Kozha Numbers' Bag Club draws Portland's trendy creatives
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Everyone's invited. Photo: Courtesy of Michael Raines
Ilóna Gerasimov's got the recipe for a good party down to a T.
- There's ample natural wine from the Willamette Valley, vintage Porsches parked outside, a DJ spinning '80s dance records and dozens of stylish people milling around one Southeast industrial block — enough to make anyone wonder where all of these fashion-forward Portlanders have been hiding.
This is Bag Club, a monthly get-together for creatives Gerasimov started hosting this summer inside the studio where she makes every one of her cult-favorite Kozha Numbers handbags.
The big picture: It's been over a decade since Gerasimov grew Kozha Numbers into one of Portland's iconic bag brands — known by their sleek black leather, silver metallic hardware and utilitarian shape.
- Now she's applying that same curatorial instinct to the city's social scene.
"No matter how many people you know, everybody truly is wanting more community," Gerasimov told Axios.
- For this month's party, Gerasimov is teaming up with local rapper Wynne, who will premiere the music video for her single "Hold My Purse," which features — you guessed it — custom Kozha Numbers bags.
Catch up quick: Gerasimov started Bag Club as a way to introduce people to Kozha Numbers an share how the bags are made, as well as the inspiration behind the designs. The best way to do that, she thought, was to open up her studio space.
- She put together the first event in four days. After a buzzy debut in May, she realized it was "not so much about the bags" but the connections attendees were making with each other, Gerasimov said.
- "That gave me fuel to keep going," she said.
The vibe: The parties ballooned throughout the summer. At the last one, Gerasimov ordered 400 cups for drinks and still ran out.
- Each Bag Club has gotten a little more elaborate, too. Past iterations featured collaborations with beloved businesses like pop-up restaurant Farag's, boutique department store Frances May, and Salt & Straw — the latter resulted in a beef tallow leather and fig compote ice cream.
- While there are still bags for sale at these events, shopping is almost incidental.
- "The purpose is to, I don't know, make a friend, make a crush, flirt," Gerasimov said.
If you go: Bag Club at the Kozha Numbers studio (1050 SE Woodward St.) is Saturday from 7pm to midnight.
- The parties will continue beyond the summer, too. Gerasimov plans to turn her studio into one-night gallery installations for artists she admires.