SCAD alumnus and former Editor-in-Chief of SCAD Manor, Charlytte Morrone, spoke with me recently about her experience as a SCAD student, helping found Manor and her new sustainable handbag brand, 4 to 1 Bags.
While at SCAD, Charlytte told me that her and her friends felt “there was a gap in the fashion department, and [we] wanted to create a venue to express ourselves outside of our own work.” She founded Manor alongside a group of other students and took on the role of our first editor-in-chief as her “little baby,” she explained.
After sharing our love for Manor and what it has become, Charlytte told me more about how 4 to 1 and the first bag was conceptualized. She explained how it was created for her senior thesis where she had to create a whole company from scratch. After finding a company in Savannah who sold cork fabric and collaborating with other students, the first bag that would later be known as Star was made.
Charlytte then went on to graduate in 2016 as a Fashion Marketing major and work for companies such as Nordstrom and Lululemon. I asked further about how she decided to create her own company and she told me that the idea had been suggested by a friend, who always asked about the bag she made years prior.
As a student myself, I was curious to know if her time here at SCAD ultimately prepared her for her career and creating her own brand. She assured me by saying, “You are literally being asked to do projects you are doing to do in the real world.” She emphasized how the collaboration, the work ethic and other business tactics that helped her get to where she is now came from learning at SCAD.
After spending the last year working on the brand before the launch this year, I asked how the name came to be and why she chose cork as the prime material for the bags.
“I just fell in love with cork, how it was such a better alternative to leather. For every 1 cork tree that’s grown, there is enough oxygen to sustain 4 humans. So, this idea of a greater impact became our brand’s name.”
Charlytte talked more about how the cork tree is difficult to find in the Americas, how it’s imported from Europe, but handmade and created in Dallas, Texas. She expressed how important it was to her to make these bags ethically and as sustainable as possible. At the moment, “the bags are about 70% sustainable and working towards a 100%,” Charlytte explained, as her and her team are ever-learning about new materials to live by their motto of “defining sustainable luxury.”
When asked about inspiration for the bags, she said she is inspired by a lot of geometric shapes, essentially “inspired by art itself.” The goal of each of the bags is that they can be worn at least two different ways, such as a clutch transitioning to a crossbody. Charlytte wanted to make something that she hadn’t seen in the U.S. market and has more of a European feel.
When asked about the day to day, she discusses how a lot of time goes into marketing and reaching out to boutiques and pop-up events to create more exposure for the company. They also go to the post office to fulfill orders themselves, and work at getting feedback to make the next collection that much better.
The hardest part about starting her own company has been playing so many different roles and staying motivated to put the product out into the marketplace, Charlytte explained. She made sure to tell me to not be afraid to ask for help when needed.
“A company is not just one person…What sets 4 to 1 apart is that I can tell you exactly who made that bag and the story behind it.”
I asked Charlytte to give some advice to those looking to start a business of their own, to which she said not to focus on the numbers so much as others tell you, but to work hard and just “put it out there. Be open to feedback and open for change.” She also emphasized to know your strengths and “work with people who can do things better than you and stay humble.” I asked about where she sees 4 to 1 five years from now and her vision entails being in stores like Anthropologie and having a larger audience and more people involved in making these bags.
“We hope that 4 to 1 is an easier way to guide people into a sustainable lifestyle.”
If you want to check out 4 to 1 more, their website is https://4to1bags.com
Words by Emma Mai
Photos by Charlytte Morrone