Rennes celebrates craftsmanship and timeless simplicity with gorgeous, must-touch leather goods and accessories (check out the gallery below!). The Boston-based line was launched three years ago by self taught designer Julia Okun, who named the company in honor of Rennes le Château, a village in southern France known its local lore and mystery. Okun drafts, cuts and sews every piece in each collection, inspired by the idea that “making an item by hand creates community.”

Ms. Okun graciously took the time to speak with us earlier this week:

Where did you learn your craft?
I learned to sew at an early age from my Mom and Aunt, but only started working with leather about three years ago. Working with leather is really different than fabric, and I’m completely self-taught. I read a few books and just experimented a lot. I bet if I took a class on leather working today I would learn I’m not doing anything by the book! When I started I had no idea it would turn into a business, so I’ve been really lucky in that regard.

I understand the name comes from a small French town–what’s your connection there?
When I started, I called my line Rennes le Chateau, which is a town/Chateau in the south of France. About a year into making bags I realized that name was way too complicated, so I shortened it to Rennes, which actually is another place in France. As a kid, I was really obsessed with any kind of conspiracy theory, and a lot of the “Da Vinci Code” theories are based around the myths in Rennes le Chateau. For some reason (which I’ve forgotten), it made sense for me to call my line that.

And last, what sort of person do you see yourself designing for, and what do you hope people will get out of your line?
I see myself designing for an independent person who doesn’t want labels or brands all over their clothes. One of the reasons I started making bags was because I couldn’t find one I liked. Most of the people in Boston have Longchamp, Coach, or Louis Vuitton bags, and you can see them coming from a mile away. I don’t want to be defined by the clothes I wear – I want it to be the other way around. For the longest time, I didn’t want to put any labels in my bags but friends and family told me I should, so I finally caved in. At least, I hope, they are discreet and classy! I want people to use what they buy from me for a really long time, so I always try to think of making timeless and trendless pieces.

For more information (and to buy), check out RennesHandmade.com. [Note to last minute holiday shoppers--they make great gifts!!] And to see some of Okun’s musings and sources of inspiration, check out her blog at blog.renneshandmade.com.

All images courtesy Rennes.