Jennifer Smail says Edina Innovation Lab helped take her business to the next level. She produces a variety of leather bags, like the Day Tripper. Photos: Laura Castro LMC Photography, Maple Lake MN
Edina Innovation Lab graduate finds success in luxury leather bag business.
As new generations come and go, there’s often a transference of knowledge—life skills, words of wisdom and so forth. Some are able to gain insights and skills from their parents, a generational gift of guidance. For Jennifer Smail, sewing was the gateway hobby that bonded her to her mother from a young age. And from those early years with needle and thread in hand, came the vision of hand-crafted leather bags.
“Working with leather, I get to be a sculptor, an engineer, a sewist, a metalsmith and designer,” Smail says. “For a driven artist like me, leatherwork provides endless possibilities to create with.”
As the youngest of nine children, Smail’s upbringing was anything but ordinary. In the presence of an artist mother and engineer father, it was inevitable that Smail followed suit. She was motivated by her mother’s passion for creating. “My mom was intentional about her art education with me. She did a lot of one-on-one,” Smail says. “I was lucky that way.”
Smail launched Cuddigan Leather in 2020. Her shop has the ambiance of an Italian leather boutique seen in Tuscany. She prides herself on creating bags that are similar to Italian leather and production. Design and construction is a blend of handstitched elements with the aid of specific sewing machines. Cuddigan’s Atlas Collection is handbraided.
Day Tripper Bag
“If we offer luxury bags with true artistry, beautiful raw materials, we are creating heirlooms,” she says. “A couple things that really set Cuddigan Leather apart from other brands is that every detail of every bag is done with great intention. The hardware is solid brass, and the luxury zipper is manufactured domestically. I would love to source my leather in state and each bag component domestically, making us 100 percent sourced and created in the U.S. We are getting close to this goal.”
All that dedication and hard work helped Smail grow but not enough. In 2023, Smail decided she needed help to get Cuddigan to the next level. She reached out to Annette Wildenauer, the chief innovation officer of the Edina Innovation Lab. It’s a place for entrepreneurs to learn and build upon their businesses. Wildenauer designed the BIG program (Businesses who Innovate and Grow) as a six-month masterclass to help small businesses.
“What makes the program unique is that the curriculum is very fluid,” Wildenauer says. “It’s designed to meet people where they’re at.”
“Annette could tell I was in that ‘second stage’ and was struggling to balance it all as a working mother,” Smail says. After enrolling in the program, she says she quickly benefited from the mentorships, conversations and training sessions. She even got the opportunity to design handbags with material from Faribault Mill.
It’s all onwards and upwards for this Minnesota designer. “I have the gift of being excited by possibility,” she says. “I am so excited I developed the tools to turn possibility into reality. To me, this is life, if you open your eyes, anything is possible.”
Cuddigan Leather
46 Birch Ave. S., Maple Lake; 612.413.5457
Facebook: Cuddigan Leather
Instagram: @cuddiganleather
Edina Innovation Lab
7201 Metro Blvd.; 952.806.9062
