RAVENSWOOD — Can you fight The Man and be The Man, too?
Chris Tag would like to think so. In 2008 the former advertising guy — then "spiritually bankrupt and running on empty," as he says — founded Defy Bags at 4527 N. Ravenswood Ave., specializing in handmade bags aimed primarily at young men.
As its name suggests, Defy and its owner take pride their American-made heritage, and in bucking the mass-produced corporate world of larger apparel stores.
Yet Defy, which Tag says now sells thousands of bags a year, is getting larger itself.
Recently, Defy Bags changed its name to Defy Manufacturing Company, reflecting its expansion into larger markets and more general apparel merchandise such as hats, T-shirts and belts. Additionally, Tag hopes for more space in the city, and eventually for locations in Australia and Canada.
“I’d like twice the space,” he said. “And in strategic markets where we do very well, maybe put some pop-up shops. … Like, have someone running a one-man shop in Sydney for a summer.”
In the meantime, Defy is already collaborating with a number of local businesses. Most recently, the company worked with the Ravenswood pet boutique “Urban Pooch” to create a line of dog collars and pet accessories.
That’s not the biggest project Defy has worked on: “We’ve done sleeves for Maserati, we did a couple hundred bags for [The Dave Matthews Band]…,” said Tag. “We’ve done [big projects] before, but this year we’re really going after more of them.”
Defy has about six employees who work in a small space with a funky vibe. Flags and old camp lamps are part of the decor as is a collection of vintage sewing machines. The Defy website features warmly lit portraits of its employees and part of the company culture Tag has tried to foster is that of the independent craftsman: handmade, locally-produced products.
Defy's growing range and scope of products has proved challenging for employees, some of whom have had to learn new skills.
“Thinking about how a bag is used is one idea,” said Lexy Sandin, one of Defy’s senior craftspeople. “But now it’s like, ‘What does a razor sheath need to do?’ ‘What does an eyeglass case need to do?’
With a degree in costume design from Ohio University, Sandin said, "I’ve really had to widen my breadth of knowledge, which is fun.”
As the projects continue to grow, Defy may have to take on more specialized workers to keep up. Already Tag is working on increasing Defy’s social media profile.
Tag and his workers are confident that the company’s small-business spirit will remain. Tag says he and his coworkers are craftspeople first, businesspeople second.
“We don’t have expansionist notions to just make piles of money as fast as possible,” he said. “We just want make a great company with a great culture and see where it goes.”
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