Simple and warm, handy with a sense of purpose and an elegant edge; this is what best describes the essence of Good Winter, according to its founder Jared Fa’asalele.
The Auckland-based brand has been on the market since December 2014, offering top-quality leather accessories crafted in New Zealand. A graduate in Fashion Tech with hands-on experience in every aspect of the industry, Jared became a designer to create things that he could not find anywhere else.
“Fashion and illustration was always an interest, but I didn’t really think it was a path for a stocky Samoan boy. I only decided at 24 that it was a direction I really wanted to follow,” he explained.
Today Good Winter produces and sells leather bucket bags, totes and goods, but at first Jared had other ideas in mind.
“I originally set out to make outerwear, coats and jackets. For me fashion is the best thing about winter and the name Good Winter sat well with what we wanted to do. Then I found an interest in leather and the name just stayed with us,” said Jared.
What he enjoys about working with fabrics like leather and denim is their resistance, which allows for age and wearing, giving each piece a different character. The use of warm earth tones adds to the coziness.
This fortunate mix of form and function is aimed at all ages and all genders, with a special target on practical, active persons.
”Someone who uses his or her belongings. We love seeing our totes packed full of books or our buckets spilling out with wallets and make-up,” said Jared.
Good Winter is currently available online on goodwinter.co.nz and at stores in Grey Lynn, Britomart and Newmarket. Besides looking for more stockists around New Zealand, they also work to keep competitive prices by enhancing their e-commerce.
Moreover, Jared wishes to embark on a longer-term mission. “Leather is a dying trade,” he explained, “and with manufacturing in New Zealand so scarce, why would anyone want to take a career path in a job that has no security? A lot of knowledge dies with the baby-boomers. So we hope to pay it forward and pass on the skillset, teaching a younger generation and setting up workshops.”
For more information, email info@goodwinter.co.nz.
