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SWEAT SPOTLIGHT: LATICO LEATHERS

Sara Pfeiffer
Nov 27, 2016
3 min read

Meet Liv Schreiber—the nineteen year-old New Jersey born sophomore at UW Madison, certified Zumba instructor, Wisconsin Sweat Scene member, designer, business woman, creator of Latico By Liv. Feeling unaccomplished yet...?

Latico Leathers is a leather goods company created and run by the Schreiber family. Their bags are sold in boutiques and name brand stores, including Free People. Liv gets her business-savvy attitude from her father, who fresh out of college, began creating leather goods and selling them out of the back of his truck in New York City. “[My father’s] story taught me a lot about perseverance and dedication to one’s work–to always be proud, to never give up, to keep going forward”. Liv's dad began collaborating with her mother (who had a background in and an eye for European trends), and the business took off from there. “My brother Ben and I grew up with leather skins on our kitchen table, went on factory visits during winter break, and always found it to be good luck if we spotted three Latico handbags in the airport prior to boarding”. The family's passion for fashion inspired Liv to create something of her own. Sure enough, at just eleven years old, Liv had designed her first handbag collection, “Le Cirque” which was sold through a national retailer, Garnet Hill. “I think I’ve recognized that we’re told from the start that we must wait until we’re older to make an impact, to explore careers and excel. But from a young age, I wanted to change that mindset”. For girls across the country, Liv’s collection for “tweens” may have very well been their first introduction to leather handbags. As she got older, Liv began running Latico’s social media, as well as helping her mom with new collections. “My parents never pushed me to do anything involving Latico. I usually just wanted to help my mom get out of the office earlier so that we could go to a Zumba class together.” Liv loved working with Latico and knew she wanted to do something separate from what her parents had created, and that was how Latico by Liv was born. She saw an opportunity in the fashion industry to create multifunctional handbags that were independent from what was already on the college fashion market. Since then, her collection has been showcased at the NYC College Pop Up Shop, and this year will make trunk show appearances at colleges across the country. Because her style changes day-to-day, Liv emphasizes that her bags are for every type of girl, whether they be athletic, preppy or boho-chic. Girls are using Latico totes for anything from yoga to going out. Liv’s goal is to create handbags that reflect her fashion and fitness-loving lifestyle. Being an athlete herself (a passionate runner and certified Zumba instructor), Liv knows how important quality and convenience are when it comes to designing bags for on-the-go girls. Her collection goes far beyond fashion; they’re also functional and will keep you organized. Inspired by her and her friends’ late night food cravings on long nights out, Liv designed secret compartments, big enough to fit a hidden indulgence in her bags. “It’s the little things in life,” says Liv on the many hidden found in her bags and her patent, the COINKEEPER (actually genius: tiny slot on handbags that keeps your coins in their own compartment). These all leather bags are durable and will literally last you a lifetime. “I have gone from an interview with my Mac computer inside of my Latico, to grabbing sneakers out of it before shoving it into a locker to go my Zumba class at the gym”. Chic, functional, and professional all in one. One of Liv’s many aspirations in life is to be an authentic, empowering force in the world and to make an impact. Not only is she making an impact in the world of fashion, but talented and smart businesswomen like Liv have an incredible impact on young women everywhere.