And I remember thinking to myself okay , well , I'm obviously not the first . I mean , I'm the first with influence with bloggers , but not with celebrities . I'm not the best . I don't have that many years behind me in this sector , so I decided to be the fastest .
Speaker 2Hi and welcome to Handbag Designer 101 , the podcast , with your host , emily Blumenthal , handbag industry expert and the handbag fairy godmother . Each week , we uncover the stories behind the handbags we love , from the iconic brands and top designers to the creativity , craftsmanship and culture that define the handbag world . Whether you're a designer , collector or simply passionate about handbags , this is your front row seat to it all . Welcome , idalia Salsamendi , to Handbag Designer 101 , the podcast . Idalia , welcome , welcome , welcome . I'm so excited to have you . This is so exciting .
Speaker 1Thanks for having me . Emily Blumenthal , I love how you say my entire name . You're probably one of the few people that when you asked me , did I pronounce this correctly ? I'm like , yes , you got my first name correct , idalia . Normally I have to give like a story and like Italy , italia , but with a D , idalia . You got it right .
Speaker 2So Idalia , you have morphed into an influencer and someone who has just so much impact on so many people . How did all this get started ? Like , what did you do with your background to get to this point ? Because you know , on our podcast we talk a lot about small business and growth and entrepreneurship and really finding your voice , and obviously it doesn't necessarily need to be within handbags , but it's more about business and you know , taking something from nothing and turning it into something Sure .
Speaker 1So great . First question I actually grew up in the industry . So my mom did public relations for Univision , like the TV network . So yeah , I would go to upfronts with her . When I was a little kid I used to go to like all her events . So I knew at a very early age what public relation was and I really understood at an early age what talent management like took . I thought it was just a really interesting avenue . So I at 19 years old I'm 41 now , so for 21 years 19 was my first job at a peer agency here in Miami and that segued over to me working at two of the top modeling agencies in the States , which was Ford , and then at Next . So by the time I came to Next , we were just beginning to sign what we call bloggers , Right . So Chiara Farani , Julie Sariania , Sincerely , Jules , Danielle Bernstein so we were really at the forefront of this blogger movement . I was transferred over to their New York office because this was in LA and I became the forefront of this blogger movement . I was transferred over to their New York office because this was in LA and I became the director of talent . So that's where I really got to work with top stars like Pamela Anderson and Dua Lipa . So I really , from a very early age , I understood the public relations side of the business because I worked PR . I grew up in PR .
Speaker 1Did you go to college ? Yeah , I went to FIU , Florida International University . I studied journalism and mass communication with a minor in business administration . So were you working while you were going to school ? Oh yes , ma'am , I'm a first-generation American . My parents were like study and work , study and work .
Speaker 1Yeah yeah , yeah , yeah . So it was during college that I was getting my bachelor's in journalism and working at a PR agency and vice president of my sorority and vice president of , like , the number one non-for-profit that they have , which is Dance Marathon . So , yeah , I was a very busy student . That really shaped who I was for various reasons . The PR agency that I worked for were all women and it was women run , which , you know , 20 years ago that wasn't anything that you would say out loud , not for any particular reason , it just was a point of conversation . But I knew there was something special there because I was surrounded by very strong , beautiful women and you know to this day they're very close friends of mine . And then I was in authority and that also was very strong women . You know you had to keep a certain GPA , you had to do X amount of community service hours . They held you to a standard as a civilian that you know . I thought that that was a really good fit for me , you know . So my university life that really shaped me into oh , this is what a business would look like . Oh , this is what giving back looks like . Oh , is what a business would look like . Oh , this is what giving back looks like . Oh , this is what being part of a community looks like .
Speaker 1So by the time I hit next models and next management in New York and I was dealing with the celebrities , that's where I realized I think there's a white space in this creator economy where consulting and strategy really need to take the forefront . Because , yes , you can go into an agency and they say , yeah , we're going to strategize , yes , we're going to do this , but you may talk to your agent in that capacity maybe once , twice , three times a year . And what I realized is a lot of these young entrepreneurs I mean literally these bloggers were 19 , 20 years old , making seven figures . They really did understand how the business worked and why should they ? Like no one ever taught them . So Idalia Inc really stemmed from educating content creators and saying , ok , well , if you do want to make this a business , how can you protect yourself intellectually , financially , legally ? And that was like the start of what my company . That was like the literally the birth of Idalia Inc .
