Handbag Designer 101: The Stories Behind Handbag Designers, Brands, and Industry Icons

Why Your Samples—and Ego—Are Costing You Retail Deals | Emily Blumenthal & Karrica

Why do independent designers struggle to land and keep retail accounts? In this episode of Handbag Designer 101, Emily Blumenthal sits down with industry expert Karrica f

The Psychology Behind Why We Buy Handbags with the Lazy Thrifter | Jeremy Carr & Emily Blumenthal

Why do people become so emotionally attached to brands like Coach and Louis Vuitton? In this episode of Handbag Designer 101, Emily Blumenthal sits down with Jeremy Carr,

Why a Swedish Restaurant Owner Started Making Handbags | Markus Richtmann & Emily Blumenthal

What happens when a restaurant owner and lifelong maker decides to create a handbag—and discovers a whole new career? In this episode of Handbag Designer 101, Emily Blume

Can a Football be a Handbag? Ann Gaylord on Reinventing Handwoven Bags | Emily Blumenthal & Ann Gaylord

What happens when childhood memories of Philippine handwoven materials collide with an unexpected idea—and a football becomes a handbag? In this episode of Handbag Design

Lale Boz of Normal New York: From Passion Project to Retail Disruptor | Emily Blumenthal & Lale Boz

What happens when a passion project becomes a new kind of retail platform? In this episode of Handbag Designer 101, Emily Blumenthal sits down with Lale Boz, founder of N

The Luxury Handbag Patience Game on Building Siena Wolf | Emily Blumenthal & Lori Tyberg

What happens when customers love your handbag—but don’t buy it right away? In this episode, Lori Tyberg, founder of Siena Wolf, shares what it takes to build a luxury han

Is the Handbag Dead? Jay Choyce Tibbitts on What’s Next for Luxury | Emily Blumenthal & Jay Choyce Tibbitts

Are handbags losing relevance—or are they simply evolving? In this episode, fashion creator and strategist Jay Choyce Tibbitts explores how changing lifestyles, rising lu

Trade Shows, Future of Wholesale & How Handbags Changed Retail | Emily Blumenthal & Dorothy Belshaw

Handbags have evolved from everyday essentials into expressions of personal identity—and that shift is transforming the way retailers buy, merchandise, and discover brand

The Business of Wearable Handbag Art | Emily Blumenthal & Elif Akaydin

What happens when a handbag is designed as a work of art instead of just an accessory? In this episode, Elif Akaydin, founder of Patent of Heart, shares how her journey f

Made in China vs. Made in Italy: What Luxury Brands Don’t Tell You | Emily Blumenthal & Karrica

Does "Made in Italy" always mean better quality? In this episode, designer and product development expert Karrica pulls back the curtain on luxury handbag manufacturing,

From Recycled Plastic to a Global Bag Brand: How Got Bag Found Product-Market Fit | Emily Blumenthal & Kathrin Melchior

Can a backpack made from ocean-bound plastic become a global accessories brand? In this episode, Kathrin Melchior of Got Bag shares how thoughtful product development, cu

Know Your Customer or Lose Your Brand | Emily Blumenthal & Alex Greifeld

What separates brands that grow from those that stall? In this episode, growth marketing consultant Alex Greifeld shares why defining your ideal customer is the foundatio

Turning Leather Waste into Luxury Handbags | Emily Blumenthal & Cassandra Kane

What happens when a designer steps inside the Italian luxury manufacturing system and sees how much material never makes it into the final product? In this episode, Cassa

Why Gen Z Buys Luxury Differently: Insights from Hitha Herzog | Emily Blumenthal & Hitha Herzog

What drives a generation to skip credit card debt yet confidently spend on a vintage Balenciaga or a Fendi Baguette? In this episode, Hitha Herzog, Chief Research Officer

From Financial Advisor to Handbag Inventor | Emily Blumenthal & Penny Crook

What happens when a sentimental handbag inspires an entirely new business? In this episode, Penny Crook, founder of Denault Handbags, shares how a purse gifted by her lat

From Sail to Tote: How Beth Greenlaw Built Seabags Maine | Emily Blumenthal & Beth Greenlaw

What does it take to turn an environmental mission into a scalable accessories business? In this episode, Beth Greenlaw of Seabags Maine shares how she left a corporate c

From Retail Collapse to Amazon Growth: How Shy Iland Rebuilt Through Handbags | Emily Blumenthal & Shy Iland

What happens when the retail world you built no longer works? In this episode, Shy Iland, founder of Daisy Rose and former owner of the indie-boutique chain Big Drop, sha

From Designer Dream to Financial Reality: Alexandra Satine on Building, Scaling, and Starting Over | Emily Blumenthal & Alexandra Satine

What happens when a strong handbag concept collides with the realities of pricing, production, and scale? In this episode, Alexandra Satine—former handbag designer and fo

Beyond Hype: Syl Tang on Sustainability, Strategy, and the Future of Accessories | Emily Blumenthal & Syl Tang

What happens when handbag design stops being just about trends and starts confronting bigger questions—materials, sustainability, and what happens after the hype fades? I

Raffia, Color, And The New Bag Rules with: Ilia-Sybil Sdralli | Emily Blumenthal & Ilia-Sybil Sdralli

What happens when fashion stops following one trend cycle and splinters into thousands of micro-movements? We sit down with fashion editor Ilia Sib Zvalli to unpack why t