Dr. Julie Cantor started a high quality bag collection for the working woman. She took notice of the need of more fashion and style in the workplace. In an UNpopular Style exclusive, Julie shares her motivation for Harlen and what the brand brings to the industry. Photo: Bobby Quillard
1. Where are you originally from and does your background influence your brand?
I was born and raised in California, a state with a storied history of innovation, optimism, and activism—and great art and design. It’s a mythical place, and growing up in the Californian milieu certainly infused me with that spirit.
But my background is more about people than place. I grew up in a supportive, loving, and creative family within an idyllic and safe community. My parents, who were thoroughly New Yorkers, were great supporters of the arts and the professions. My father was a painter, sculptor, and children’s dentist; my mother was an art aficionado and Kindergarten teacher; my siblings and I had endless piano lessons... and my entire family believed deeply in education, equality, and entrepreneurship—creating something important and lasting that did not exist before. Those values are integral to who I am and to Harlen. And my parents absolutely adored Italy. My mother studied art history in Siena, and my parents honeymooned there and around the country. My mom can still reminisce endlessly about the art of Italy, its food, its craftsmanship — and its leather. To this day, Italian leather has this magical aroma that instantly transports her, like an elixir, to a time and place where life was all about possibility. So Italy has always had a sheen of heritage and beauty and nostalgia and magic for me.
2. How did your grandparents, Harriet and Lenny influence your style?
My grandmother was always, always completely and totally put together, and she had style. The kind of style that Edna Woolman Chase, Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief from 1914 to 1952, was talking about when she said, “Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess.” My grandmother had that. A signature look. A certain confidence. A way of being. I always admired the way she put her aesthetic out there. She also had an incredible collection of handbags and shoes, from classic to funky, and I remember being three or four and dressing up in her clothes, draping one of her handbags over my arms and clomping around her house in coordinating heels. And that house was designed with lots of blacks and whites and a touch of Hollywood glamour—a style that definitely inspired the Harlen color palette and overall aesthetic.
Photo: Bobby Quillard
3. Many people choose one or the other. As someone with higher education in Law and Medicine, how did you come about deciding to be a creator in the Fashion Industry as well?
It happened in a “life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans” way. It evolved. Had I not been a lawyer and a professor teaching at the intersection of law and medicine—a teaching opportunity I had only because I hold degrees in both law and medicine—I would not have discovered the problem that I set out to solve by creating Harlen. Plus, I have always been a student of art and design. In medical school, I was part of a women’s crafting circle, thought seriously about redesigning scrubs, and had a penchant for reconstructive surgery. As a lawyer, when I graduated to a larger office in my law firm, I bought all-white furniture to replace the standard-issue birch, printed up a quote about justice in an oversized modern font to adhere to the wall, and replaced the brown rubber doorstop with one that looked like a black patent high-heeled shoe. I also gravitated toward cases that told stories about injustice and art. One of the cases I worked on involved a dispute over the provenance of artwork taken by Hermann Göring during the Holocaust. I also maintained an active pro bono practice. All of those threads are woven into the fabric of Harlen. Today, I continue to teach, lecture, and write about issues at the intersection of law and medicine—all while carrying or rolling one Harlen or another and building the brand. Overall, one thing led to another, and I would not be here without traveling the path that I took. The journey was integral to the destination.
4. Tells us how important style in the workplace is to you?
Style is essential in the workplace because, in a very real sense, we all do our best work when we bring who we are—truly and completely—to the table. That takes a measure of confidence, bravery, and support. But we are all better—and our companies are better—when we can be who we are at work. That is certainly true for me. Even in a law firm environment, which most people would think of as stodgy, much of my work, and the work that I chose to do, reflected my interests, and the work product, when possible, had an edge of personal style. Style is so much more than what we wear; it’s who we are. It’s also great to look good and feel good while you are working. But style is way beyond fashion; it’s an expression of individuality.