Speaker 2What was the incentive for you to say , OK , I'm going off on my own . What brought you to that point ?
Speaker 1It's interesting . I was working with a co-worker of mine , jane Lim , who's Chris Soutland's little sister , and she turns to me one day and she says you know , you're not happy . And I'm like Jane , of course I'm happy . I'm like I get into the best restaurants , I go to the best parties , I go to Fashion Week . She's like , yeah , that's not filling your cup , Right ?
Speaker 1And it was the first time someone really looked at me and said that's not what life is about . And I was in my early 30s and I'm like isn't that ? Like ? It reminded me of the scene in the Devil Wears Prada where Meryl Streep turns to Anne Hathaway Everyone wants to be us , everybody wants to be us , yep , and Anne Hathaway really had to take that in , absorb it , digest it and say is this true ?
Speaker 1And for me it wasn't true . Sure , everybody wants to be us , but once you see the amount of work that goes into the background , once you see the sacrifices you need to make , does everybody want to do that ? Obviously not , because if not , everybody would be doing what we're doing . So I had to figure out what made sense for me , and for me it was really really communicating with young entrepreneurs mostly women , right , because bloggers back then . I mean , maybe you had one or two guys , but it was mostly women . I go wow , this is an industry where women make more than men . This is amazing . You know , like so cool . What if I could teach them to be CEOs ?
Speaker 2What would that look like ? That's so fascinating . But while you were still day jobbing , had you templatized how you work with clients , like what was the first thing you would look for ? Like you took on someone because dealing with brands and designers ? Yes , especially teaching students who are aspiring designers . So much of that is never , ever taught . What are the keystones that you would say okay , what are the things that you have or need to get locked down before we even move forward ?
Speaker 1As a content creator ? Yeah , I think number one , and I apologize for the vague answer , but it's just knowing the business . That's just it . There's so many people that don't realize that you need to pitch , that you need to have a media kit that you have . You know personal branding , you know this , your professor , right ? So it's the 101 of you know . Yes , we can go into , like , how to sell your IP . Yes , we can go into capsule collections , but that's like fourth year , right ?
Speaker 1The majority of content creators right now don't even know and they don't have access to like that quote-unquote first year knowledge . So it is just looking at the business and saying , okay , well , what do you need to do ? And the same way , like , we can apply it to like okay , let's say you want to get a job , right , you want to get a job in finance . You probably may want to go to university and study finance . You may want to be good at numbers . You may want to know how to work this application , whether it's Excel or whatever accountants do now . But imagine a world where content creators don't even know that they need to be educated . They don't even know they need to be good at numbers . They're just throwing caution to the wind , crossing their fingers and praying , something sticks , and very , very few people are able to create a sustainable business that way . Those are the exceptions , not the rule , so I'm out to teach the rules .
Speaker 2What would you say that those rules are going in ? Like , okay , because if we're to look at this as like , hypothetically , a designer or a brand owner and saying , okay , you need to know the business , Typically , at least with my students and the designers with whom I've worked , before we even do a damn thing , I ask them like what's your brand DNA ? Who's your competition ? You know , if you're doing your four P's , give it to me in the shortest breakdown . Like , who is the customer in the middle ? What does she eat for breakfast ? What car does she drive ? Like , you know , what would she carry in her bag ? Like all these and do a quick competitive analysis and all of these things . And you know , I had designers saying , oh , I almost got into sex . And I said I almost got into sex too , but then I went to have sushi . Like it's not about almost getting in . You either are or you're not , and if you're not , it's for good reason . And you have to figure out what's the why of that .
Speaker 1I love that . Yeah , it was interesting because I , two summers ago , I taught a semester at the Jimmy Choo Academy and it was all these designers and everything that you said like . I 100% echoed that , that . You have to understand that and you know . Going back to your original question , when I work with designers , when I work with brands , it's number one what's your why ? So that goes , and I do that with content creators , personal branding and something as simple as what's your font , what's your logo .
