Have I found the perfect bag for you! Christina Oh of Boulevard Bags has designed this seasons hot "it" bag. The Sunday bag is great to take to the beach, summer picnics and even as an easy overnight bag. Its roomy, soft canvas and leather has caught the eye of Nordstrom's department store as well. So that you won't have to make a trip to Nordstrom's to get her hot bag, Christina would like to offer KOKO Living readers 20% off with the coupon code "KOKO20" to use at checkout when you visit www.Blvdbags.com. Want to get to know Korean American bag designer, wife and mommy Christina Oh, just keep reading!
Please share a little bit of your life... I was born in LA and grew up in the perfect little planned community of Irvine, CA. I have one brother who is three years older than me. My father had his business making musical instrument cases in the US and a factory in Korea and my parents always worked. I loved the factory. Piles of raw materials and huge machines on one end that traveled down a line to eventually yield neatly packaged finished goods. I always knew I wanted to be in manufacturing. My father set the tone by stressing the importance of education, family and good character, and my mom would shower us with love through good food and skincare guidance. As my folks worked, my brother took a large role in taking care of me. We came home together after school, he’d fix us something to eat and then we’d ride our bikes to all of our lessons and classes before reconvening for family dinner. There was never a fear of safety or an expectation that we needed adult supervision back then - I miss that.
How was it growing up as a Korean American girl?I was overly self conscious and introverted, so growing up anything other than a cute American Caucasian girl was an uncomfortable experience. I really wanted blonde hair and was annoyed that I loved Korean food so much. When I was in the first grade I asked my mom if she could bring cupcakes to my class for my birthday like the other American girls. My mom swore to the end that she would bring delicious bulgogi/kimchi rice balls with a ribbon on them and toss them to all my classmates to share a little piece of me. I told her I hated her and begged her not to come. I fell asleep crying and mortified. As I sat in class anxious and alert like a rabid ferret, she showed up with rainbow colored rice krispy treats wrapped in tulle and ribbon with party favors. If I had been less freaked out and exhausted – it would’ve been better, but that’s how my twisted Gyeongsando mother is. Other than the initial discomfort, being Korean had been great - I highly recommend it.
What is your favorite childhood memory? My father decided to teach me tennis one summer when I was 10. He purchased a huge box of about 40 tennis cans and a caged ball-picker-upper. The first thing I did was open all of the cans and basked in that fresh burst of chemical scented air that comes out when peeling the metal lid off the can (thereby ensuring that the entire case would be flat before some were even used). Over the course of the long summer, he would take me out after dinner and patiently lob balls to me as I launched each one back without any signs of improvement. My mom found it hilarious that I was so bad and continued to remind my dad how expensive the whole case of tennis balls were, and what a huge waste of time and money his effort was. It eventually took a real coach before I could improve my skills somewhat, but I will always enjoy tennis in the evenings for the memories it brings back.
Tell us a little on how you decided to become a bag designer. What was the defining moment for you? I never really decided at one particular moment. I knew I wanted to be in manufacturing and it had to be in the fashion industry. There’s a part in the book Outliers where a man goes around the streets of NYC to figure out what he could sew and make but wasn’t yet available for sale. That was me. I felt compelled to design and make something, and I was just looking for what I could do with the resources I had.
Who is your favorite bag designer or fashion designer? I look at bags all day for work, so surprisingly I’m not really into bags personally. As for clothes, I keep it fairly simple. I appreciate Theory because it’s basic and consistently well made. I’m more of a shoe person. Laboutin, Miu Miu, Purcells, Cole Haan Air, Choo, Manolo, Vera Wang, Havaianas. I like that you can change the whole vibe of a look with a slip of the shoe. This, and the fact that I can experiment with any style of shoe and never worry about my feet looking fat.
What kinds of bags do you make? I’d like to think I make simple, practical ones that are feminine and timeless.
Which one of your bags is your favorite? It’s generally speaking the next one I’m working on – but for now, we’re on the brink of summer and I’m liking the Sunday bag in white. It’s essentially preppy, yet has a cool Miami vibe to it.
Christine Oh with her Sunday bags at her Nordstrom debut. She sold outs on colors Navy, Orange and White in the first 3 hours.
How did you take your bag from concept to factory to Nordstrom's department store? I had been running our design and manufacturing company when our client base started getting interested in handbags and leather accessories in 2005. We would submit designs and samples but they often represented very different aesthetics to my style, which made me want to start something of my own. I introduced the Sunday bag in 2008 and each year my orders for them have grown. At my last show in February, my bags caught Nordstrom’s eye and I landed an order, but it doesn’t necessarily mean I’m there to stay. I’m there at their leisure. Regardless of whether I have a department store presence, I’ll still keep churning out my wares and hope my boutiques will support me.
