At Texas A&M, the Curriculum Calls for Collins

More than 100 pieces from the Finding Enid with LOVE collection traveled to Texas A&M University in March for “Elements with Enid,” a floral perspective exhibition using the elements and principles of floral design to take a fresh look at our favorite Texas-based mid-century designer, Enid Collins. Students in the university’s Benz School of Floral Design advanced “Floral Art” course created stunning artworks in a variety of media by drawing on Enid’s own artistry. Stay tuned for more about these exquisite exhibits and, if you can, visit the J. Wayne Stark Galleries to see the sparkle for yourself, and experience this unique “lesson in LOVE.”

Facilitating extraordinary experiences through ordinary objects by collecting, conserving and curating original handbags and other physical artworks by Enid Collins.

Anybody who has worn an Enid Collins bag knows that it’s not just a purse. It’s a “conversation starter." It’s high fashion. It’s art. Likewise, Finding Enid with LOVE is not just a website.

Finding Enid with LOVE is the online home of the Finding Enid with LOVE Collection, a Colorado-based small enterprise that manages and curates a private collection of original pieces by Enid Collins (1918-1990), a mid-century handbag designer and entrepreneur whose name has become synonymous with the bejeweled box purses that made her a fashion legend in Texas, New York and beyond.

Guided by my multi-disciplinary background in museology, cultural anthropology and fine art, I study and build understanding about Enid Collins as a significant American mid-century artist, designer, female entrepreneur and fashion-industry icon. I am interested in the physical and artistic attributes of her bags as material cultural objects — and the human stories that happen when people see and experience her work. What inspired their designs? Who sold and bought them? Where were they carried and what objects (or secrets) did they conceal? Why are they so significant to the people who possess them? And why do so many of us “pant for” more, even when our closets are already bursting with them?

The Finding Enid with LOVE Collection is a curated, museum-quality collection of original physical Enid Collins artworks. Today, it consists of more than 2,000 original vintage Collins box bags, totes, leather bags, papier maché bags and accessories, plus knock-offs, derivatives and archival documents. I am pleased to offer this digital window into some of the glamor and glitter of Collinsiana, and my research. I hope that looking at Enid’s bags feeds your passion, piques your interest and gets another conversation started among us — “who have a flair for the truly distinctive!”

Explore My Little Corner of Collinsiana

This Finding Enid with LOVE website is a partial representation of a physical collection of Enid Collins handbags and other works that I’ve assembled over 15 years. I created it to give these works exposure, create a dynamic record of the objects and encourage others to share and explore knowledge about Collins and her art. My mission is to facilitate extraordinary experiences through ordinary objects by collecting, conserving and curating original handbags and other physical artworks by Enid Collins.

Do you remember your first Collins of Texas handbag? Was getting it a memory you’ll never forget? Has someone special handed one down? Are you an impassioned collector or reseller who’s witnessed that magic moment when someone new discovers Enid Collins?

Whatever your interest, whatever your story — I’d love to hear from you!

Visit the Finding Enid with LOVE Shop to find original Enid Collins purses and authentic replacement jewels.