Speaker 2What are your ?
Speaker 1color schemes .
Do you want that to be seasonal or do you want that to be forever ? Right ? Because look at YSL , yves , saint Laurent we went from YSL to YSL to Saint Laurent to like right now , you know . So it's not saying that once you decide on something you need to like , follow it to , you know , the day's end . But what is that ethos of the brand ? And then understanding , like , if you are going to pitch yourself out to celebrities , if you are going to pitch yourself out to influencers or KOLs , do you have a press ?
Speaker 2kit , and what would a press kit consist of , based on your experience , Because , so many people think it's a million different things .
Speaker 1So I do want to preface this by saying that for me , a press kit and a media kit vary differently . So I would say that if you are a designer , listening to this , I'll give you the answer . If you are an influencer or content creator , I do think it varies . But as far as a press kit , when I work with brands it's definitely understanding who's the owner , what's the vision . You just finished saying give me your four Ps , what's your why ? Right ? So immediately start off with who are you ?
Speaker 1Give me a true why , like I don't want to like at this point , how inundated this industry is , like you are not going to catch someone's attention . Oh , I grew up loving handbags and I don't , right ? No , you know , give me the Jane Birkin story . Give me that . You were sitting down next to you , know , somebody in a flight . You realize that she couldn't carry everything and she wanted sheet bag . You came back to the studio and you created the Birkin bag . Right , like that's the story that I want to hear . That's the story that's like , yes , that's going to sell me on the bag . So your why and your story has to be , has to be catching .
Speaker 2Like make me remember that story you know , to that point , two things . To that point , one of the things that I've dealt with a lot specifically within what's the why , is number one trying to teach that your why can't be coming from something negative because nobody wants to hear anything negative , so it needs to be flipped . When I started out 100 million years ago , advertising was the hot , cool thing . The one thing they always said is don't go into a meeting or an interview saying I love commercials . It's like no , what do you like ? What do you think about the messaging that it's emoting to you ? What stands out ? Why ? Why are you feeling this ?
Speaker 2And also in terms of trying to think like okay , something was missing on the market . You have your Jane Birkin story , but like okay , where your product will potentially sell . Do you shop there ? The answer , nine times out of 10 , is no , because no new designer will ever be carried in the sacks . Maybe they shouldn't right now , but in a major retailer , because they won't touch you with a 10 foot pole until you have traction and followers and brands with fans and you can say that you know , when you start carrying my products , I can guarantee people will come and buy it .
Speaker 2So , there's got to be more than just the Birkin story .
Speaker 1It's like and I've researched it and realized- that , yes , and that's where the rest of the press kit goes . Like , where , like , are you showing samples or are you showing your products ? Are you showing , like a press part of your you know your press kit where you see we're celebrities or you know , maybe whatever that is . So to your point , yes , like , that's that's part one , and then part two . It's like why should that other person carry your brand ? And just so that you know also , it ties in beautifully with content creators because you know they say , oh well , I want to work with dior . Okay , well , there's brand alignment to every . You know who , at this point , who doesn't want to work with Dior ? Right , like , at this point , who doesn't want to be carried ? You know , at Bergdorf Goodman , you know who like , really , so you know who doesn't want to be inheritance in London , right , everybody . That's like that's the , that's the epiphany .
Speaker 1That's like the the right right right , the promised land , but what are you doing before then ? So when you ask me , like okay , like what is , what is it ? It's like it's the business . You need to understand that to get to Dior , there's like 20 other steps that you need to climb . But if no one tells you that , how are you going to know that ? If you want to get to Saks or , let's say , harrods , for this , for sake of conversation you need to know that Harrods is not your first phone call , it's not your first pitch . God .
Speaker 2If you ever wanted to start a handbag brand and didn't know where to start , this is for you . If you had dreams of becoming a handbag designer but aren't trained in design , this is for you . If you have a handbag brand and need strategy and direction , this is for you . I'm Emily Blumenthal , handbag designer expert and handbag fairy godmother , and this is the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass . Over the next 10 classes , I will break down everything you need to know to make , manufacture and market a handbag brand , broken down to ensure that you will not only skip steps in the handbag building process , but also to save money to avoid the learning curve of costly mistakes .
