The TimberTote is building a fashion following in Tucson and beyond
The TimberTote, a wooden purse handcrafted by two Tucson creatives, is building a fashion following. Pictured is the popular University of Arizona Wildcats style
When people see the TimberTote, a handbag collaboration between a woodworker and a fashion designer from Tucson, their facial expressions can’t hide their surprise that a functional and fashionable purse can be made out of wood.
TimberTote creators Jason Robinson and Chelsea Adler, who are members of Local First Arizona’s Business Coalition, weren’t so sure either. But time, creativity, trial and error and their own individual expertise brought an off-handed conversation to life.
Now they have something truly unique on their hands that, as far as they know, isn’t being done anywhere else.
“It’s fun and whimsical, and people just love it,” Robinson, the woodworker, said.
‘You can’t wear wood’ — or can you?
The idea to create the purse came about as Robinson and Adler tossed around potential collaborations during summer afternoons spent at Proper Shops, a retail collective that offers affordable rent and short-term leases to creators and artists in Tucson.
Robinson showcases his custom woodworking through Sport Class Customs, while Adler is the chief designer and owner of Willow’s Bazaar Boutique.
When Robinson stumbled onto a woodworking technique that allowed for wood to bend without breaking, he immediately thought Adler might have a use for it. She was skeptical.
“You can’t wear wood,” is what she initially said to Robinson’s idea. He leveraged her creativity, explaining that the wood could be stained just about any color outside and just about any type of fabric could finish the bag inside.
“Her eyes got really big,” Robinson said.
Prototyping at U of A’s FORGE lab
Jason Robinson and Chelsea Adler, co-inventors of the TimberTote
The two were able to take their inspiration to FORGE, a University of Arizona lab that fosters entrepreneurial concepts. It was there that they were able to develop prototypes for different purse designs. From there, the options for customization and style have been endless.
“People seem to really enjoy it,” Adler said of the unique bags, which range in price from about $75 to $200. “When they see them in person, it’s really cool to see people’s faces change. It’s cool to see their curiosity. They’re shocked that it’s made out of wood.”
Cut from birch plywood, the purses are stained and finished with fabrics in a process that took Adler a while to perfect. Now that she’s got it, though, Robinson is looking at the possibility of patenting the proprietary process to protect an idea that sprouted in the most unlikely way.
“Chelsea never wanted to learn about woodworking. And I had no idea who Christian Louboutin was,” Robinson said of their differences.
Big dreams about what’s next for the TimberTote
The TimberTote comes in a variety of fun fabric interiors, including this Las Vegas poker theme
When patrons at Proper Shops find out the purses are made of wood, they actually knock on the bags. And when they open them, they are greeted with colorful, intriguing, unexpected fabrics. It is that unexpected element, from the manufacturing of the bags to the fabrics used inside them, that has fueled TimberTote’s social media presence.
Robinson and Adler have individually used TikTok to promote their TimberTote collaboration, and they recently launched a TimberTote Instagram account as well as a website for the bags.
Short-term goals for the duo include wholesale partnerships. Long-term, they’d like TimberTote to have its own showroom experience — in the same way luxury brands like Louis Vuitton do.
Robinson dreams of Shark Tank. Adler revels in knowing that TimberTote aligns with what inspired her to get into the fashion industry in the first place.
“Finding your style and finding pieces that make you feel the most like yourself on any given day, is so impactful to happiness. Clothes are an emotional experience. They can make or break your entire mood, and when you find pieces that genuinely speak to you and you feel excited about, that’s so special,” Adler said. “To be able to create a purse that can be fully customized from top to bottom, and it tells the world who I am, that’s always really exciting to find.”
To shop the TimberTote bags, visit Proper Shops at 300 E. Congress St. in Tucson or contact Sport Class Customs or Willow’s Bazaar Boutique.
Join the Local First Arizona Business Coalition, the largest local business network in the country, at localfirstaz.com/coalition-member.
