arts & life

fashion

The

neauty
°f1\lecessit

The London Tote
offers a top
zip closure and
exterior pocket.

High-style

meets user-

friendly in a

luscious new

line from

a local

designer.

Annette Ferber

60

I

Lynne Konstantin

Arts & Life Editor

nnette Ferber is all
about simplifying.
That's not to say she
skimps — she's also all about
quality and hard work, traits she
learned from her parents.
But the West Bloomfield wife
and mom of four, who practiced
criminal law before leaving to be
with her kids, has a creative and
entrepreneurial spirit that has
been known to hit full force all
hours of the day or night.
Which is what happened seven
years ago, when Ferber awoke
mid-sleep with an idea — so she
pulled out some paper and a sta-
pler and a way of life was born.
"I had been a stay-at-home
mom for 15 years:' says Ferber,
49. "I always tried to be green at
the grocery story, and my kids
were always stepping all over my
recycled bags in the car:'
Ferber designed a pouch that
shoppers could place on their cart
and would open up to additional
pockets and sizes — an easy-to-
use, high-quality product that
filled a consumer void, and con-

sumers loved it.
Featured on QVC to great
response (sales reached $13,000
per minute), Ferber's line, called
Sacs of Life, soon evolved to
include innovative shopping
and travel sets — a collapsible,
expandable pouch that expands to
a large, three-bags-in-one duffel,
among them — and her fan-favor-
ite everyday cross-body bags.
Although Ferber has an easy
personal style — "I'm a jeans and
T-shirt kind of girl," she says — it
is a look that's all hers. "The style I
have is kind of rustic:' Ferber says.
"I am always adjusting details on
my own clothes, cutting up my
jeans. I was never shy with the
scissors:'
Inspired by the high-quality yet
weathered-finish look she loves
— and after years of growing the
Sacs of Life brand into a success-
ful company that offered stylish
functionality — Ferber was ready
to step it up. Last January, she
regrouped as the Annette Ferber
Collection, changing the name of
Sacs of Life to the Sacs Collection.
She also fulfilled a longtime
dream: She launched a new collec-
tion of fine leather pieces, called