BRAND
The hard and soft of things. Energy that is protective yet seductive. Refined wildness and imperfect beauty. The bridge between what we project and who we really are. The combination of various elements to make a singular whole.
The mythical peryton. It is the perfect embodiment of our inspiration. A winged stag imagined by Jorge Luis Borges and described in his book, Manual de Zoologia Fantastica (Book of Imaginary Beings), the peryton’s captivating appearance belies its ferocity. For us, its antlers signify protection, armor and function; its hooves - an earthy wildness and unusual details; and its wings - seduction, refinement and elusiveness.
The creation of a leather goods brand in which we seek balance between hard and soft, function and fantasy, classic shapes and unexpected details.
CRAFTSMANSHIP
We design and make our leather goods in New York City. We work with a small number of leather artisans, each of whom hand make each article from start to finish, one article at a time. By the way, when we use the term “hand make” or “handmade”, we mean that with respect to each piece, one artisan lays the pattern, hand cuts the leather and mounts the article in preparation for stitching. Thereafter, the same artisan sews the article, employing a combination of machine stitching and hand stitching.
LEATHER
We wish to make beautiful leather goods. So we look for exceptional leather. We use calfskin and goat skin from French tanneries specializing in the production of leather for some of the most exclusive brands in the world. We also use the highest grades of exotic skins, such as American alligator sourced from tanneries in the U.S. and Italy, Nile crocodile from Zimbabwe and South Africa, which have been tanned in the U.S. and Italy, ostrich from South Africa, and python sourced from Southeast Asia and tanned in Italy.
ETHOS
We are dreamers. In an industry dominated by commercialized luxury, we dreamt of creating something delightful and rare.
We are not a fashion brand. We do not create on the basis of trends or seasonal obsolescence. We make leather goods for people who crave special pieces with amaranthine qualities.
We are small. Really small. So we focus our resources on fine materials and artisanal craftsmanship.
We are obsessed. About design, function, leather, stitches, zippers. And every other detail necessary to make a singular product.
We are respectful of time. And the fact that it takes time to do what we do well.
We are unafraid. Okay. We are a little bit afraid. Running a leather goods company of this nature is hardly practical. But some dreams are too powerful to ignore.
We are grateful. We are grateful for the opportunity to imagine and make beautiful things and to share them with you.
I am influenced by time. The way it connects and separates. The way it plays no favorites. The way it rushes you and makes you wait. And whether I am utilizing it well.
I am obsessed with facts. Information. Details. Process. Logic. How things are designed and made. Why they function. Yet —
I am moved by mythology and fairytales. The stories we tell each other to elevate the human experience and embolden ourselves. Or to explain things we don’t understand fully.
I like to connect dots. Not so much the literal ones — but the dots that represent disparate things, ideas, feelings, characteristics, positions, textures and colors.
I am private and protective. I wear armor. But I also want to share and connect. And then hide. But be known somehow.
My name is Gina Love. I am the daughter of an artist and an engineer.
I am Jamaican and American. I grew up in small towns dreaming of big cities.
I went to law school. All the while wondering whether I should have gone to design school.
I moved to New York to practice real estate at a large national law firm and, after a number of years, I joined an even larger international law firm. I enjoyed the work and I liked the idea that I was involved in the quintessence of the city — it’s skyline. But —
I loved taking night and weekend classes at the International Center of Photography and Parsons School of Design.
I bought a camera and, during free weekends, I photographed the city, her people and architecture, which I documented in a photography blog called The Photodiarist. Not long after that —
I created Peryton.
If law firm life moved quickly and often without respite, then Peryton came to life in slow motion. While practicing law full-time, I designed, sketched, constructed, edited, tested, organized, researched, net-worked, sourced and problem-solved over a period of five years before launching the brand. Which made me realize that —
I do not have to choose sides. Be it problem solving over poetry. Or art over functional design. Critical thinking over storytelling. Or meticulous planning over going where the wind blows. Eventually, I found a way to use it all. To connect the dots that represent my multiple facets, passions and interests.
The result is peryton.com, a new American luxury brand.
