2019 Best Handmade Handbag
2019 Best Handmade Handbag
Independent Handbag Awards Designers, New York
Luxury Leather Accesories
production process
Adan Ballou uses high-quality vegetable tanned leather as well as natural fibers on its lining materials
Adan Ballou
Design Process
"A handbag is like a home. The outside should be expressive of the owner. The inside is the part that makes the structure a home."
AB Handbags go through different prototypes to find the best experience for all users. Attention to details on what we find valuable are a staple design item for Adan Ballou handbags.
why leather?
indigenous influence
Adan Ballou lives in the Canadian prairies where many of Canaada's Ingenous People live. Growing up in and around this culture taught him many things about the indigenous perspectives of our place in nature.
Leather is a gift that should be respected and appreciated. Turning a beatiful animal into beautiful leather is not an easy task, and Adan Ballou felt that by learning how to tan his own leather in a traditional way payed respect to the material. The animal is no longer anonymous to the artist, and endeavours to celebrate its life with what he creates.
The artist says thank you & asks the creator to bless the spirit of the animal that gave him this beautiful material to work with.
sustainable produced
Natural Glues & Dyes
We use only sustainable, water-based glues, edge paints and dyes. The chemicals they contain do not affect the environment like those found in alcohol or petroleum-based colours.
The ‘Iron Black’ dye, used in some of our handbags, is made in house using an old cowboy recipe called ‘Vingaroon’. A combination of vinegar and iron is aged. When applied to vegetable-tanned leather, it reacts to the tannins in the leather and turns it black. Yet another heritage method Adan uses to create his designs.
local hunted deer skin
Adan Ballou collects deer skins from local hunters, who produced their own beef. Adan treats the leather with naturally collected water mixed with wood collected ashes that helps reduce the pollution produced on other methods like chromium based tanning. For this technique and the high attention to detail, Adan Ballou was awarded in 2019 the best handmade handbag by the Independent Hanbag Awards in New York.
Hemp Canvas Lining
Hemp fibre is one the strongest and sturdiest of all natural textile fibres. Like leather, it gets softer with use. When cared for, neither wears out. They wear in. Hemp naturally resists mould and ultraviolet light. For its many desirable qualities and the way it harmonizes with leather, Adan Ballou uses hemp canvas to line his designs.
Bees Wax Treatment
Adan Ballou applies a house blend of local beeswax and essential oils to each item. This brings out the patina that vegetable-tanned leather will naturally develop. Worked into the leather by hand, it protects the leather from stains and conditions it for durability. It also enhances the aroma that only quality leather has.
Home, Decor & Fashion
Production Process
We believe in supporting companies with similar values as what we have. We have partnered with other Canadian artists and companies to help us produced sustainable made products in Canada.
Scarfs
Made from silk habotai
All the scarfs come in five different sizes and made from 8mm 100% silk habotai. They get dyed by permanent reactive digital inks meaning your scarf print will never fade or wash away.
Machine rolled baby hem provides a durable yet delicate edge finish for your silk scarf.
The 100% silk habotai is made in a factory with OEKO-TEX certification for standardized and safe working conditions.
Yoga Pants & Leggings
Production Process
All our pants are made in Canada, sweatshop free. Every pair of leggings is printed and sewn by hand in Montreal, Canada. The fabric used was also developed exclusively for this purpose, and is made by a local Montreal mill.
All stretch fabrics feature an EcoPoly fiber. This fiber is considered eco-friendly since it requires significantly less energy and water use during manufacturing.
Home Decor
Cotton & Linen
The reactive digital printing process ensures that the prints never fade with washes, and the woven 100% cotton fabric is designed to handle use and only gets softer with time.
The cotton/linen fabric used in our home decor line is made in a factory with OEKO-TEX Certification for standardized and safe working conditions.
