Crayola Cool: Meredith Wendell Accessories Brighten Up Top Boutiques and Fashion Mags

By Suzanne Singer
August 5, 2011

Meredith German, who cut her fashion teeth working on accessories at Marc by Marc Jacobs, designs leather handbags that influse New York's uptown polish with a dose of quirky—and colorful—flair. She launched her collection, Meredith Wendell (her husband, Wendell German, is her business partner), in 2008 with bright, stained glass-adorned leather accessories and jewelry in tune with the season's tough urban lady aesthetic. Since then, she's moved away from the glass and currently churns out structured handbags constructed of color-blocked leather in shades ripped from a Crayola box.

Meredith German

Meredith and Wendell German of Meredith Wendell accessories

Meredith Wendell is available online at Net-a-Porter and was chosen along with other emerging brands of note for Harpers Bazaar's Accessories Bazaar and the Accessories Annex curated by Vogue.

German, who credits her finely tuned sense of color to a childhood in Lewisburg, WV, where the Dorothy Draper-designed Greenbrier hotel is based, spoke to us about building a business and browsing on eBay.

The Inside Source: You work with your husband, Wendell. How did the two of you meet?

Meredith German: We met the first time at a friend’s Christmas party. Then we didn’t see each other for a long time, but I kept seeing Wendell because I was doing the windows at Saks [before I worked at Marc by Marc Jacobs] and his offices were right around the corner. Eventually, I said hello and he asked me out for that night, but I said I was busy and we made plans for later in the week. The rest is history, as they say….

The Inside Source: What are each of your distinctive roles at the company?

Meredith German: I am Creative Director and design the collection each season. Wendell handles all of the production, logistics, and graphic design, but putting together the brand image as a whole is a collaborative effort between the two of us. Wendell is also the one who makes sure I stay focused and essentially reigns me in. I couldn’t do it without him.

The Inside Source: Why did you decide to only focus on accessories, specifically bags and belts?

Meredith German: I hated to sew, so it seemed (or seamed, ha!) to be a perfect fit! We would love to do shoes one day.

Meredith German

Meredith Wendell designs

The Inside Source: How has the line grown since the first collection?

Meredith German: Well, we have always done belts and bags, but our initial ollections all had glass accents from and amazing stained glass factory in Kokomo, IN. But we have since evolved to now using our current lucite hardware that is less fragile. We do find that the demand for a quality basic belt is insatiable; people just can’t seem to get enough, so it’s great to re-imagine it in different colors and materials each season.

The Inside Source: Is it difficult to have the company based in NYC and the accessories handcrafted in Florence, Italy?

Meredith German: I had always envisioned our design studio in the building we are currently in in NYC. The city is great because you can find almost any design element you can think up right here. Having pieces made in Italy does involve a lot of travel. I am there every six weeks, but there is something very special about the artisans in Italy that craft these pieces for us.

Meredith German

The Inside Source: Whom are you designing for?

Meredith German: We have always said our brand embraced this idea of “uptown awkward.” She likes color and standing out, but isn’t stuffy or too polished. There is an understated coolness and confidence about her.

Inside Source: What is your design process? How do you come up with a new collection for each season? What are the sources of inspiration?

Meredith German: We have inspiration boards in our office that are covered with editorial and runway images, along with art pieces and graphics. I really can be inspired by anything. Most of the time it is quite colorful. For each season, we try to update our most popular silhouettes so they feel fresh, and work with that collection's theme.

Meredith German

The Inside Source: What inspired you for your latest collection?

Meredith German: I am usually into taking a classic thing and making it funny and cool. I had really good old webbing belts of my Grandfathers. We also have silly cute macrame bags... Stuff from when I was little.

The Inside Source: Do you shop on eBay? What do you search for?

Meredith German: I always start with vintage Roberta di Camerino and Vintage YSL. Then I move on from there. I love to do it while watching "The Daily Show"!

Meredith German

The Inside Source: What is your favorite eBay purchase?

Meredith German: I have a gold leather vintage YSL skirt that is amazing and a pair of blue and white tiger print Lilly Pulitzer men's shorts that are great for the beach.

The Inside Source: Do you use eBay as a tool or as inspiration for your designs?

Meredith German: Both.