Q&A: Christy & Ronnie of Lucha Workshop

I'm always on the hunt for new sources of inspiration, and as soon as I saw this bag, I was immediately transported to a time when I was younger when I proudly combined bright colors and accessorized boldly. There's nothing like channeling that type of energy, so I had to find out more about the makers.

Name: Christy Felisgrau and Ronnie Rivera
Website/Blog/store: luchaworkshop.com; luchaworkshop.blogspot.com luchaworkshop.bigcartel.com
Facebook: facebook.com/luchaworkshop
Twitter: twitter.com/lucha_workshop
Location: Miami, FL

Tell me a little bit about what you make.
We turn our drawings into designs that we then sell in the form of t-shirts, art prints and handmade bags.

How and when did you start the company?
We were looking for a way to put our work out there and we thought t-shirts we would a great way to do that. After doing some research we taught ourselves how to screen-print and opened our shop.



Was it hard to decide what type of products to focus on?
Not really, we decided early on that t-shirts would be a great affordable way to sell our designs. The handbags and art prints came later on.

How does your collaboration process work?
When one of us has an idea we'll get together and have a brainstorming session. That usually leads to us either chucking out ideas that don't go anywhere or fleshing out ideas that we're excited about.

Where do you do your work?
Design and clerical work takes place in a converted garage in our home. The printing studio is a converted shed in our backyard.

Is this your full-time work?
Not at the moment but we're working on making it our fulltime job.


What inspired the design of your new bags- particularly the lines?
Our previous line of handbags were very simple. I (Christy) didn't know how to sew or make patterns so the first bags were a result of trail and error. This time around we knew we wanted to focus on color and pattern. After dyeing and printing the fabric the bags felt like they were visually lacking something. The woven lines were the result of some experimentation.

Where do you find your inspiration?
Everywhere really. Music, books, other artists, each other.

What have you learned about yourselves and each other since you started working together?
We've learned what our strengths and weaknesses are and how to rely on each other when one of us is stuck or when inspiration is lacking.

Are you working on something right now that has you particularly excited?
Right now we're designing a couple of album covers for two of our favorite local bands, The Electric Bunnies and Raffa and Rainer. We're also working on a project for our shop assistant iBarnabas, who's been with us for a couple of months.

What's the best part of your day?
Although we don't have them daily, I would have to say our brainstorming sessions.