One aspect of life at JOHI that we never tire of is meeting fellow artisans. We share many experiences and motivations, especially in the effort of honing our crafts. We often swap stories of learnings through the years, be it business or creative. Whether we are working in the same or different mediums, we always feel a kinship.
A year ago, we met Ian James at the first West Coast Craft fair of 2021. In fact, it was the first return of the show, post COVID cancellations in the year prior. We were making the rounds to find our favorite products of the weekend, intending to snag one final favorite to bring home. Through the blur of people rushing here and there, a collection of tall, rumpled vases caught my eye. "What are those??" Taking a closer look, I saw the vases were beautifully shaped from leather. They were presented amid a greater collection of leather handbags and more -- all the work of Ian James. Yes, we did snag one such sculpted vase! It now lives happily in our studio's office with a spray of dried eucalyptus.
Over the last year, we've had the pleasure of overlapping with Ian several times. His leather work spans personal and home accessories: among them, sleek duffels, daily crossbody bags, and the lovely sculpted trays & vases (the ultimate organic touch). We've enjoyed hearing about material selections, working with vibrant colors, and his journey creating his brand from New York in the early days, to San Francisco now.
Ian currently creates and showcases his work at his beautiful retail studio, located in the Mission district of San Francisco. There, he graciously showcases fellow artisans throughout the space, and we are honored to currently be among them! To our San Francisco Bay Area community who have asked where you can find us, it's a delight to share that you can now experience a few of our furniture pieces at Ian James' store. We share many values with Ian James Made. He is intentional about everything he creates, including his retail studio. So this holiday season, if you are on the hunt for elegant, consciously crafted goods made here in California, make a visit to Ian James at Valencia & 14th Street!
To learn more about Ian James, visit ianjamesmade.com.
You can now shop select JOHI furniture alongside Ian James' leather work!
