Nuns in Hong Kong taught me to sew my own underwear by hand when I was ten. Due to my father's job with the U.S. State Department, I lived in Asia until I was 12. For my 13th birthday I begged my mother for a new dress, I was tired of my sisters' hand-me-downs. But then, I hated her sale-priced gift, and thus promptly enrolled in my first and only sewing class. It was at the YMCA, and I made a simple A-line dress. My second effort at a sewing machine landed me in the emergency room with a straight pin down my windpipe! Nevertheless, I was hooked and quickly began designing my own things. Even with my early start in sewing and designing, the path to HARK Designs has been circuitous.
I first worked with leather in the early 1980s at a New York custom leather shop. This was my day job while I studied mime and raised my infant daughter Calliope. I began designing handbags and belts, which I sold to SoHo boutiques and Bendel’s department store. My job at the night club Studio 54 inspired my first hip bags. Despite my early success, I held to my intention to create theatre: in 1984 I moved to Asheville, North Carolina, had my son Daniel, and began SILENT PARTNERS movement theatre company. Eighteen years of teaching and performing around the country and abroad culminated with sold-out performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. During that time I fulfilled my design desires by creating all the costumes, which ranged from large body puppets and abstract vinyl creations to magical sweaters, and all the bags they lived in. And of course, I have always designed and tailored my own clothes.
At 50, life changed as it does for so many of us. I phased out SILENT PARTNERS and returned to my handbag habit, launching HARK Designs. Since our inception, HARK bags have found their way into boutiques across the U.S., and into the arms of notable shoppers such as Paris Hilton. In 2008 I moved with my Swiss husband to Flawil, Switzerland, where I currently reside with my atelier adjoining our home. It is exciting to be so close to all the Italian resources I have coveted for years. Every design is originally made by me, and personally road tested for function and durability. I love playing with colors, textures, and different weights of leather. I have never carried a bag I did not make, and now I get to share my bags with you! It is a dream come true to see them lovingly carried all over the place.