Why Every 1820 Bag Has a Florida Name
There is a small detail about 1820 Bag Co. that most people do not notice right away.
Every bag has a Florida name. 😬Â
Englewood. Sanford. Sanibel. Wildwood. Aventura. Hobe. Archer. Highland. They were not selected by a branding agency or generated from a list of fashionable words.
They came from a much simpler place: the bags are made in Florida, so I decided their names should belong here too.
It was not a grand marketing strategy
I wish I could tell you that I began with a carefully researched naming system, a map spread across the table and a beautifully organized brand plan. That is not what happened.
I made a bag. When it was finished, it needed a name. Because it had been designed and sewn in Florida, I looked through a list of Florida cities and places until one seemed to fit. Then I did it again with the next bag.
Somehow, what began as a practical decision became one of my favorite parts of the brand. Now, when a new design finally comes together, the work is not quite finished until I find its place on the Florida map.
I name the bag after I meet it
I do not usually begin with a location and design a bag around it. The bag comes first.
I work through the shape, size, materials, pockets, closures and straps. Sometimes the design cooperates. Sometimes it informs me that the pattern I drew was merely a suggestion. Eventually, after the adjusting, stitching and occasional creative disagreement with the sewing machine, the finished bag develops a personality.
Only then do I look for its name.
I read through Florida place names and wait for one to feel right. A sturdy field bag needs a name that sounds grounded. A relaxed crossbody needs something lighter. A structured work bag should sound capable of showing up on time and knowing where it put the charger.
When the right name appears, I know it.
Three bags, three Florida personalities
The Englewood Waxed Canvas Field Bag is rugged, compact and practical. Englewood has that same grounded, unpretentious character. It feels established without feeling formal—exactly right for waxed canvas, leather details and a bag intended to improve with age.
The Sanford Waxed Canvas Messenger Bag is larger and more work-focused. Sanford sounded strong and dependable, suitable for a bag that could move from an office to an airport without becoming too casual or too corporate. It also carries a piece of the 1820 origin story: the company began after the strap on my laptop bag broke in an airport.
The Sanibel Waxed Canvas and Leather Crossbody has a lighter personality. It is compact, hands-free and easy to carry when you do not need to bring your entire life with you. Sanibel felt relaxed and unmistakably Floridian. Not every bag needs to announce that it has important business to conduct.
Wildwood, Aventura and the rest of the map
As the collection grew, the Wildwood Bucket Bag (https://www.1820bagco.com/products/wildwood-striped-waxed-canvas-bucket-bag) became home to bolder textiles and patterns; its name has the adventurous quality the bag needed.
The sleek, hands-free Aventura Leather Hip Bag (https://www.1820bagco.com/products/aventura-leather-hip-bag) called for something more modern and energetic.
Then there are Hobe, Highland, Archer, Hendry, Sarasota, Weston, Pinecrest and Stuart. Some are cities, some are communities and some come from other corners of the Florida map. Together, the names root the collection in the state where it is made.
Handmade in Florida is more than a line at the bottom of the page
I make every 1820 bag in my Fort Lauderdale studio. The fabric is cut here. The pockets are assembled here. The hardware, straps and final details are added here. The occasional seam that needs to be removed and sewn again also happens here, although that part receives considerably less publicity.
Naming the bags after Florida places is my way of connecting each finished piece to where it began.
Handmade work has an origin. An 1820 bag does not appear by the hundreds from an anonymous factory. It comes from one studio, one maker and a process that still involves my hands at every stage.
Which Florida name comes next?
I keep a running list. Florida has no shortage of possibilities, and I have not run out of bags I want to make. When a new design is ready, I will return to the map and find the place that matches its personality.
Until then, every Englewood, Sanford, Sanibel and Wildwood carries two stories: the life it will develop with its owner and the little piece of Florida it carried from the day it was named.