5. Talk about the quality of the bags, how should women feel when wearing a Harlen?
Quality: Every Harlen is made in Italy at the very finest ateliers in the world. I visited a number of production possibilities, and I was completely committed to finding the best people to create our pieces. Not all “made in Italy” products are equivalent. I chose only the best places and the finest people. And that’s not marketing hyperbole. It’s really true. I was incredibly lucky because these best of the best places and people agreed to work with me, even though were already booked by the world’s most recognizable brands. So our quality is simply beyond. And our materials are amazing and also Italian (except for American alligator, but even those materials are sourced from a firm in Milan). Our clients understand that I personally chose materials for their durability—to withstand the slings and arrows of work—but that are also first-rate on the style, fashion, and design scale.
Feel: Our line is designed for the thinking, career-oriented, and unapologetic woman. I want women who own a Harlen to look at the piece and feel enveloped in a world of possibility and positivity—relieved that she finally found us and a piece designed around her career that hits the key stylistic marks of being modern, classic, and meticulously handcrafted in Italy; empowered to continue exhibiting her person style at work; proud to have moved opportunity forward through philanthropy that has a major impact on individuals and societies; confident that we are here to support her and her Harlen.
6. Can a Harlen be worn outside a professional setting?
Absolutely—and it should be. The pieces are designed to go from day to night, from weekday to weekend. I was very clear in my design directive that these pieces were not to look like “work bags” or computer bags or travel bags. Each is designed to be the love child of an off-the-runway, made-in-Italy handbag and a utilitarian briefcase. And so they are.
7. Any plans of launching brighter colors or edgy patterns?
Our colors and patterns will always reflect the modern architectural focus of the brand, but we do plan to add to the palette with items that will be available in extremely limited editions.
8. Tell us more about your philanthropic efforts, and Harlen’s partnership with Room to Read's Girl's Education Program .
We partnered with Room to Read because it is the leading non-profit for literacy and girls’ education, because it employs evidence-based interventions, and because it works hand-in-hand with communities. It doesn’t just drop off some books and leave. Quite the opposite. They are the best at what they do, and it is a privilege to work with them. We support girls’ education because, as Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof has said, it may not be a silver bullet for fixing the world’s ills, but it’s the closest thing we have to it. Widely considered to be the world’s best investment, girls’ education and empowerment can end illiteracy, improve health, stabilize societies, curb extremism, boost economies, combat child marriage, foster independence, and advance equality. Its impact is breathtaking. It reverberates across societies and throughout generations. And it alters the trajectory of a life. Further, our clients are all extremely well-educated. So to share the transformative power of education—and pay tribute to the countless girls who simply want a chance to learn—makes sense. When a client owns a Harlen, we provide the financial support for one student to participate in Room to Read's Girls' Education Program for one full year. That contribution provides girls with the tools they need to thrive and succeed: mentoring and life skills education, tuition and fees, books and uniforms, and additional resources, like a bike, if needed, to get to school. It is a significant contribution with a significant impact.
We also support other efforts to further education, empowerment, and equality. For example, we have supported the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles and the Japanese American Bar Association’s Educational Foundation. We are always interested in speaking with people and organizations whose values align with our own to pursue partnerships or support them in unique and creative ways.
9. Any other partnerships with other brands? Can Harlen be purchased in store?
No partnerships with other brands at the moment, but we are exploring opportunities with brands whose aesthetic and values parallel ours.
Harlen can be purchased at our online experience — www.harlencollection.com — and not in stores. Of course, shipping is complementary both ways, and returns are available for unused items up to 90 days after purchase. Our clients are busy people who just don’t have time to schlep and shop, so we deliver items for them to review in a private setting of their choice and on an extended timeline that aims to accommodate their extreme schedules.
10. What is your ultimate goal for Harlen, where do you see the brand in 5 years?
My ultimate goal for Harlen is to continue creating extraordinary modern careerpieces for ambitious women—items that are exquisitely crafted in Italy; that are avant-garde, chic, and timeless; and that are unique, innovative, and rare. We will also continue to support education, empowerment, and equality, as well as the arts, in innovative and powerful ways. In five years, we will be following these principles. Our pieces are and will continue to be a marker of success and style for women who deserve to reward themselves and who believe, as we do, that the envoy for their everything should be extraordinary.