How would you describe the whole "getting started in the industry" experience?I always read about designers who make their stuff, get noticed, and then get catapulted to every store and magazine - but this is a story that has no relation to me. My experience has been a series of startups and setbacks. When I first started I designed some wallets and accessories, and then received a large order from Macy’s. I ordered $20K worth of gorgeous leather from an Italian tannery that I had been dealing with for years. I had the leather air shipped from Italy to Korea and when it arrived, the colors were all off and the leather was full of marks and imperfections. Italy by this point had shut down for the summer holiday so I was stuck with what I had. I think I cried. We tried to salvage it the best we could and went into production, but the end result wasn’t what I envisioned. Multiply stories like this by about 100 and that has my overall experience to date. Designing is easy, I have about 10 bags right now that are sitting around waiting for their turn at being put into production; but getting all the other pieces to flow into manufacturing, especially the business financing and continued cash flow side – there’s the rub.
I see that you're married. How is your husband in supporting you and your career? My husband is my best friend and we’ve known each other since our freshman year in high school so I know he supports me at heart. But right now he’s completing a grueling fellowship as a thoracic surgeon, lives on the opposite coast and frequently works 18 to 45 hour days, so we can barely get in a quick daily conversation. He’s not an avid FB user, but the day before my first Nordstrom event, he posted an announcement on his page and then made his mom come and buy a bag. I thought that was really cute. He’s finishing up in June and we’ll all live together again this July for the first time in 2 years. Just to be able to function daily as a family will be a huge gift.
Describe how you juggle being a mom and a designer. Do you get any help? Uh, yes. This business is a family affair. My mom and dad pick up all the pieces that I can’t handle. My mom picks up the kids from preschool, watches them when they’re sick or when I’m away for business, and generally goes with me and the kids everywhere. My mom is an amazing and avid cook and has my son eating all types of Korean ban chan, kelp, and brown rice, and my daughter gets well fed on home-made ssam jang, jukkal and dumplings. My father and I share the same business head, so he supports me in getting financing for the businesses and never questions or second guesses any of my endeavors or failures. Likewise, my brother lives in China and runs a factory there, and will stop whatever he’s working on to put my projects and needs first whenever I need help. I could not ask for a more supportive family.
What are a few go to meals you make for your kids? My mom is a banchan making machine so the kids usually like this with a nice brothy soup. The other go-to dishes are a kid version of Mao Po Tofu: Ground pork with cubed soft tofu and diced onions, carrots in a sauce of broth, oyster sauce and garlic over rice. And “myung-ran jeot” spaghetti: Angel hair pasta pan tossed with garlic and mayonnaise mixed with fish roe at the end.
What do you wish for the future of your kids? I want the future to unfold slowly so they can enjoy it and take it all in. It’s a bit frightening how quickly the pressures of “success” bite you and start to infect you. I just read about these amazing high school kids in the Silicon Valley that have started and sold off internet start ups while in high school. I’d like the kids to be prepared so that they can have opportunities ahead of them but I also just want them to be kids. I hope that my husband and I get the balance right.
Where do you get your design inspiration? The same way I decide what I want to eat. I think about what I’m craving. There’s a mood out there in clothes and accessories and it’s saturated with whatever trends are cycling through. Making up products is like trying to identify and scratch that itch of what’s missing.
What is your favorite Korean food?When it’s cold, I like a hot, spicy jiggae. When it’s hot, I can appreciate a cold naengmyun with enough mustard to cause sinus pain and occasionally, some soondae and beer just hit the spot.
What is your favorite Korean Movie or Drama?If you had asked me any other time, I would have said I don’t watch any. But I think “FB liking” your site somehow go Hulu to recommend “Pasta” to me so I tried it. Now I’m up until 3 or 4 in the morning as I can’t seem to stop myself, and then I’m tired and useless the next day. I don’t know what they put in those dramas to make them so addictive. I don’t have any favorites, but I like the little theme songs that keep playing at every dramatic point throughout the whole series.
What is your favorite Movie? Color? Restaurant? For movies it’s a tie between “Moulin Rouge” and “You’ve Got Mail.” Our (husband and my) favorite restaurant is Chaya in Los Angeles and I don’t have a favorite color. Equal opportunity for all colors.
Where do you go shopping for bags and clothes? Until my husband finishes his training, I’m basically a single, working mom with a 3 and 4 year old, so I don’t really shop. If I have to get something for an upcoming occasion, it’s a “get-in, buy, get-out, and find-the–carousel” experience. I stick to Saks, Nordstrom and Jcrew, but I long for the day when I can really start shopping again.
What is your favorite thing in your closet? My favorite thing would be a really expensive, amazing piece that I somehow got on sale for an incredible bargain. But as my shopping cohorts (my kids) have handicapped my abilities to hunt, there is currently nothing in my closet that meets these criteria.
Interview with Christina Oh of Boulevard Bags | By: Kathy Choi Lee."Thank you Christina for giving us a glimpse into your life and story! We can't wait to hear of more great news and to see more of your fabulous Boulevard bag designs"
