Zenzara creations have been featured in magazines and articles all over! Check out below where you can spot us.
As seen in Inside Weddings Magazine, Spring 2009
Finishing Touches. Bag made of 19th Century French handmade lace edged in gold metallic braid on white silk velvet, $400 by Zenzara.
As seen in The Knot Magazine, Spring/Summer 2009.
Hot color combos! These pretty pairings are meant to be together. Carry a vintage clutch: Nineteenth-century French handmade silver lace clutch with vintage button closure by Zenzara.
DeYoung Museum Trunk Show
Zenzara creations were featured at the DeYoung Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, in conjunction with the exhibit “Masters of Venice: Renaissance Painters of Passion and Power”.
El Paseo Fashion Week 2012
Zenzara made an appearance at the 2012 El Paseo Fashion Week. The handbags, jewelry, belts, and shawls made their way down the runway during the fashion event.
Fortune arrives bound in Fortuny: Idaho Mountain Express, December 2006
Handbags are made from timeless fabrics
By Dana Dugan (read online)
Say the words “one of a kind, handmade Italian fabrics,” and chances are only one name will come to mind: Fortuny. Spanish designer Mariano Fortuny’s eponymous company is world famous for eclectic designs and groundbreaking techniques. Still in use 90 years after its founder began his career, the Fortuny factory—housed in a former convent on Giudecca Island off Venice, Italy—still carefully guards his original process.
Over the decades, Fortuny fabrics have been much prized for their unique elegance. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York used 1,000 yards of Fortuny for the walls in its European Renaissance Galleries. Conceived like paintings, the textiles are illuminated with color and layered with silver or gold, bringing an integral antiquity to the weave.
The Ketchum boutique Déjà Vu is one of only five shops in the country to sell Zenzara handbags, which are created using original Fortuny fabrics.
After collecting rare bolts and fragments of vintage Fortuny, California jewelry artist Pegge Goertzen decided to put practical use to them. She began Zenzara in Palm Springs, Calif., to create handbags made of the fabrics incorporating gemstones, antique crystals and pearls for handles and embellishment. Many of the handles can be removed and worn as necklaces.
“Hours of precise handwork is required to make just one piece, It’s a labor of love and it shows,” Goertzen said. “Women who have discovered the line are instantly captivated by how distinct the handbags are from any other handbag out there.”
Add all these elements and you have handbags that are considered collectibles, which is the reason they appealed to Suzy Hart, owner of Déjà Vu.
“Pegge came to the store,” she said. “I wasn’t there, so she left the bags. When I came in there were these Fortuny bags. These are gorgeous. Who wouldn’t want these? So I started carrying them.”
Carrying Fortuny, even if it is your handbag, is the epitome of good taste. Aficionados of textiles and vintage fabrics will gnash their teeth in envy. The only other place to find Fortuny is on lamps, made using the old styles. Fortuitously, Fortuny lamps are available at Bellissimo in Ketchum, one of the very few stores in the United States that carries the stunning work.
The World In Her Hands: Palm Springs Life, January 2006
By Nicole Jacovino (read online)
A chance meeting in New York City with Patti LaBelle’s stylist set the stage for Pegge Goertzen’s infiltration into the world of celebrities. One of Goertzen’s handbags (designed under her Zenzara label) set off the couture gown LaBelle wore when she performed at Star Jones’ wedding — one of last year’s most memorable Hollywood events.
Goertzen took her inspiration for couture handbags from a trip to Italy, where she found Fortuny Fabrics — a company synonymous with detail and texture. Costing hundreds of dollars per yard, the fabrics bear the names of princesses, poets, artists, countesses, and composers. “They are expensive, all made by hand,” says Goertzen, a Palm Springs resident. Fortuny designs its fabrics in guarded environments to protect the integrity of the original style propagated by Mariano Fortuny. The history appealed to Goertzen and led to the launch of Zenzara two years ago.
Every detail of every purse and handbag appeals to the aesthetically tuned eye. “These bags are hand-sewn with fine detail,” she explains. “They have sparkling crystals; pearls; and glowing, faceted gemstones. Against the unique canvas, I’ve imprinted my own brand of artistry by infusing each handbag with antique embellishments and witty details, resulting in conversation pieces that are thoroughly modern.”
One handbag is made from an 18th century Italian fabric, detailed with antique fringe and a strap accented in blue beads. “There are lots of handbags and purses to choose from, but each one is different,” Goertzen says. The handcrafted bags retail between $900 and $1,500.
Fortuny fabrics have been known throughout the world for generations. “They’re singular blends of delicate shadings, lush colors, and rich depth,” Goertzen says. “And they are a remarkable rendering of 17th and 18th century European designs.”
In mid-October, the handbag designer attended Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smash Box studios in Los Angeles and was approached by stylists for Halle Berry, Kate Hudson, and Tori Spelling.
Only time will tell if we see her precious designs on the arms of the rich and famous on the red carpet. Meanwhile, the rest of us can check out the goods at www.zenzara.net.
Portable Provenance: Hotel Bel-Air Magazine, The Luxe Life
Zenzara’s unique collection creates modern art from antique treasures
By Valerie Summers
Perfect timing and inspiration came together when Pegge Goertzen launched Zenzara, her exclusive line of one-of-a-kind handbags created from the textiles of world-renowned fabric maker Mariano Fortuny. This vogue du jour recently became the stylish woman’s most prized accessory, leaping from practicality to fashion statement.
Against the complex artistry of Fortuny canvases, Goertzen lovingly hand-embellishes each Zenzara handbag with a medley of ornamentation, from French coil fringe and antique adornments to vibrant gemstones, sparkling Swarovski crystals and pearls. Serving a unique dual purpose, many of the distinctive, painstakingly crafted handles are removable and may be worn as jewelry while the handbags convert to clutches.
The multi-talented designed became acquainted with world-renowned Fortuny textiles, which have been featured in exclusive home decor, during her former career as an interior decorator. Goertzen’s fascination with Fortuny’s genius led to her ambitious collection of the unique museum-quality workds of art. While her original intent was to produce an exclusive line of decorator pillows, Goertzen was inspired to create the handbags after purchasing her first sewing machine just four years ago. Through trial and error, she perfected the construction of the hand-crafted Zenzaras, most of which incorporate hidden magnetic closures. While many of the handbags feature faceted gemstones such as apricot carnelian, London blue topaz and yellow jade, with a finish of golden coil fringe, several are more understated. “I like it when people wear the handbags with jeans and casual clothes as well,” says Goertzen. “They don’t have to be used just for the black tie events.” Zenzaras are now included in the wardrobes of Cate Blanchett, Angelina Jolie, Demi Moore, and Kate Winslett, among other celebrities known for their independent styles.
Goertzen continues to travel the world on treasure hunts for authentic antique lace and unique adornments, which she rescues from deteriorating silk vestments, crystals from antique chandeliers, 18th- and 19th-century ribbons, cords, and appliques. These elements are all given new life as they are incorporated into Zenzara designs. As a very personal touch, Goertzen includes a handwritten note in each handbag describing the details of its ornamentation.
Oprah Magazine, March 2010: De-Clutter Your Life
A Zenzara handbag was featured in Oprah’s closet cleanout!
Oprah: “This little wearable art number was definitely a gift.”
Bridal Guide Magazine, March/April 2009
A vintage Zenzara bridal purse was featured in this issue of Brigal Guide.