Inspiration From Jennifer Lagdameo: Mom, Wife, Designer, And Not So Secret Shoe Lover!

     As a stay at home mom with kids, there is nothing more refreshing and inspiring than meeting a fellow mother that managed to both raise her family and pursue her own dreams and aspirations.  Whether the  ambition is to be a designer, a lawyer, an airplane pilot, or a doctor, these moms are brave souls that know how to believe in themselves and turn their dreams into a reality.

That is why I couldn't wait to meet up with Jennifer Lagdameo, a mother of two, and the designer of Ananas handbags.  In 2004 She launched her first fashionable collection of pieces that were naturally made right here in NYC, and were popular with celebrities like Anne Hathaway, Cameron Diaz, and Jennifer Garner.

 I wanted to hear how she did what she did, why she did what she did, and all of the things that inspired her along the way.  Basically I wanted to get into the head of a fellow Mom and see what makes her tic...  And I was secretly hoping that some of her lucky Mom charm would rub off on me!

I met up with Jennifer in the middle of June at a lovely spot in Park Slope, called the Tea Lounge.  It was a homey kind of place with cozy broken in couches artistically scattered around the dim room.  We nestled into the warm cushions and began chatting over our steaming mugs of tea and coffee. I had the tea.  She had the coffee. 

Me:  So let’s see.  I know that you’re a Mom with two kids and you launched your company when your son was around three years old.  

JL:  Yes, We lived in the Philippines when he was a baby.  That’s when I started to develop ideas for Ananas and do design and everything.

My first project was shawls and scarves made of pina which is pineapple fiber, woven with silk (hence the name Ananas-french word for pineapple).  That is traditional Philippines fabric.  But doing the scarves and dying them was a very non-traditional use of the fabric.

Remember when pashmina was really popular?  So this is a tropical country and that was their thing.

Me:  It’s considered a luxury fabric?

JL:  Yes. A luxury fabric, and it is used in traditional Philippine dress.

 I was selling the scarves, right before Eli was born.

Me: So it’s Eli.  That’s a Nice name!

JL: Thank you!

He’s named after my grandfather.  Eli was born the day after my grandfather’s birthday. 

Eli has my grandfather’s Impish spirit.

Me: Impish?

JL:  Impish (laughing)

Me:  Impish. Can you give me a definition of impish?

JL:  Basically a handful, I’m sure my grandfather was a handful as a child too!  (Laughing)  He’s a great kid, really smart, I love him, he’s amazing, creative.

JL:  So, When  Eli was one we had moved back to MD.  That was when I decided to make a real collection and launch the line,  So the first collection I did was Spring 2004.  And at that time I was just doing bags.  We slowly transitioned from scarves into doing tiny bags made from abaca which is another traditional Philippine fabric.  The abaca is from the banana tree, and the fibers are taken from the trunk, and they are woven together by hand. It’s more durable.       



Abaca Plant



The first trade show was in NY and it went well.

Even supermoms need support...

Me: How did that go with family and everything?

JL:  Well, my husband was really supportive of launching this endeavor, so that was really helpful, and my mom was there so she helped out so much with my son.

Me:  family, helpful family is really the key.

JL:  Yes, and to get help these days is so expensive.

Me:  Good help.

JL:  Good help! Good help is hard to find!  No, I’ve been lucky to have family.

 I don’t think I could have done anything without first my husband’s support, and second without my Mom there helping with childcare.

Me: Now going back to your business- tell me about your philosophy and your focus on the natural, fibers, and giving back by planting trees.

JL:  The wood has always been my signature.  I used the wood for details.  I mixed the wood with the leather and no one was really doing that.  And that’s who I was. 

Me:  And that defined your style.

JL:   Yes, And it is very natural and inspired by nature. The wood is called Robles.   And they found a supplier and they would send the wood here.  They were handmade here in the garment district.

Me:  So, You give back…

JL:  Because we use the wood..I partnered with a nonprofit called “trees for the Future” which is based in D.C., and they plant trees all over the world.  They had a specific project in the Philippines. We donated a certain amount per bag to plant trees there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdoe_gI_fSs

Me: Do you have this kind of philosophy in the rest of your life, going green, using natural products…

JL:  As much as you can.  I think you have to do whatever you can.  Not to go crazy or anything.  But we try, we do recycle.

And now for some natural beauty talk...

Me: Do you have any natural cosmetics that you like?

JL:  Weleda, they make really nice products.  Creams.  To wash your face and stuff.  http://usa.weleda.com/our-products/index.aspx

Me:  So you’re into that. We’re working on it.  You can’t do it all at once. 

