THE AMERICAN DREAM COLLECTION: GO BEHIND THE SCENES OF OUR SOUTHAMPTON PHOTOSHOOT
Inspiration is at the root of all designs. The American Dream Capsule represents American pride and patriotism with fiery reds, bright whites and bold blue. Gretchen, GG Maull’s founder and creative director, was inspired by the Bruce Springsteen on Broadway and the tenacious young factory we have begun working with in the USA.
This collection combines not only the symbolic colors of the United States- but also features the first handbag that we made in the USA. After being introduced to a factory in NYC we started to grow a relationship with the skilled artisan who ran it. Alberto became a part of the GG Maull family and was the perfect person to help us bring The Cocktail Clutch to life.
BEHIND THE DESIGN: WHEN DESIGNING THE COCKTAIL CLUTCH, GRETCHEN WAS INSPIRED BY COSMETIC CASES FROM THE 1920’S THAT ARE MARKED AS A SYMBOL OF WOMEN’S INDEPENDENCE. THE STRUCTURE AND POWERFUL MEANING OF THEM LEAD TO THE FIERCE DESIGN THAT IS STRUCTURED YET MOVES, AND IS FUNCTIONAL, YET MULTIFACETED.
When it came to shooting this collection- we knew we had to go out to the Hamptons. Set on a beautiful family farm in Southampton, Gretchen’s summer house became the perfect inspiration to collecting the photos we would use to encapsulate our American Dream imagery.
From Gretchen’s backyard, to Saggaponak horse stables, to Wolffer Estate Vineyard and the beach, we had a blast capturing every detail.
When we had the idea for Gretchen to go hands-free on a horse, we weren’t sure how to plan out the shoot at first. What we learned about Gretchen is that she has been horseback riding all of her life! She started riding when she was 10 at a horseback riding camp in West Virginia. She took a break with living in Italy and working as a designer in NYC, but at 28, she found an opportunity to start riding again at Robin’s Stables in the Hamptons. It’s the cutest barn located right in front of the house of a famous sculptor, Hans Vandebovenkamp. A few of his vibrant and beautiful sculptures are on display on the grounds, which we were able to use in some of our photos (thank you Hans)! We were able to meet her instructor, Rebecca, and her beautiful horse, Lena (our newest GG Rebel!)
Whether you’re celebrating on a sunny rooftop in the city or with fireworks on the beach, we hope you can find a special bag to join you on your adventures.
-XOXO TEAM GG
[HANDS-FREE LIFE: CHECK OUT TARYN, OUR PHOTOGRAPHER, ROCKING THE REBEL HOLSTER!]