Kristin Holstein, known as K.G. to her friends, has always been drawn to the world of fashion. After years of experience working in various fields, including advertising and art, she has ventured out on her own to create a chic handbag collection. The collection, called KAGE, has a sophisticated, vintage-inspired look and each handbag is reflective of Kristin’s attention to detail.
 
Kristin spent her childhood in Illinois, eventually leaving to attend USC for college. After graduating from college in 1998 with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, she immediately jumped into the hectic world of advertising. In the years following, she worked at a top advertising firm, Ogilvy and Mather, and then spent several years working as an art buyer for Harrison and Star.
 
While her experience in advertising and the art world were exciting, she still longed to immerse herself in her true love, accessories design. To garner the experience she needed in design, Kristin enrolled in classes at FIT in New York City. Once solidifying her skills as a designer, and using the knowledge she had gained from her professional experience, she was ready to branch out on her own. Kristin immediately started to create the handbag designs she had envisioned in her head and KAGE handbags was born.
 
KAGE handbags reflect Kristin’s love for vintage-inspired details that she often extracts from her trips to NYC flea markets. The debut handbag collection is demonstrative of her love for these vintage aesthetics, but she has modified the silhouette so that it appeals to a modern, sophisticated woman. Unique to the collection is that each bag is crafted to be adorned with a signature “good luck” horseshoe charm, a detail that is in honor of her mother’s love of horses. Kristin resides in Gramercy Park, NYC with her fiancee Greg and their beloved minpin Jackson.