EDMONTON — Julie Morrison takes her inspiration from popular culture, which explains why the vinyl messenger bags she makes resemble Nintento controllers, Etch A Sketches and Scrabble tiles.
One of her latest designs is a giant “@” symbol. Her first bag was emblazoned with the word “POW!” in comic script, inside a cartoon bubble.
Morrison, 31, started out as a gal with an artistic bent in need of a unique purse. Unable to find one, she created her own. When others saw her “POW!” bag, they wanted one too, so, in an effort to stay original, she kept creating new bags with new designs.
In Edmonton alone, she’s sold about 3,000 of them over the past decade at various craft shows, farmer’s markets and in local stores under her Majesty brand. Each one has a bold, bright image on the front flap: a fried egg, a camera, a pair of 3-D glasses, raindrops, robots, owls, bunnies and moustaches. Lots of moustaches.
“I hope that no one ever calls me the moustache lady,” she says with a laugh. But what else can you call a woman who also makes vinyl moustaches on a stick?
She created the first one as a joke for a then-boyfriend who couldn’t grow a moustache. People thought they were so clever, they started snapping them up for photo shoots, parties and as conversation pieces. At her booth at the Fringe, she can’t keep them in stock.
She also makes moustache key chains, change purses, wallets and bags.
If Morrison doesn’t want to be known as the moustache lady, she could easily be the Lego lady, since she uses the popular building toy to create rings, earrings and cufflinks. The more brightly coloured jewelry is popular among kids and teens, but adults wear them too, particularly in more neutral shades like black and white.
Morrison used to sell more through local stores, but prefers now to stick to markets and shows where she can interact with customers directly. “I enjoy meeting people and seeing what they like and what they’re drawn to,” she explains.
Mostly, she designs images that appeal to her, then sees if customers like them too. Many are reminiscent of her own childhood, like the Etch A Sketch, Nintendo controller and Scrabble tiles.
The bunny comes from a children’s book her grandmother used to read to her. Morrison’s radish image reminds her of the old TV show Fraggle Rock, in which the Fraggle creatures ate mostly radishes.
“I only make things that I like, so sometimes I say no to people when they ask for custom orders,” she adds.
She’s had moms ask her to make ballet shoes for their daughters, but she’s refused. ”Then I’m not an artist, I’m just pleasing the masses and to me, that’s not art,” she says.
Walking the fine line between art and business can be difficult, though. As sales slowed during the 2009 recession, she decided to go back to school for inter-cultural studies. She also volunteers and teaches overseas, most recently in China and India.
“This makes the money for me to go overseas and teach,” she says. Her stint selling bags at the Fringe pays her tuition for the year.
Still, she hopes to expand her business when she finishes school. She’s setting up an online store soon, and looking to local stores again to carry her bags. Eventually, she’d like to rent studio space downtown, get a die press so she doesn’t have to cut all her material by hand, and even hire staff to help her.
“I have so many ideas. For me, it’s limitless what I can do with this,” she says.
Morrison can be found selling bags at the Folk Festival, the Fringe Theatre Festival and at the Downtown Market on 104th Street every Saturday.
Her bags are made from the same, high-grade upholstery vinyl that’s used for car seats and diner booths, so it’s durable, easy to clean and vegan-friendly. Her bags range in price from about $60 to $90.
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