PHILLY
EVENTSRagas Report: Design Notebook
Who : Gregory T. Dickson, 28, designer of the fun, flirty handbag line Gregory Thomas.
Getting started : Thomas left his design job at Urban Outfitters last December to launch the line. “I always knew I wanted to create something,” says the fashion design school graduate, “and I prefer soft materials to blocks of wood.”
His inspiration : “A lot of my ideas come from painting and sculpture. I take what I like about a work of art and create a bag that evokes that same feeling.”
Bag appeal : “My designs are meant for going out. Some are hard-edged — metallic gold and silver leather, with hardware. Others are more preppy — seersucker, gingham and grosgrain.”
The shape of things : “I make two shapes. Most popular is the crescent, which fits under the arm. The other is more rectangular and three-dimensional; I use a lot of colored tweeds and hand-sewn floral appliqués for that one.”
Parting thought : “If I were a woman, I’d put one of my bags over my shoulder.”
Gregory Thomas handbags are available at Skirt, 907 West Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, 610-520-0222, and gregorythomashandbags.com.
Getting started : Thomas left his design job at Urban Outfitters last December to launch the line. “I always knew I wanted to create something,” says the fashion design school graduate, “and I prefer soft materials to blocks of wood.”
His inspiration : “A lot of my ideas come from painting and sculpture. I take what I like about a work of art and create a bag that evokes that same feeling.”
Bag appeal : “My designs are meant for going out. Some are hard-edged — metallic gold and silver leather, with hardware. Others are more preppy — seersucker, gingham and grosgrain.”
The shape of things : “I make two shapes. Most popular is the crescent, which fits under the arm. The other is more rectangular and three-dimensional; I use a lot of colored tweeds and hand-sewn floral appliqués for that one.”
Parting thought : “If I were a woman, I’d put one of my bags over my shoulder.”
Gregory Thomas handbags are available at Skirt, 907 West Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, 610-520-0222, and gregorythomashandbags.com.
Originally published in Philadelphia magazine, August 2005
