Carlos Falchi (September 26, 1944 – March 27, 2015) was a Brazilian-born American handbag and accessories designer known for his

patchwork Patchwork or "pieced work" is a form of needlework that involves sewing together pieces of fabric into a larger design. The larger design is usually based on repeating patterns built up with different fabric shapes (which can be different colors) ...

designs.Cathy Hoyrn
The Return of the King of Patchwork
''The New York Times'', October 29, 2009, Accessed October 30, 2009. He has won awards for accessory design, and his accessories have appeared in several TV shows and movies. His business generates about $100 million a year in retail sales.

Background and education

Falchi began his career in 1970s

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, New York City. He worked as a

busboy In North America, a busser, sometimes known as a busboy or busgirl, is a person in the restaurant and catering industry clearing tables, taking dirty dishes to the dishwasher, setting tables, refilling and otherwise assisting the waiting staff ...

Max's Kansas City Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South in New York City, which became a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists, and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s. It was opened by Mickey Ruskin (1933–1983) in Dece ...

while developing his designs; at one point his neighbor was

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

. His clientele were originally rockers and jazz artists.

Bendels

Retailer Geraldine Stutz, of

Henri Bendel Henri Bendel, Inc. (pronounced BEN-del), established in 1895, was a women's department store based in New York City which in its later history sold women's handbags, jewelry, luxury fashion accessories, home fragrances, chocolate and gifts. Its ...

stores, gave Falchi one of his early breaks. His designs became fashionable and he rose to early success.

Materials

Falchi's bags often use skins such as python,

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and

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and are soft and unstructured.

Market venues

His main collection tends to be sold at upscale

department stores A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made ...

for prices ranging from $1,500 to up to $5,000. In 2009, American discount retailer

Target Target may refer to: Warfare and shooting * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artille ...

contracted with Falchi to produce a line of ten lower priced bags, using synthetic materials, that were sold at Target stores in November and December 2009.

Personal

Falchi was married to his first wife Mary LaMosse, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the early 70s and later divorced. He was married 25 years to his wife, Missy, whom he met while she was working for the special events office in a

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. They have two daughters: Kate, who is a designer with her father's company, and Juliet, who works for Estée Lauder.

References

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, , 05/13/2009%2010:56%20AM%20ET, , headline, , Carlos%20Falchi(R)%20Brand%20Begins%20New%20Chapter, , docSource, , Business%20Wire, , provider, , ACQUIREMEDIA Carlos Falchi(R) Brand Begins New Chapter

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13 May 2009 * Brazilian designers 1944 births 2015 deaths {{Brazil-bio-stub Carlos Falchi's younger brother and co-designer is now running the business. His products are readily available for sale on www.carlosfalchibags.com