Speaker 2For the past 20 years , I've been teaching at the top fashion universities in New York City , wrote the Handbag Designer Bible , founded the Handbag Awards and created the only Handbag Designer Podcast . I'm going to show you like I have countless brands to create in this in-depth course , from sketch to sample to sale . Whether you're just starting out and don't even know where to start or begin , or if you've had a brand and need some strategic direction , the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass is just for you . So let's get started and you'll be the creator of the next it bag . Join me , emily Blumenthal , in the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass . So be sure to sign up at emilyblumenthalcom slash masterclass and type in the code PINECAST to get 10% off your masterclass today .
Speaker 2Honestly , my first pitch as a handbag designer was to Barney's , which is even funnier . Yeah , because I was working in media and had a lot of connections and I was connected to the buyer of handbags and went in and had a meeting and they walked in , they looked at it and they walked right out and I was standing there with my product on the table like and you know , it's cute , but and that but nearly killed me , I walked out like .
Speaker 2Oh , deflated is an understatement thinking like , but this was my moment , I was going to arrive , this is . I was going to be one of those success stories , like I happened to stop by Barney's and I happened to show my product and they happened to want it . Oh , look at me as I was . The funny thing is that sometimes naivete is is is a blessing , because I did not even think they wouldn't want it .
Speaker 1I was listening to a podcast and it was Alex Amozian . He was saying you know , in business you have uninformed optimism . Because you're uninformed , you're like , yes , I'm going to go into Barney's , everything that you said you're like , and it's that naivete and then that quickly transitions to informed negativity or an informed pessimism . So you have in sorry , it was in uninformed optimism informed pessimism . So the big thing is when you get that crush , when you're like , whoa , this is a lot harder than what I thought because you're educating yourself , then you know that you're onto something good , because that step after that is informed optimism . But the only way to get to informed optimism is to get to informed pessimism , because you got to have that like wake up moment , you got to have that whoa like oh , this is of course , because if it was that easy , everybody would be in Barneys . Oh , yeah , of course .
Speaker 2No one's in Barneys now . But yeah , and you know this was in the heyday of Bird Dwarfs and Bendels and I was discovered from Bendel's Open Sea , which was their famous casting call for designers a hundred years ago , and what they would do is they would have the designers come in and do a trunk show but you would have to stay there yourself from the moment the doors opened to the moment they closed and you could not leave the floor . And you know the floor staff had no incentive to try and help you sell your products because they make commission . So here I am , standing here and trying to pull people away who are looking at other product from where their commission was coming . It was so uncomfortable and the funny thing is after the cause , it was a two day trunk show . The second day I left and I walked out . I fainted on the street . It was so intense . The pressure .
Speaker 2Yeah , and well , also , side note , I was dating some dumb guy and he's like I don't think this is going to work out . And I totally fainted after that . I hadn't eaten anything and he thought it was because of him and it wasn't . You're like , no , I just did a two day trunk . I'm like I have nothing . You know , I was like I just need a slice of pizza before we even talk . And he's like , well , listen , and I said , no , hold that , hold that , I just need to have a slice of freaking pizza . So , yeah , I never got my pizza and I woke up and I was like what the hell is going on ? Yeah , and you know , it's this harsh realization that you are peddling things one customer at a time .
Speaker 2And so many people tend to want to skip over that and think like , okay , I've done my one post .
Speaker 1Where is everybody ? No , it is . I would love to ask you like what do you think the average , the years that it takes from conception of a brand to really feeling like your head is above water ? What would you say ? That ? How many years would you say on average ?
Speaker 2I'd say you need at least two years , at a minimum , at least two . I think you know I always say inception . What I teach at my class is inception to shelf , to repeat business , to customer acquisition and all the stuff that comes after that , with collaborations and the narrative of sustainability , which now , right now , needs to be part . But it cannot be your full story because it will be debunked and you can't be profitable that way . So it needs to be woven in . I always show this clip at the . I think it's my first class or my second class . It's a Marie Forleo clip . It's old .
