Featured Designer: Kamryn Boelk

Kamryn Kay is the designer behind the Milwaukee-based fashion accessory label, Permanent Baggage. She describes her work as urban and edgy, with a soft bohemian flair, and creates a variety of work ranging from leather and metal jewelry to leather shoulder bags. She has displayed her work at Sparrow since 2011.

"I have a great fondness for materials, texture, and color. I'm always trying to use these elements in a way that sort of juxtapose themselves...I love the slight battle that happens with this. To achieve this I tend to combine leather, metals, fabrics, gemstones, and laces. I also incorporate an amount of rough carpentry into the display of my work to add an additional natural element. I like to make things that give off an inherent toughness but are still approachable with an underlying softness and femininity. A beautiful warrior, I guess you could say, which is a theme I feel many women can relate to or desire to exude. 2013 was a wonderful year for me but I simply can't wait for the slow season (aka playtime) where I have plans to expand this theme into a wider range of accessories."

Kamryn Kay has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture, with a minor in Design from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. She works full-time from her studio located in Milwaukee, WI. She sells her work at art fairs throughout the state, boutiques throughout the mid-west, and maintains an online shop that has led to international business.