Spotlight // TONI TRUONG
Do you know many energy traders? Do you even know what the *beeeeeeep* energy trading really IS? Los Angeles leather-goods company visionary Toni Truong does, because a quarter-life crisis inspired her to quit her job as one. A mere few years ago, she traded her manic power-business career in Texas for a design degree at the Otis College of Art and Design, and the rest is history.
She took her future into her own hands, literally, and founded her company TONI. TONI is a downtown Los Angeles-based leather goods company, specializing in leather baseball hats and bags of all shapes, sizes, and colors, from getaway totes to somehow-super-cool fanny packs. Toni’s wares are gorgeously soft and buttery, substantial yet lightweight, visually distinctive yet seamlessly integrative with any type of sartorial style. We see a big windfall on the horizon for her goods.
Tell me a little bit about your decision to transition from energy trading to leather making.
It was a blind commitment and huge sacrifice to leave all that I knew, but it was also very necessary at that point my life. It was a pivotal moment where I was at a crossroads with the ‘if not now then when’ complex that I think a lot of people can relate to.
I still look at my old life through sliding doors and think how different things would be. That experience was a stepping-stone that helped put things into perspective today. I keep reminding myself that if I could make that big of a decision, then anything I would encounter thereafter shouldn’t be too difficult.
What matters most to me is the fact that I get to wake up with purpose and an excitement.
I’m inspired by both your response and your reference to Gwyneth’s Sliding Doors heyday. Why do you choose to focus on materials that come from downtown Los Angeles, when I’m guessing it would be cheaper to buy elsewhere?
I dove into leather because I love the process of making. I love being very hands-on so that is an integral part of the line. I learned most of what I do in my apartment, from local vendors, other makers, so buying materials and producing locally was easily an extension of that. It would be easier to outsource or take short cuts but that is not something I am willing to compromise.
What inspires your shapes and designs?
Each piece really does have an organic story. I’m influenced by friends and like to give credit to ones that inspire me by naming the product after them.
What are people getting when they come to own a TONI design?
The line is simple and minimal but has physical substance. You can feel the craftsmanship and construction. I envision the pieces are worn and appreciated by a self-aware modern city girl with a refined style.
Who else makes your bags: do you have a team or is it just a one-woman operation?
I want to keep things organic as much as possible-whether it is a design approach, an aesthetic, or to even expanding the company. It is pretty small now with 2 people making everything from start to finish, and it’s a smooth process. I think there is a good foundation though that if things were to expand, production can still be done in house with a bigger team.
Q: What kind of leather do you use?
I don’t like things to be too perfect. I like to show bits of natural imperfections because it renders the object more interesting. I like things to age and change after a period of time. So, the line uses high quality cow-skin leather that allows aging and patina to represent those qualities.
What do you find special or particular about growing your creative enterprise in Los Angeles in particular?
It’s the excitement of being part of a melting pot of various talents and culture. It’s fascinating to bounce ideas with other makers and meet passionate people and learn what they do. It’s rare to have all that readily available.
Photography by Shanna Fisher.
Words by Kira Hesser.
