Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/335804
photography by Jason LittLe A s neighbors in Old Tow n, Lor i Wa llis a nd Jen Geren ra ich were int roduced by their 13 -year-old sons, and now the friends are collaborating on a new leather line, JGeren. By focusing on quality leather and rep- resent ing Ch icago in ever y a spect of t heir pieces, t he ladies of JGeren a re ea r ning t he respect of not only their local communit y but the greater fashion industry. "It's not just about the bags," says Gerenraich. "It's about keeping our luxury level to a certain degree and teach- ing people that it exists." How did t he idea for a handbag line come together? Lori Wallis: I have been in the fashion indus- t r y for 25 yea rs. Jen had a lways been ma k ing wonderful handmade bags, and it got to a point where she couldn't ma ke t hem a ll by herself. She kept asking if she could get me out of retire- ment. I sa id to Jen, "I f we do it , it ca n't be a made-at-home kind of look." From that moment on, it's been full steam ahead. W hat is t he desig n a nd product ion pro- cess like? Jen Gerenra ich: Once t here's a desig n for a bag, we work directly with the tannery, where we literally have them make the leather for the bag. We k now t he exact pig ment , t he weight , the sheen, every aspect of how the bag is shaped. T hen we go to t he factor y a nd go over t he design and the extra little details, like the hand lacing, wh ich is ou r sig nat u re feat u re. Ha nd lacing has to be done in a specific way. There's no way to rush it. How is JGeren sustainable? LW: Our sustainability is Chicago. We found the tannery, we found the factories here, and we are going to keep it in Chicago. We want to build Chicago into the fashion capital of the Midwest. How else do the bags ref lect Chicago? JG: Our Hudson bag was the first, and it refers to the street we live on. The Sheridan is the North Shore—it's a much more ladylike bag. Each bag ha s it s ow n uniqueness. T he Ch icago woma n who knows the streets gets it. What's new this summer for JGeren? LW: There's a new leather woven backpack. It's got a lot of brass rivets on it. It's a really funky bag. Also, we'll have some accessories that fea- ture fringe—we call it the Fifty Shades of Fringe. They're very sexy. There are fringe leather cuffs, chokers, and ankle cuffs. By appointment, 1440 N. Kingsbury St., No. 120, 888-609-2421; jgeren.com MA Ladies' Line Lori WaLLis and Jen Gerenraich Launch a neW made-in-chicaGo LabeL With JGEREN. Jen Gerenraich (far right) lured her friend Lori Wallis out of retirement to collaborate on their new luxury leather label. "We want to build chicago into the fashion capital of the midwest." —lori wallis The Sheridan, JGeren ($1,295). 100 michiganavemag.com made here 100 michiganavemag.com