By Gina Malone
Soca Sling: Quilt Block Series. Ashley Bangert, artist
An intro course in fibers and textile design at Savannah College of Art and Design turned Florida native Ashley Bangert’s path from her intended major, graphic design, and set her on course for where she is today: artist/owner of Cole Klutch in Weaverville. “I fell in love with surface design and sewing,” Bangert says. “I started thrifting men’s suit jackets because I loved how structured and tailored all the pockets were. After college I was an assistant to an artist, Jen York (née Swearington), who at the time was making clothes. That’s where I learned to sew on my first industrial machine, but the materials were way different from what I’m working on now.”
After art school, she moved to Asheville in 2009, then to a tiny island in the Caribbean with her husband Chris for two years. “Although this one-acre island was not deserted, it was off the grid and had a restaurant and staff rooms that we helped run,” she says. “It was a wonderful time, and all my current work is named after this experience, but Hurricane Irma wiped the island out. We were also expecting, so it was time to go home.”
Her son, Cole (also Ashley’s maiden name), was born in 2018, and, out of his naptimes, Cole Klutch was born. During this time, also, she began working a sewing job that taught her to make awnings. “I fell in love again with structured material and tailored seams,” Bangert says. When she discovered cork fabric in 2022, she knew that she had found a material to take her own work from hobby to business. “I stopped working for someone else and dove head-first into designing my own bags,” she says. “I applied to the Southern Highland Craft Guild and got in that first year, in 2024.”
Carnival Crossboy. Ashley Bangert, artist
The sustainability of her chosen material excites and inspires her. “The coolest thing about cork fabric is that after the cork is harvested from the trees in Portugal they mark the tree so as not to touch it again for nine to 12 years,” she says, “because the cork rejuvenates. All in all, creating art in this form fills my cup right up.”
Her current work includes Carnival Crossbody bags, Tola Totes and Soca Slings. For the Carnival bags, she handweaves cork strips. The bags include adjustable and removable crossbody and wristlet straps, an exterior zipper pocket and an interior slip pocket. “These bags stand up nicely on their own,” Bangert says.
The Tola Totes are the largest bags in her collection, measuring 11”x 11”x 3”. They are made of cork fabric with an upcycled vinyl bottom and feature both interior slip and zipper pockets. For this bag, too, the strap is adjustable.
Measuring 7”x 10”, the Soca bag is the most versatile, functioning as a crossbody, shoulder or fanny bag and, with the strap removed, as a clutch. “The Soca is made out of cork fabric with some up up-cycled vinyl,” Bangert says. “All upcycled material comes from our local awning company, and the cork fabric comes to me in a mystery bag full of scraps from a fabric store in Texas, which gets the cork fabric directly from the source in Portugal.”
Soca Sling: Quilt Block Series. Ashley Bangert, artist
Hurricane Helene sent three trees crashing onto her family’s home in Weaverville, a disruption to home life and her art, though no one was hurt. “We evacuated to my husband’s parents’ house in Candler as soon as we could get out,” Bangert says. “We lived with them for nine months while our house was rebuilt. I was also very fortunate to have the Guild in my life at this point because that’s how I was able to connect with Rachel Elise.” Rachel Aughtry is owner of Rachel Elise, which is located in Mars Hill, 15 minutes away from Bangert’s son’s school. Aughtry also uses natural materials to create stylish and durable bags as well as other handwoven items. “She took me (and my industrial sewing machine) in and let me work in her space for six or seven months,” says Bangert.
“Ashley brought such a warm presence to the studio and was always excited to problem-solve together, ask for an opinion or share her knowledge,” Aughtry says. “She made lots of beautiful things in my studio, but it’s been such a joy to witness all the new work she’s created now that she’s back in her own space. Her perseverance led her to an inventive new phase in her creative journey and it’s inspiring to watch.”
Although storms have marked her creative years, Bangert finds herself at a peaceful place with her work and determined to move forward. “So, now I’ve closely experienced two catastrophic hurricanes in less than a ten-year span,” she says. “I don’t want to take anything for granted. Life is precious, and I want to make good work that makes me feel happy while I make it.”
Find Ashley Bangert’s work at regional galleries including Woolworth Walk and Southern Highland Craft Guild’s retail locations at the Folk Art Center, in the Grove Arcade and on Tunnel Road. For updates on new work, follow Cole Klutch on Facebook and Instagram @coleklutch.
