5 Minutes With roztayger

For the latest addition to our Five Minutes With series we caught up with Elizabeth Jeffer, founder of the carry retailer roztayger. Before establishing roztayger, Jeffer worked in the fashion accessories industry and has utilized this experience to curate a collection that caters to the work, travel and life carry needs of men and women…

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1 – What key insights drive your stuff?

In a nutshell of sorts the “roztayger mission” is to provide a shopping destination with versatile, timeless investment bags/accessories for the design and quality minded customer. Historically I have a knack for picking out the best sellers in a collection (as a rep I often wrote orders for stores I sold to). The best sellers are those pieces people will gravitate to irregardless of price because they know they will get use out of them. The product functions in a number of settings and won’t look tired or out of date years from now. Quality, clean lines, lack of hardware or heavy-handed logos. I gravitate to simplicity and understated details. My customers are of the same mindset. Less is more in terms of design but don’t skimp on quality and functionality.

2 – Who else is doing rad things in the world of carry? And why do you think they’re important…

I do love what Travelteq does as far as telling their story online and creating really specific product around this quality, timeless travel theme. I love how it looks visually and how it draws you in. It’s a pleasure to browse here, there are so many great products. I wish they did a few more femme/unisex colors in their Trash briefcases…I am inching closer to buying them for roztayger. I would just like a few more color choices that will work for either gender. Right now it seems more weighted to men but I like to buy in a gender neutral way. I would love to see a charcoal or a chocolate brown woven in.

3 – Are there any things other brands do that you think are great or could be improved?

So many brands do great things…no doubt. The issue is always editing and making a mix that is both cohesive and distinctive, yet all the while understated. This is tough sometimes to execute through an online setting. One of my favorite brands, Bonastre, is outstanding in terms of materials, concept and execution. It’s beautiful on so many levels. From where I sit his line is unisex although Fernando calls it a men’s line. I’d love to see him tweak his designs to accommodate working/traveling women with an eye on design and style. I think the need for stylish women’s work bags is great and a niche not filled well by anyone right now. A nice leather tote bag that is not corporate-looking and is of excellent quality – a clean shape with a modern flair and retailing for under 1K. If I design a bag line this is where I will start. I see a lot of shapes that work in the market but the colors are rarely interesting and there is not enough unique detailing which women want, such as unexpected color linings or  contrast stitching.

4 – What’s next for you?

For Fall I am starting a “luxury travel essentials” area for men and women. I am adding cashmere scarves for men and women, Japanese cotton t-shirt basics, wraps and simple yet elegant jewelry…a pair of handmade women’s brogues and a hat for travel. It will be dipping my toe in the pool of other categories. I think when you travel you are always looking to pare down and bring things that work in a myriad of ways so you don’t have to overthink and over-pack. The over-packing part is so easy to do and makes traveling much more stressful! For example when you have the opportunity to wear the same jewelry the whole trip and not think about it or to wear a great scarf to dinner as well as on the plane then you are packing with intelligence. I like to facilitate “packing ease” for the design and quality conscious traveler.

5 – What do you carry daily and how?

I switch around constantly because I want to speak from authority and know my brands well (that’s my excuse for having too many bags!). When I travel I love to carry my J. Panther Ruc Tote because it holds everything in one place and when my shoulders are tired I can throw it on my back. It’s elegant enough for a woman even though it’s meant to be more of a menswear line…it saved my back on my last buying trip to Paris.

I also lately carry my Frrry Rivet Me bag in purple. It’s a good mid-sized bag for daily use. People are always intrigued and ask me about it. For one it’s not a line you see many places in the U.S. and it’s also very unique – very sculptural – often Frrry’s designs involve folds and multiple ways to carry. The colors are pigment-rich shades you don’t see everywhere but somehow they work with almost all clothing options.

Lastly the Unlined Samuji Tote in navy is a new favorite because it goes well with black and gray and is very clean and vertical. It’s also lightweight and when I have to carry a fair amount of stuff it can accommodate nicely without looking overstuffed and inelegant. Samuji is an excellent choice for travel – super clean, minimalistic and beautiful quality. It’s an easy collection to invest in.