The bespoke braid handbag and handhelds e-boutique of Romi Loch Davis.
Giving new life to an ancient craft through this coutured collection.
Romi presents her collection of handbags and handhelds…
Soutache. Russian braid. Passementerie. Galloons. Passamaneria. Spiga Russa.
The origins of the appellation of this fabric come from the Hungarian sujitas / shouytzsh which became soutache. A fabric that is “made heavy“ thereby giving it substance and beauty.
Braid, frogging and tassels evoke sumptuous images of haute couture, officers’ uniforms, academic gowns, decorative pompoms. The French verb soutacher means to garnish with galloons. Soutache is highly elegant and yet hard wearing.
In the unique atelier where the handbags are crafted, specialized couturières and piqueuses weave the decorative threads to create a narrow trim with a herringbone pattern. These are stitched together to form sheets of a glorious material called soutache, that is cut and shaped to create individually made handbags, carry bags, small valises and embellishments and tassels…
Crafted from the weaving of the very first threads to the final bespoke creations, these handbags are truly couture, high artisanal pieces of the utmost integrity.
I somehow feel that these handbags are the synthesis of a couture accessory and a piece of jewel like clothing, seeped in history and thoroughly contemporary.
A myriad of unparalleled colours to choose from to create the handbag of your dreams, awaits you.
My parents would forgo proper meals to acquire an object of beauty as a young couple. My beloved nanny Abiah too put savings aside to procure silver cutlery because it “tasted different”. Beauty and its salvation and shield have always been a fundamental, passionate need of mine. Unusual and rare were integral components of our concept of beauty that was tinged with the immaterial and had the scent of eternity.
Mercifully I grew up in South Africa, far removed from the aspirations of owning labels and the canons and criteria of the big brands and the way they shape one’s desires and aesthetic needs.
Essentially my thirst for beauty is still quenched by the same potion as when I was young and my first visceral loves have only deepened.
I sense resonances between epochs and cultures and value emotion above all else in painting, music and all manners of attire.
After a long and wonderful life in Paris, I have found my sanctuary in Venice, la Serenissima, for that she truly is and rewards one with bounty for loving her profoundly.
I continue designing pieces of bespoke clothing and couture for interiors and my house and showroom are the natural extension of the shop I had in Saint Germain des Près…
Romi offers her helping hand. In her own words...
"It would be my privilege to guide you, according to your lifestyle, your important occasion, your wardrobe..."
Photography by Paola de Calo
