We recently connected with Tracy Jordre and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Tracy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What can you share with us about the story behind how you found your key vendors?

As I was starting to contemplate creating a leather bag, I knew that I wanted the leather to be American sourced as I am from a multi-generational ranching family in North Dakota. As I searched for the right leather, it was clear pretty quickly that my options were quite limited, but I kept reading about the outstanding quality of the leathers from an east coast company called Wickett & Craig which has been in existence for over 150 years. As I continued to research the company, I was incredibly intrigued by the fact that their Vegetable Tanned leather is created by a natural, eco-friendly tanning method using elements like tree bark and other native materials… not harsh chemicals like so many other tanning methods use. Once I received the leather and had worked with it a bit, I knew without a shadow of a doubt, that this was the perfect leather for me. The vegetable tanned leather was exquisite and had a structural quality which beautifully aligned with the designs that I was working with. Having now used the leather almost exclusively for the past 3 years, I am so grateful that I took the time to find what not only works well for my designs, but that also aligns with my personal values.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Tracy Jordre and I am a wife, mom, architect and leather bag maker. A few years ago, I was very frustrated in trying to find a new leather bag that could act as my purse as well as a computer bag. I’m almost always on the go and so I wanted to have a bag that was functional, but also beautiful. I had purchased a couple “nice” designer bags, but was very frustrated with the lack of quality in the materials and craftsmanship as they did not align with the purchase price. So, I started to research how to make one. After weeks of research, I started to follow a few leather makers on Instagram and YouTube that made products that piqued my curiosity… and little by little, I started to get the confidence to give it a try. And let’s be honest… my first few bags, were horrendous! It took months of practice and fine tuning before I even got close to anything that I would be seen in public with. But, as time went on, I realized that I truly loved the process of the bag making. It wasn’t fast, it required great attention to detail and it required me to daily work on my crafting skills… all things that I didn’t necessarily have time for, but it became therapeutic for me. Now, several years later, it is still my therapy and brings me even greater joy! To be able to create stylish and fun “Luxuriously Simple” American leather handbags has become so much more meaningful than I had ever thought possible… it’s truly a dream come true! Currently, I have several bag styles available from larger computer sized carry all’s to a smaller sized saddle bag. Each bag is lovingly named after either my daughter, my nieces and even a couple of my favorite dogs! I am working on a new backpack design and a new bag design and hope to be able to bring them to my website sometime in Spring ’23.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Word of mouth. My family and friends have been my best marketing tools and I am so immensely grateful for their support! The reach that a simple social media post from a friend or acquaintance that has purchased a Haute Hyde bag, is pure magic and will almost always result in a new sale! One by one, these posts have helped me build my company.

However, it wasn’t until a family friend reached out to me and asked if I would consider allowing her store to sell my bags, that my brand’s exposure reached another level. Having them shown in a retail environment has been so extremely impactful and my sales have significantly increased. I now have hand crafted and sold over 250 bags and am busier than I could have ever imagined.

Have you ever had to pivot?

My story is certainly a bit nontraditional, but I think that that is the beauty of it. I kept my company, Haute Hyde, as just a small side adventure for a couple of years as I was already a very busy Mom and Architect and while I loved to create, I honestly had very little time for other things. But, after the pandemic I found myself truly exhausted and if I’m being totally honest, in a very unhealthy way. I knew that something had to change and that I needed to take a break. So, I left my incredible job that I had loved, as I felt like that was the only thing that I could control. Without realizing it at the time, this gave me the perfect moment to breathe life into my making. So, I started showing up on social media platforms and attended a couple of vendor shows. Rather quickly I became very busy with my company and found myself making bags around the clock. It wasn’t long before I realized though, that the very thing that I loved and that had been therapeutic to me was now turning into something that was just the opposite! I missed my architecture job and I missed the joy that I had when I was making my bags at my own pace and on my terms. So, after 7 months I went back to the job that I dearly loved and am now back to making my bags in the evenings and on the weekends and I couldn’t be happier!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hautehyde.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hautehyde
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hautehyde

Image Credits
David Samson/The Forum