The Passing of the Torch

 I remember my father taking me to buy a suit. He took me to one of the finest Haberdasheries in town; stepping on a carpet block so the tailor could take my measurements for the suit was one of the most life-changing moments of my life. The feeling I felt cannot be forgotten. The experience made me understand when my father would always say, “Do the best job you can possibly do every time.”

As a child I would listen to my mother. As she talked about her mother, my grandmother, and how creative she was. When she described the items, she did it in a way as if I could close my eyes and imagine them in my mind, I don’t know if she planned it that way, but for me at the age of nine - it was a bar setting moment for me.

    I started sewing at the age of ten when my mother got her first sewing machine; all shiny and new.  I was amazed just by the look of it, yet I was more amazed at what you could do with this machine. And the more skilled you were at using the machine, the better your projects would turn out. So, my mother started to sew and somehow got the needle stuck in her finger! I said, “How in the world did you do that? How is that possible - let me try.” So, at the moment she said, “If you want to sew you will have learn the right way.”

    The next day, I was a ten-year-old in a class ]- adults learning the art of tailoring.  But, I was not the least bit intimidated. I was too excited to do what my grandmother did: creating the most beautiful and well-made item’s possible. So, I listened attentively; doing everything the instructor said to do. More so, listen to the words that he spoke at the end of the course, “Everything you’ve learned from me is just the foundation. You will have to build on it and create your own techniques as you go.”

    Fast forward a few years, I was working and going to school for architectural design. From structural support, space planning, function, and at the same time making the space visually appealing; while never forgetting to care for my textile background. I started customizing classic cars,  which lead me to designing interiors for the automotive industry in Detroit, feeding its never-ending quest for innovation and originality.

On her dying bedside, I cultivated my craft and made sure that I had the skills to take “the torch” from my inspiring grandmother, to continue this profound passion for design and construction. I’m running with it, building momentum,  combining my background experiences simultaneously to create leather goods that not only functional, but are uniquely and artistically elegant. My mission is to set the bar in creativity and quality around the world so the owner of any and every piece from The  Ray Anthony Collection will feel like I did stepping onto that carpet block. Like they are on top of the world.

My Name is RAY ANTHONY HAWKINS, and this is my story.