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Of a Kind: See All the Cleverness Behind a Welcome Companions Collection

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ofakind:

Cheeky, adorable, and practical to boot.

Though Laurel Consuelo Broughton pours a lot of intellect into the pieces she makes for her L.A.-based accessories line Welcome Companions, the end results are also meant to make you smile. “There’s a kind of playful spirit embodied in them,” she explains. So how does she decide to translate strawberries and hands to leather and canvas? Get the scoop on her past collections below. —monica derevjanik

WAGON
“The WAGON No. 1 was one of the first pieces that I designed on my own after working for a long time at an architecture firm. I was interested in the idea of bricolage—that two things could create something new when they’re juxtaposed. A kind of ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ idea. In this case, the traditional mason bag and the wheeled chassis are both functional, and it recalls a child’s red wagon in a pleasantly silly way. It starts to take on a pet-like character.”

Mr. Knife, Miss Fork
“Mr. Knife, Miss Fork was inspired by the 1927 surrealist novel, Babylon by Rene Crevel. It’s a story about a little girl who imagines that the knife is her father, the fork his mistress, and they are running away together. I was interested in appropriating surrealist icons, but mixing them up and making the objects usable in an unexpected ways. For example, the hat being a handbag rather than a hat.” 

Part-time Picnic
“Part-time Picnic was based on the simple idea that the picnicking spirit should be part of everyday life. What better way to do it than by channeling the picnic into a collection of accessories? Each piece ends up being a character at the picnic. And we are super excited about the new addition of our Of a Kind piece! [Ed: Get it tomorrow!]”

THE NAVY YARD SHUFFLE from WELCOMECOMPANIONS on Vimeo.

Navy Yard
“Navy Yard is our upcoming collection arriving this fall. The collection evokes a convivial rivalry between two gangs, the Squares and the Animals. The Squares are minimal, yet military, and the Animals are soft-sided and sporty. The Navy Yard Shuffle is a stop-motion animation we made in the studio to celebrate the new collection. In the video, the Squares and the Animals have a friendly West Side Story-style dance-off.”

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