All the updates on outstanding orders!!!

Hello everyone!! You arrived here because you have an outstanding order and you are wondering what your options are (or when it will be delivered). First, there are two important distinctions: Special Orders (made by Muralidharan) and Pre-Orders (orders of regular stock inventory that has not been delivered yet). I will list out the styles outstanding for each, and then below you can find the appropriate updates.

Special Orders include:
• Paisley Leather
• "Limited" Leather Half Sash (Galaxy, Graffiti, etc. from Special Orders)
• Ikat Bags
• Ginny and Aurora Borealis

If you are waiting on a Special Order, the good news is that they are coming soon and they are looking so beautiful!! If you are not in our community, I really recommend joining to keep up on the news and get all the sneak peeks of production. If you can't, that's okay too and we will try to keep our website more informative. I will share a detailed update at the end of this post regarding Special Order timelines.

Pre-Orders of regular inventory includes:
• Nylon Bags
• Uganda line (Basketweave and Mudcloth, Faux Halves, Kwagala Leather)

The Pre-Orders are the bags that we referenced in our email about Company B (if you did not receive it, let us know and we can send it). These are the styles that, if you are waiting on one, we want to offer you three options.:

Continue Waiting: Your bag has been sitting at the factory since July of last year, but it’s stuck in the middle of a dispute between companies. I can’t guarantee when it’ll be released. If you choose to keep waiting, we’ll update you when we learn more and will offer 25% credit toward our upcoming Kickstarter campaign.
Exchange for Kickstarter Credit (or website credit): You can exchange your current order for 125% of its value in Kickstarter credit. So, for example, a $100 order will earn you $125 toward our upcoming campaign.
Request a Refund: I completely understand if you’ve had enough and prefer a refund. While we’re processing these in phases, starting with the oldest orders, we’ll get to yours as soon as possible. We ask for your continued patience during this process.

Those are the options! Again, laying these out comes with a heap of appreciation, humility, and acknowledgement. We are making so many changes as we move forward with new campaigns. We hope you will stick with us. If not, I totally understand.

Regarding the Special Orders, here is a summary of a one-hour live session I had with Muralidharan on Saturday, February 10th:

Summary of live video with Muralidharan!

Summary of Key Discussion Points & Special Order Delivery Updates

1. Business & Production Challenges

Post-COVID labor shortages have made it harder to find and train skilled workers for leather craftsmanship.

Custom leather sourcing issues, especially with specialized foils, embossing, and dyeing processes.

Unexpected delays in material shipments, particularly from Italy, where specialized leather and embossing plates had to be produced.

New transparency measures:Bi-weekly customer production meetings will now be public so customers can track their orders.
A public production spreadsheet will be maintained to provide live updates.
Customers can now use rewards points to reduce Kickstarter pledge costs.

2. Special Order Bag Delivery Estimates

Aurora & Ginny (Second Batch)

Status: READY TO SHIP.

Cause of Delay:Foil application issues led to high material waste and had to be re-ordered from Italy.

New Shipping Date: Next week (from meeting date).

Paisley Collection

Status: Final production phase (hand-finishing in progress).

Cause of Delay:Paisley design requires a complex hand-tipping process.
Needed custom embossing plates from Italy (delayed in arrival).

New Shipping Estimates:Misty Blue: Shipping in 1-2 weeks.
Other colors (Black, Gray, Tan, Brown, Patina series): After Misty Blue is fully completed.

Extras (Leftover Special Order Bags)

Status: Completed but not yet shipped.

Cause of Delay:Waiting for bulk shipments to consolidate freight costs.

New Shipping Date: Within 1-2 weeks.

Ikat Collection (Ikat Bags)

Status: In pre-production, sewing has not started yet.

Cause of Delay:Requires highly skilled labor to align the Ikat patterns correctly.
Team is prioritizing Paisley production before shifting focus.

Sewing Start Date: As soon as Paisley production is finished.

New Shipping Estimate: No confirmed date yet, but it will follow Paisley shipments.

Limited Leather Half-Sashes

Status: Ongoing production (small batch releases).

Challenges:Limited production capacity (due to leather processing constraints).
Each leather type requires different handling, slowing production.

New Shipping Estimate:Rolling shipments as production is completed.
No firm date, but progress is ongoing.

3. Business Strategy & Customer Engagement

Kickstarter Campaign: Customers will be able to design their own bags with mix-and-match leather and fabric choices.

Manufacturing Optimization:Streamlining production by limiting lining, zipper, and hardware color variations for faster assembly.

Customer-Driven Approach:New Production Tracking Tools to reduce frustration.
Public meetings & spreadsheets will keep customers informed in real-time.

4. Leather Care & Quality Control

“Naked Leather” products are handcrafted and do not have synthetic coatings—this makes them more luxurious but also requires special care.

Some customers reported color bleeding, especially in reds and blues.Solution: Test leather conditioners on small areas first before applying them fully.
Turquoise Egypt Collection Bags: Some batches had inconsistent dye fixation, causing increased color bleeding.

Foil Leather Care:Foil does not fade, but excessive exposure to heat or bending may cause minor cracking over time.
Foil layers were designed with a matching base color so that any potential wear is less noticeable.

5. Final Takeaways

Aurora & Ginny: Shipping next week.

Misty Blue Paisley: Shipping in 1-2 weeks.

Other Paisley Colors: After Misty Blue is completed.

Extras: Shipping in 1-2 weeks.

Ikat Bags: Sewing starts after Paisley is done.

Limited Leather Half-Sashes: Rolling shipments, no set date.

Customers can now track orders through public production meetings and a shared spreadsheet, making the process more transparent and efficient.