The Empirical Media documentary about Enid Collins and collectors including Karen Adler had its premiere showing in June 2022 at the Hill Country Film Festival in Fredericksburg, Texas. Stay tuned for information about where and when the film will be released. Meanwhile, here are a few outtakes.
Title card from the documentary, featuring Enid's son, Jeep Collins, holding a portrait of his mother. Jeep and other members of the Collins family share personal memories about Enid and Frederic Collins and Collins of Texas throughout the film. Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022
Among other things, the film explores the origins and evolution of the famous Collins of Texas box bag. Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022
Archival footage shows Enid making an appearance on a local Seattle talk show in the 1960s. Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022
The film takes us to the Texas Hill Country where Enid and Frederic Collins ranched, had a family -- and founded Collins of Texas. Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022
Jeep Collins shares stories and memories about Enid and Frederic Collins and Collins of Texas. His mother's own words, from letters and journals, are narrated by his wife, Dana. Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022
Enid Collins’s granddaughter, Lara, and grandson, Christian, continue the family legacy of art and design. Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022
Penny McBride, whose mother was a long-time bag-maker for Collins of Texas, shares a collection worn by three generations. Credit: Mike Maloy
The film pays a visit to Medina, Texas, where current Collins of Texas owner Sia Parstabar provides a peek inside the factory today. Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022
"Only one of these is an original, authentic Enid Collins bag. Can you tell which one it is?" Laura Seargeant Richardson, founder of the Collecting Collins project to document all 766 copyrighted Enid Collins designs, helps us learn to judge. Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022
Karen Adler talks "purse anthropology". Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022
A portion of Karen Adler's Finding Enid with LOVE physical collection. Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022
Karen Adler refreshes a vintage Enid Collins "Glitterbugs" mini box bag. Look closely and you'll notice two copies on the table. Adler refers to original, authentic examples from her collection so that works are restored correctly. Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022
Karen Adler replaces jewels missing from a vintage Enid Collins box bag. She has no original design specs to work from. Instead, her expertise has been built by examining and documenting actual original bags for a decade. Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022
The Finding Enid with LOVE physical collection includes more than 3,000 authentic original Collins glass and plastic faux jewels in more than 400 styles. Organizing them all has been a project in itself. Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022
Detail shot of Adler's workspace shows tubes of Duco glue, the adhesive used by Collins of Texas in the 1960s to affix jewels to bags. Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022
"Glitterbugs", carefully cleaned, re-jeweled and ready to wear. Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022
Karen Adler holds the bag that started it all for her: a 1968 "LOVE" box bag she discovered in a Chicago thrift store in 2011. Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022
The camera captures a moment between collectors Laura Seargeant Richardson and Pat Duell, whose decades-in-the-making collection fills a room from floor to ceiling. Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022
Archival footage catches Enid Collins waving to the camera with a smile. Credit: Michael Maloy, 2022