JL:  We’re working on it too.  I also love the nail polish without the chemicals “RGB” they have nice colors. It’s a good brand.

http://www.rgbcosmetics.com/color.html

Me:  I have to start doing that!

JL:  When I got pregnant I got into it.  All of the sudden
-crazy lady!

Me:  Me too!  I was also like that. Very paranoid,  And I didn’t go back to using the other stuff!

JL:  Exactly!

Here's the part where I get into her head!

Me:  So when you were designing your handbags, what type of woman did you have in mind?  What personality, socioeconomic status, style that she would wear…

JL:  Someone who was kind of artistic, bohemian, international, liked to travel, wasn’t looking for designer labels.

Me:  has her own taste 



Bohemian



JL:  And all my bags were not very structured, they all can go kind of flat.  So easy to travel with.  That was really a key point in my design.

Maybe I did one or two with more structure, but most of them could go flat in a suitcase.

Me:  And so is the woman usually wearing sandals in the summer? No annoying clunky high heels?

JL:  No high heels.  I used to joke, because I love shoes-a personal hobby- I used to joke that I couldn’t do a shoe collection cause they’d all be flats!  I have a very specific style! 

Having a second child changes everything!

Me:  So now, you’ve had another baby recently.  Are you still selling handbags?

JL:  When my daughter Aya was born I decided that at that point…I couldn’t do both.  It was either the store or the baby.  So I chose the baby! (laughing).

Things are different now.  When my son was little..I was ten years younger.  I still felt like there were so many things I needed to do- for me. But when your forty and you’ve done them…I don’t regret any of my choices, and I am so glad that I have had this business and the store.  But now I am at the point where I knew I couldn’t do both, and with the economy the way it was..

Me:  It just made sense for you. 

JL:  To be quite honest with you, this whole year has been a life changing adventure, and I am embarking on a new chapter of my life.

My husband took a job in the Philippines.  So we knew in February that we were going to move. I think if we had stayed in NY I would have been feeling I want to go back to work maybe part time, and do what I love, and do handbags and design.  But we are changing, and I feel content.

And now for some cultural education...

Me:  I want you to tell me more about the Philippines...



I want to be there now!

 JL:  We're lucky that we have family there. My husband is half Filipino, so it is not a random country for us. And we’ve lived there before, so there is a level of comfort.

Me:  And you know the language?    

JL:  No. But everyone learns English in school.  The Americans were there for so long…  All the educated people speak English.

Me: So you can always find someone in the streets to give you directions.

JL:  Yes, but if the plumber came to your house he may not speak English!



Cute Onsie!

 Me:  But you always have your husband to tell you what the plumber is saying!

Me: And are there different dialects there?  

JL : In Manilla, which is the capitol where we will be living, they speak Tagalog, but in other regions..Actually they joke that people speak Taglish, which is a mixture of Tagalog with English.  So TV and stuff, it’s always mixed.

And Eli, will hopefully learn.  He is going to school and they will be teaching him Mandarin Chinese, and Tagalog-which I am excited about.  I hope he will be just as excited!  Poor thing! 

 But I think that will be a huge advantage for him in the future-in the world.

Me:  That is amazing. So he will be educated much more than the average American going to public school.

I just had to know more...

Me:  Did anyone else in your family influence you? Other people doing creative stuff? 

JL:  Well I think my aunt-she’s very creative and artistic, she had studied textile design at Rhode Island school of design.  She had museum experience. So she was very influential in my life.  And she has beautiful things, and they are always perfect.  She has extremely good taste.

Me:  And so you hung out by her when you were younger?

JL:  Well, because of my uncle’s job they always lived abroad.  They lived in Rome, they lived in Tokyo.  So that was also kind of the international influence.

Me:  So she kind of opened you up to the world a little bit…

JL:  That, and my parents.  We would travel a lot. My father worked for the NIH-the national institute of health in Bethesda. But he would go and lecture in different countries.

Me:  Very cool!  So  where was your favorite place. What area of the world spoke to you?

JL:  I just liked to travel.  Anywhere and all of it!  I loved it. I think that part of travelling really influenced my collection.

JL:  And so we are trying that again! My husband is like that too which is good, and that is something that we want to impart on our children. Which I think is also a reason why we are taking this step.

Me: Sounds like you are making the right move!

Wishing Jennifer and her family the best of luck in their brave and adventurous move to the Philippines.  By the time this interview goes up on my blog, Jennifer's son Eli will be attending school and speaking Chinese Mandarin like a pro, or at least getting really good at learning the local Taglish!