The Navajo blanket inspired tote bag is the bag that started it all for sisters Stacy & Laurie McFadin.
"Twenty years later, it is still one of the best selling bags in our line," says Laurie.
After graduation from college Stacy found these navajo rugs that were being handwoven in Mexico,
"I thought they would make beautiful tote bags and went about finding someone to help make them into bags for me," says Stacy. Having grown up on a ranch in Texas, the girls raised cattle, sheep and angora goats. The rugs Stacy found were made of wool and mohair and had extra special meaning since they were woven from the wool and mohair from the Texas Hill Country where they live.
"I loved the idea we were using products that were natural fibers from animals we had worked and raised," says Stacy. The McFadin's were lucky to have had a great uncle who had a saddle
shop and the machinery to sew up the first bags. They garnered much attention and a
business was born centered around the wool and mohair carpet bags. Each bag is one of a kind,
the wool and mohair blankets make each bag unique. The idea of making a bag for herself
quickly led to figuring out how and where to order leather, find suppliers, heading to
Dallas Market to exhibit in a temporary booth, to even traveling to Mexico on a wild trip
looking for sterling silver hardware suppliers.
Laurie graduated from college soon after & quickly became a much needed partner in the business. Through hard work, late nights and long roads, the girls were able to establish themselves as a high quality unique and creative accessorie business.
The line has since expanded to include leather handbags and luggage.
The leather line includes the use of nailheads with elaborate stud patterns the girls have copyrighted. Their trademarked turquoise stone designs are unique to them & immediately recognizable to the McFadin brand. The use of oil tan leathers is another distinguishing characteristic of their look. "We use leather that has a time worn appearance and we love that the more you use it, the better it looks," says Laurie. "It is important for us to create unique designs, but we also want to make sure the bags will wear well and still look great over the test of time."
Craftmanship is very important and the girls are proud that all their products are made in Texas.
Spring 2014 emerged with the tribal, bohemian gypsy look gaining popularity which has led to the
McFadin's expanding their wool line to include handbags. "We have worked with our weavers to reproduce our popular native american patterns," says Laurie, "so in addition to our one of a kind pieces, we can now offer our customers specific designs as well as many new body styles."
McFadin has garnered a celebrity following over the years with Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, Kate Hudson, Selena Gomez and been featured in publications such as People Magazine, US Weekly and Instyle Magazine.
Today the girls operate and run their business from their small Texas town.
The McFadin's serve as the creative and business minds behind the company and are the face of the brand itself. When they are not traveling to market, you can find Laurie answering phones and shipping orders to stores, while Stacy is busy managing production and designing the newest additions to their line.
You can also still find the bag that started it all, still in production continuing to be a bestseller.