These Bags are for Fashion Animals!

Sometimes inspiration strikes in the most odd of places. The grocery store. A garden. The zoo. As it turns out, my last trip to the zoo with my kids left me with a million ideas for fun, fresh patterns. Of course, animal prints, always a hot trend, were foremost in my mind.

Excited to get to work, I chose our new BRIANNA bag for the base of my “wild” new creation. A recession-ista’s best friend, this roomy and reversible tote is two bags in one. For the exterior color I chose the Wild Zebra print and Bay Blue for the interior accent. Because this bag is reversible, I think it’s the perfect way to test the waters while you search for your inner Jane of the Jungle.


My creating didn’t stop there! Inspiration found me again when I received an invitation for a black tie event downtown. Feeling tired of all my jewelry and even (gasp! ) my collection of high heels, I created the little black dress’s perfect accessory, the little animal print clutch!

Using one of my favorite and most practical clutch designs, the ERINN, I decided to use the Snow Leopard print for the bottom portion and add a pop of color at the top using Pucker Up.

Needless to say, a fabulous bag always makes a fabulous night out!

The Fence Project

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
~Margaret Mead

Here at 1154 Lill Studios, fashion is the name of the game. We want our bags to be as bright, colorful, resilient and unique as the women who carry them. However, nothing is more than important giving back to the community, especially when it comes to our children.

In Chicago, Illinois (where 1154 Lill Studios was first founded) a number of children at the Nettelhorst School were being bullied for having families that looked a little different than the traditional nuclear family. Both a fifth-grader and a first-grader were being taunted for having two dads, and in addition, an eighth-grade substitute teacher was being harassed and called a ‘fag.’

Photos by Cat Conrad and Robin Schachtel

The families and the teachers decided it was time to nip this bullying in the bud and start instilling pride and respect in the Nettelhorst students. To do so, they created the Fence Project, in which everyone in the school and in the community could tie a colorful piece of fabric to the school fences in order to signify tolerance, respect, unity, and diversity. 1154 Lill Studio had the honor of donating fabric to this pride project, and the myriad of colors hanging displayed on the fence is a beautiful sight.