The Sak’s philosophy is happy & free. Peace and harmony among all things is interwoven into our spirit, our deep rooted heritage and our down-to-earth style. Friends from childhood, Mark Talucci and Todd Elliott both grew up overseas. Their love for finding and importing unique textiles was drawn from going to local hippie fairs in places like Brazil and Mexico, where Mark lived most of childhood.
Both unenthused by their lackluster corporate jobs after college, Mark and Todd found inspiration during a trip to Bali, Indonesia in 1989 where they were intrigued by the extraordinary objects and artisan fabrics they discovered. Both natural entrepreneurs, Mark with a degree in engineering and Todd in business administration, they decided to start a business importing these “found treasures” from overseas to their hometown San Francisco. The idea of bags was a fluke that came to life at a Superbowl Party in 1989. Although the Cincinnati Bengals won that year, it was Todd’s sisters’ bag that was the hit of the party. It was a simple rattan and leather bag created from an everyday sleeping mat that she had brought back to San Francisco from a recent trip to Indonesia. There was something about the simplicity of the bag and the hand craftsmanship that made the bag special and different than anything they had seen in the states. It was then, in the beauty and simplicity of a hand-woven rattan sleeping mat, that the Elliott Lucca brand was born.
After embarking on their entrepreneurial journey into the world of fashion in 1989, Mark and Todd were soon challenged with taking their brand to the next level. In 1994, the imported rattan bags were blowing off shelves at major retailers sparking Mark and Todd to go a step further. The idea for The Sak brand stemmed from a simple, memorable, casual and relaxed bag with universal appeal. Staying true to texture, they created a singular bag from a unique Tightweave™ fabrication using hand-crocheted nylon string. Starting a crochet “craze”, The Sak bag Style 120 was an overnight phenomenon. It soon became one the most coveted items of the 90s coining the phrase “a sak on every back”.
IMAGE OF SAK LADY The iconic Sak lady was the brainchild of Mark and Todd, who in the Fall of 1994, paid a designers sister $200 to model for their first ad campaign. After ninety-nine shots were taken, Mark was still not satisfied with the photos. Before the hundredth shot was taken, the decision was made to expose the model in her simplest, most-natural form by having her pose nude. The idea gave the ad more sensuality and highlighted the natural curve of a woman’s figure against the curve of the relaxed crochet bag. This image soon became one of the most iconic images of its time.
Since then, The Sak has grown into a complete lifestyle collection of hand-crocheted and leather bags, mini bags, fashion accessories, tech, travel, home and shoes and has plans to continue to grow into new categories. The brand remains true to its woven heritage as a house of texture.
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