholstery fabric, and to make it so pretty that you want to leave it on display. When you’re not toting your tote, it’s a design element for your room, whether it’s hung on a coat rack or a door handle.

THE PHOTOSHOOT

Since I’ve done this before, the Home Totes came together fairly easily. So much of the fun of having WAS is creating and pulling together product photo shoots. I was a prop stylist for nine years, so being on set, working with photographers and wardrobe stylists is just second nature to me right now.

What’s so gratifying is that this is my company, so I have full creative control. Heh.

Of course, it’s not a WAS shoot if I don’t work with Julian Sage, my photog from the beginning. I always plan my shoots around his schedule because… well, I need him. And this time I brought in Kaley Azambuja to style the shoot. I’d never worked with her before, but she took my mood board and brought my whole vision to life. I could not have been happier. Both are in the LA area and I could not recommend them more highly.

I recruited two of my friends to model. (Why are so many of my friends models?) Of course, there was Basma, whose artwork and home you’ve all seen. She used to model and was thinking of getting back into it so I was all, “You need to work this shoot.” Plus, we were joined by Mo, who also models. Both of them elevated everything we did. They’re both just so edgy and cool that at a point during the shoot, I found myself thinking, The location, the models, the photographer—they’re all so much cooler than the actual totes lol.

For the location, I found the most amazing space. Actually, it was so great that it was outside of my budget. It’s a Jewish community center in Beverly Hills and there’s an empty pool, basketball courts, locker rooms, etc. Just the perfect backdrop.

As a whole, I couldn’t afford it, so I gave them my pitch, explaining that I’m a small business owner and could we make a deal on only using a portion of their space? They were incredible and we made it happen. Mazel tov. The first area we shot in was the locker room. The lighting was ideal and the walls were a really great color blue, plus there was this orange bench that just popped.

Then we moved to the pool area and the shoot just took on a life of its own. I mean… look at this.

I’m so passionate about the creative process that I truly love the shoots because I don’t get to do them that much anymore. It’s just so fun.

Seeing the end result of the photoshoot, I’m so psyched for the launch, so fingers crossed my manufacturer can have them ready by the tentative drop date. Not only do we have these cool totes in incredible fabrics, we’re also launching a line of little pouches. They’re made out of upholstery fabric, too, and they’re super versatile. Use the big one for your toiletries when you’re traveling. Use the medium one for whatever you want to keep separate and handy in your handbag, like your phone charger. The small one can hold your meds or your contacts. (They come in a set of three.)

THE PEP TALK

Here’s the thing—every time I launch a product, I learn more about not just the business, but also what I’m capable of doing. Again, I am not a fashion designer, but I didn’t let that stop me. In creative fields, you don’t have to have years of experience—you just need passion and motivation. You’ve got to let yourself take that leap. If you want to paint, go paint. If you want to launch a company where you design stuff, do it. I come from a PR background and one day, I just decided I’d throw my shit out there and that’s what grew my YouTube channel. And now I have a company.

So I’ll leave you guys with these words of wisdom: if you want to succeed, you’ve got to do two things—first, consistency is key. Whatever you’re doing, keep at it. And second, there’s absolutely no shame in faking it until you actually make it.

xx,

Paige