As designer and maker of the Carogi bag, Carson Jansen could be called an engineer. The bags are marvels of clever design; the secret is in the strap.
Just a few adjustments and the wearer has a purse, backpack or travel bag.
“If I’m demonstrating the bag to a couple, she’ll always say, ‘Wow, what a fabulous design,’” Jansen said. “The man will always say, ‘Wow, what fabulous engineering.’”
Jansen will bring her purses to the Colors of the Stone Show from Saturday, Jan. 27, to Saturday, Feb. 3. In booth Nos. 183 and 184, she will demonstrate the bag’s many uses.
The bag comes in a variety of colors and materials. There’s the classic brown leather, and a version that’s adorned with fringe.
Other versions are constructed using a modern patchwork leather design.
For the customer who digs retro or chooses not to use leather, Jansen has a line of bags built using classic car upholstery stock. She haunts thrift stores and other places that might carry end-of-bolt or castoff fabric to refashion.
Jansen said she likes using upholstery fabric because it is sturdy — and interesting. All the bags are lined with cotton twill, another sturdy fabric that will hold its shape.
Jansen has been tinkering with the Carogi design since 1983.
“I had seen this kind of fold-over shape that I liked but I just felt it wasn’t completed; it was just a basic fold-over bag and nothing else, but I liked the shape,” she said. “I started playing with (the design) and made one.”
A friend saw it and asked if it was a backpack. No, but that got the wheels turning. Jansen then figured out how to make the fold-over bag into a backpack, too.
“Over a year it just kind of evolved, and even over the 40 years I’ve done everything,” she said. “I’ve handpainted, I’ve quilted, collaged it. I’ve just done so much to it to make it different.”
Sales became the next hurdle.
Initially, Jansen said she sourced a sales rep to sell to high-end shops and found immediate success and a problem, too.
“(Shops) liked the bag right away; I got orders but I didn’t get reorders,” she said, “because it takes a little bit to get familiar with the bag. It’s not a difficult bag but it’s an unusual bag, so you just have to use it a little bit to get comfortable and then it’s no problem.”
She knew she needed to do an in-person show to work with her customers, so she did an art show in Flagstaff.
“I took my bags and decided just to work with people one one-on-one,” she said. “I was sold out the first day.”
She knew the bag needed to be demonstrated, so she has been doing art shows since 1983.
Her husband, who enjoys precision work, works with her setting the hardware and zippers.
Really, Jansen said, the Carogi bag is purchased mainly for travel. It can be used as an overnighter, a carry-on or a crossbody so it can be protected from pickpockets. It also lays flat when packed.
“However, it’s also good looking so you can take it out in the evening and not feel like you’re taking something very casual with you,” she said.
Of course, Jansen comes by her talent honestly. Her father was an engineer, and her mother was a sewist (also known as a seamstress).
“She sewed everything, everything,” Jansen said.
That included all the family’s clothing, the furniture’s slipcovers and upholstery, curtains and drapes, and every year Jansen and her siblings received a special pair of Christmas pajamas.
“I’m a product of both of them,” she added.
Jansen knows her bags are well designed and made, and sturdy. Her customers know it, too, and they come back for more.
“I have very loyal customers,” she said. “I love living in Tucson and being inspired by the sights and sounds of the desert, and I especially have appreciated the support I have gotten for my work.”
Carogi Bags Colors of the Stone
WHERE: Booth Nos. 183 and 184
Casino Del Sol, 5655 W. Valencia Road, Tucson
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27 to Friday, Feb. 2
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3
INFO: www.carogi.com
