We happened to run into local milliner Jasmin Zorlu at the Harputs Union opening late last month (oh, November, already ye seem so far away), and when she mentioned she’d been experimenting with handbags made of repurposed and reclaimed materials, we had to take a closer look.
Luckily, Zorlu had a few of her in-progress creations on hand and let us take a peek. Would you believe the bag shown here was formerly a leather Banana Republic skirt Zorlu told us she snagged for $1? We implore you to look past our rather shoddy iPhone photography and note the bag’s rough-edged charm, slouchy pleats and center stitched detail. Among Zorlu’s other bags were several soft totes made of men’s blazers.
While the fur felt and cashmere cocktail hats for which she’s best known will no doubt take center stage, we hear several of Zorlu’s finished handbags are also among the offerings she’s showing at Local Patron this month during the North Beach pop-up shop’s two-month run. A great time to stop by? This Friday, when local band Potion plays live in the shop from 7-9 p.m.


