About Us
Makers of quality leather carry goods + accessories. Remnant is a husband and wife collaboration established in Wilmington, North Carolina born from a desire to be mindfully creative turning discarded materials into useful and lasting pieces.
Hal and Jen Griffin moved from Atlanta in 2006 and made Wilmington, NC home with the desire to start a family and live life a little slower. It was thoughts of family that had Jen thinking of things she might pass on to her children one day and, randomly, sewing was one one of them. There was one problem though - she didn't know how. So on an old Kenmore handed down by a dear friend, she set about teaching herself. To hear it from Hal - "it was once she figured out the mystery of loading it with thread. That was really all it took. Then she started sewing and couldn't stop." She fell in love with making bags because it was a way to turn the fabric remnants she was using for project pieces into something useful.
She began making bags and accessories to give to friends until one day someone offered to buy one. And then another person and another until one day in 2009 she realized she had started a business. Hal became a part shortly after when one of the handles of someone's bag came undone after some use, and Jen enlisted his help. She said, "I knew he could figure it out because he has this ability to just make anything work better." After some searching and testing of different materials, the heavier weight veg-tanned straps held on by hand hammered copper rivets won out because of their look and strength. "The copper rivet has a timelessness to it and carries an inherent handmade detail while the veg-tan leather breaks in so well and becomes even more beautiful with age" said Hal. Both have been a signature detail of all Remnant bags ever since.
They named their business Remnant because all of their bags were made from fabric and leather remnants, worn out jackets, or other textiles they would repurpose. Today their carry goods and accessories are almost exclusively leather, but are still made using remnants - many from nearby upholstery shops. They employ simple, timeless and functional design matched with detailed craftsmanship using high quality salvaged and new materials and this practice can also be found in the furniture, fixtures and space renewal projects that they endeavor through their Industrious division of Remnant.
Now a family of 5, (Hal and Jen adopted all 3 of their kids - you can read more about that and their KIN campaign here) they love working together on the creative challenge of taking something discarded or seemingly forgotten and giving it new life and purpose as something that will last.