Canadian leather goods designer Jessica Jensen presented her Spring/Summer 2010 leather goods and launched her first womenswear capsule collection last Friday at Thrush Holmes Empire prior to the start of LG Fashion Week. Jensen’s accessories have garnered quite the following, particularly her signature oversize clutch, which also doubles up as a laptop sleeve.

This season, Jensen was inspired by the early summer New Jersey coast, the basket weave and shades of sea foam making one wish the pending winter could be postponed. LUSH was able to catch up with the designer and have a quick chat:

LUSH: What goes through your mind when you begin designing a collection?

Jessica Jensen: "How am I possibly going to narrow down all these ideas into a small collection"? I usually have enough concepts to draw four collections.

LUSH: Why did you decide to expand your collection to womenswear and why now?

Jessica Jensen: I have always thought of JESSICA JENSEN as a lifestyle label; a collection of many product categories. My background is mostly in licensed products, and for me a brand has a particular character or sense of self that can only be properly expressed across several categories. It is as simple as telling another piece of the story; who is JESSICA JENSEN? It has always been difficult to fully express JESSICA JENSEN in campaigns and look books because we would need to source product from other designers (who each have their own story/personality) and we couldn't really capture the whole sense of the collection without me designing the womenswear to go with the leather goods.

LUSH: Did you do anything differently in conceiving a collection for womenswear versus leather goods?

Jessica Jensen: The inspiration process is the same and the label's core values and philosophies are expressed in the same way. Development is always different for a new product category. All of the sources and suppliers are different and I basically doubled my workload in that perspective.

LUSH: Were there any new challenges in designing womenswear/leather goods this season?

Jessica Jensen: Absolutely. In these times it is even more important to ensure that one’s product is investment worthy (especially at this price point). I worked very hard on paying attention to every detail, down to the thread, trimming, hardware, leather, fabric, lining and multiple functions of each product. I wanted the customer to have every reason to love the product and want to buy it as an investment for their wardrobe. At the same time, I had to find ways to incorporate all of these added benefits while keeping the price competitive. It was time to ensure no detail was left unnoticed. Customers are spending their hard-earned and saved dollars and I want them to have only the best. I want each customer to be confident in their purchase for seasons to come.

LUSH: In taking the early summer New Jersey coastline as your inspiration for the collection, are there any particular experiences or memories that you drew on for the collection?

In early June, my husband and I stayed at his family shore house in Mantaloking, New Jersey. This is our favourite time to spend there, before the crowds arrive and while the storms have just rolled through. The air that is left is misted and still. The water is a wondrous tone of seafoam green and the sun peaks through the mauve grey sky with a calm confidence that brighter days are ahead. Surrounded by silence, one is able to reflect, appreciating the simplicity and beauty of all things as they are, including ones self.