PB: This skin is great, it doesn’t flake out too much.
John: This is a luxurious leather with a bit of flatness too it. It isn’t too 3-dimensional. And with the snakeskin and python, it can tend to be a little heavy for spring. For winter, I love textured leather, a heavy look. This collection was great and we had a lot of fun. We had 3 silhouettes. The snakeskin is beautiful. You can see the beautiful drape to it, a nice size bag but not overwhelming. It has hidden pockets. Our bags are about being subtle, and individual and unique in a way. We design if for the women who are going to buy it, who are going to carry it.
PB: And we were talking before, with the change of the economy, have you seen it impact you?
John: It has totally effected us. People are making decisions and are buying, but are spending a little more time deciding on what they are going to buy. I think our collection fits in perfectly, because the woman is looking to make an investment and doesn’t want to spend her money foolishly. When she buys LT, she isn’t buying fashion, color and a thing of the moment, she is buying something that is timeless. And there isn’t an age or year written on it. So when she makes a purchase in that alligator bag that is $18,000, she knows that when she carries it 5 years down the road, it will still be great. So, yes, the economy has effected us in negative AND positive ways.
PB: Your theme has been to not just have the “it” bags.
John: Right, it is about having a really important accessory collection that a man or woman could enjoy. timeless quality is really what we are all about. We put thought into it. Sometime it is great to have something that will be a hit for just a couple months. That is our element of fun there. You can put a bag away and then rediscover them. When it comes down to the retail and wholesale level. We are buying leather smarter, and running our business a little tighter. You can’t give up the fun, you just have to be a little sharper and tighter.
PB: Working together, do you get on each other’s nerves? Or what are the perks working with one another?
John: There are so many. Perks working with ME of course. It is obviously a very dynamic situation. Not everyone can work with their life partner on a business and social level, 24/7.
Richard Lambertson: I think the thing that helps us is that we are such opposites. We both approach the same subject and obstacles but come out of it a different way. I guess our biorythms work, but it would have to be the way we attack things. John always says that I attack things in a sort of chaos while he is lining up the pencils, making sure everything is sharp.
John: I’m Cancer and he is Leo. I am a homebody, I like everything organized. For me, life is so much more simple if life is in order. If things are chaotic, I can’t focus.
Richard: And for me, I work best when I am working on at least 3 projects. I love going to warehouses and being surrounded by all sorts of fabrics and such. Chaos excites me. Where as John, has to go with a piece of paper, find what he is looking for and then get out of there!
John: Working with Richard, because we are so opposite is great, I learn so much about the other side of me – when I look outside my controlled world, it is great. He pushes me to open up a little more. We do travel separately. I like more interaction with people and Richard doesn’t. I love going to parties and showing off what we’ve done. I love doing that. We don’t as a couple a Lambertson and a Truex arm in arm. If he isn’t into it, I don’t want that energy around.
