MEET THE DESIGNER: BARE

Type the word bare into Google, and the images that appear may not be all beautiful bags and elegant jewelry (that’s a disclaimer, people). But that’s of no real concern to Jeet Sohal, whose line Bare—the name is an acronym for brilliant, astute, refined, and enigmatic—appeals to the type of woman who responds to things that are on the cusp of straight-up pretty and very striking.
After graduating from Dartmouth, Jeet set out to start a jewelry line, working with a friend on a boot-accessory project on the side. But when that partner hit the road with a rock-star husband, leaving Jeet with an abundance of leather, she figured, hell, why not dive into the bag realm, too? It was 2006, and she was uninspired by what she saw women carrying—you know the look: heavy on hardware, light on practicality. So she called on her grandmother, Ursula Rodriguez, who did meticulous piecework for bag companies in the Philippines, to show her the ropes. Though she found inspiration in her Indian, Filipino, and Spanish heritages, Jeet aimed to keep things clean, without the weight and showiness often found in those cultures. And the people of L.A.—where she grew up and lives now—ate up her work. Proof: Jeet now has not one but three lines—Bare Collection and Bare Bones, both jewelry-centric, and Bare Bags—to satisfy the hungry masses. —dana covit

barecollection.com