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When friends ask me my favorite spots for online shopping, Of a Kind is always on the list. I’ve followed this incredible e-commerce + editorial site – which launches limited edition products from emerging fashion designers each week- for years and was ecstatic when we arranged this interview. I could have talked retail and favorite designers with Claire and Erica for hours – and they come across on the phone exactly as you’d imagine on the site. Read on for more about Of a Kind – and a preview of the items that are launching this week!

Also, make sure to check out their blog, Stuff We Love, and sign up for the hysterical email newsletter – one of the few that I actually read each week! Thanks, Claire & Erica!

Gold Crescent Quill Earrings by Kyyote for Of a Kind | 45 of a kind | $88

TELL ME ABOUT HOW OF A KIND CAME TO BE:

Clare: We’d been friends since college at the University of Chicago and had both moved to New York. Erica was working in magazines and I’d been working in the art world. I felt like the future of supporting artists and creatives was on the internet, and I wanted to be a part of it. Erica was helping me edit my cover letter for 20 x 200, a  site focused on introducing artists to new collectors, and we realized that we could translate that model to the fashion world. We knew that if we told the story behind the product, we could sell the work of unknown artists and designers.

We had the idea in January 2010 and launched in November 2010, focused on one of a kind pieces and content geared towards the designer – interviews, photo essays, etc.

WHAT (AND WHO!) INSPIRES YOU?

We’re inspired by other companies in our space and in similar industries. The magazine world. The food world. We’re very inspired by other entrepreneurs:

Ten Over Six Founders Kristen Lee and Brady Cunningham have built an incredible brick & mortar business that is now five years old and still growing.

Susan Feldman, the founder of One Kings Lane. She has built a huge company that is backed by venture capitalists but is still very grounded and down to earth and she takes things one at a time.

Jen Bekman from 20×200.

The designers that we work with. It’s inspiring to be a small business that supports other small businesses. We’ve built great relationships with many of our designers and we learn from each other and can help each other.

LETS TALK ABOUT E-COMMERCE VS. BRICK & MORTAR:

We still love an instore experience. We are focused online but we still love to support boutiques. These boutiques support the same ecosystem that we are in and we can support each other.

Our story telling perspective is best for an online model. We grew up in small cities and towns that didn’t have many independent boutiques so we like that we have created something that everyone can have access to.

We take inspiration from the best boutiques – the owners can give you guidance as to what to wear or buy and can tell you the story behind the product. Those are enriching experiences and that is what we are trying to create online.

TELL ME ABOUT COLLECTIONS, THE NEWEST ADDITION TO OF A KIND:

Launching Collections was a natural step in growing our business. As the site grew, we found that there was a need from our customers to access the entire collection from the designers we featured – either because our exclusive item had sold out, or the customers simply wanted to buy more pieces than what we were selling. Our designers also started to come to us for help in building out their e-commerce sites so we realized we could create a solution for our customers and our designers.

Collections make it easier for designers to sell their product and also provides customers with more options and selections, as well as the comfort of shopping from a site they can trust.

Champagne Diamond Tiny Solitaire Ring by Blanca Monros Gomez for Of a Kind | 45 of a kind | $215

WHAT ARE YOUR STYLE ESSENTIALS?

Jeans and a flat boot, typically Loeffler Randall. Statement accessories – shoes, bags, and necklaces that can stand out when paired with streamlined clothing.

WHAT HAVE YOU RECENTLY PURCHASED FOR SPRING?

E: A Black Crane Striped Linen Top

C. Two A Piece Apart shirts and a Demylee cropped sweater – I buy a new version every year and wear them all of the time.

Heritage has become a buzz word lately, and – after reading hundreds of brand pitches touting heritage ideals and craftsmanship – for products that looked poorly made even from my laptop screen –  it was starting to lose it’s meaning.

And then I visited J.W. Hulme in St. Paul.

And suddenly heritage – real heritage – made a lot more sense to me.

I’ve been a fan of J.W. Hulme bags for years – that weekender is entirely impractical for my preferred methods of travel but is just so gorgeous that I’d consider working out just so I could carry it around the airport with me – but didn’t know much about the brand until Ashley and I visited the factory a few months ago.

After this visit, I have such a different understanding of what heritage really means – and it is impressive.

J.W. Hulme opened in 1905 as a field and sport company, and all products have always been produced in St. Paul, Minnesota, using domestically sourced materials. The company has always focused on quality over anything else – the bags are classic, meant to be used, and are guaranteed to last.

The production of these bags is rather incredible. The company only uses A-grade, heavy leather hides from carefully selected partner tanneries across the US. The leather arrives, is inspected, and then is split – which thins the leather out to a uniform width, and hand cut using a steel die. Each bag is made up of 8-10 pieces of leather, using the right part of a hide for each piece is imperative – and knowing which part that is is an art.

After cutting, the ends of each piece are hand painted (!!!) for consistency, and then the leather is lined and backed. If the product is part of the American Heritage line, the leather is hand buffed and burnished to create a patina. The bags are finished with solid brass hardware and Riri zippers – considered the best zippers in the market. And the bags are guaranteed – for life.

Making bags is labor intensive, but the attention to detail – and the respect for the craft – of each employee was obvious. Many of the employees have worked for the company for over 20 years, and J.W. Hulme is also a partner in The Makers Coalition, an organization working to build a trained cut and sew industry within Minnesota. I asked Laura, the Vice President of Brand Management, about her experience at J.W. Hulme, and she said “There is an amazing level of integrity that everyone brings when they come in in the morning. It’s not just a job, this is a mission. Everyone gets what we are doing and why we are doing it.”

This is a mission I’m proud to support. Thank you, Alfred and Laura, for showing us the factory and helping us to understand what J.W. Hulme – and heritage – is all about.

Original photography for TAE by Ashley Sullivan | Instagram

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