Speaker 2I admire what she does . I don't really follow her too much but I know she's got some solid nuggets out there where she does this clip about Poo-Pourri , which is a spray that you know you use for the bathroom . After you've done your business . You spray it on the toilet . Yes , right , bingo , yeah , but it was . You know it was an innovator and you know , when you're launching a brand or even yourself , you have to be the fastest
, the first or the best , and unless you're checking one of those boxes , it's very hard to stand out . So what lane are you going to be in ? The fastest , the first or the best ? The ?
Speaker 1first or the best . I love that .
Speaker 2You know who taught me that , which is even funnier Trini Woodall , from Trini London . As I had mentioned , I worked in London and I had a lot of good friends there and I was connected with her . I went to London for a trade show right when I'd started my brand , and he's like I can hook you up with a meeting with Trini and I said , oh damn sure . And she was doing , how do I think it was ? How do I look ? She was still doing that there , her house . She was still married at the time . She took me up to her closet it had a key , the whole thing and she sat me down and she's like where do you fall within this ? Like what's your ? And she's the one that said that to me and I've repeated it ever since . I doubt she even remembers .
Speaker 2And then you know how are you going to develop your line ? Are you doing it inspired by a trend ? Are you doing something that's inspired by the runway ? Are you taking it from something historical ? Like , where do you fall in terms of your narrative ? And it was so eye-opening to say , okay , where would I be ? Because to be a pioneer is too expensive , it just is . So you have to fall into one specific window in order to understand your narrative . Because to educate a customer and to have them change their mind , you're taking and developing this precious 20 percent and that 20 percent covers 80 percent of your business . So how are you going to build up that 20 percent ? And if you have to educate this customer and convert them , literally convert them to want to use your product , do you have the time , value of money that you can afford to do that ? So I would say you know two years to maneuver and manipulate your way into their life , but you have to do the .
Speaker 2You know I'm a huge fan of ethnography and I show again this vintage video of this woman from Miami it's so grainy at this point where they're interviewing her , making dinner and writing down like here's the show she watches , here's her commute , here's the food she likes to cook . And those are the things that you have to do to get into the mindset of your customer . Yeah , your avatar , exactly , and we talk so much about . And I always use Urban Outfitters , as my case study does Urban Outfitters , just because it's of the generation .
Speaker 2It's at least easy to teach and say okay , if you're in Urban Outfitters , do you think they sell the same product uptown and downtown . Do you think they sell the same product from where you are to , you know , virginia , or in Texas or in Miami ? And the answer is no . And then we have this deep dive conversation why , why do they not do that ? Could your product sell in all of those stores ? And if not , then you need to have a clear picture of who your customer is . That's right . So I say two years at a minimum .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 2Okay .
Speaker 1That's a long story . Short answer no , no , no , no , I love the in-depth , but I love what you said about the first , the quickest , or ?
Speaker 1the best the fastest , the first , the quickest or the fastest , the first or the best . I remember when I was , when I got transferred to next in New York , I was dealing with managers that had been dealing with celebrities , right Cause this is my first time with celebrities like true celebrities , and you know , everybody was in like their late forties , early fifties . And here comes , like this , 31 year old , in charge of New York City , which was a big market .
Speaker 1And I remember thinking to myself okay , well , I'm obviously not the first . I mean , I'm the first with influence with bloggers , but not with celebrities . I'm not the best . I don't have that many years behind me in this sector . So I decided to be the fastest .
Speaker 1And I remember that , a lot of the pain points that I went out when I would meet these celebrities , like , oh , my manager doesn't get back to me until like two or three days later , or oh , you know , I asked a question and I thought to myself , well , what if I answer emails within 24 business hours ? And what ended up happening is after two years . And what ended up happening is after two years , people in Paris would be emailing me because I would answer quicker than someone in Paris in the same time zone . And to this day I take that with my company , idalia Inc . It's like , okay , well , you know , now I could say , yes , my company is the first to do this . I would like to think we're the best just because of the years and the experience , and we're also the fastest . So you know , to your point , like if you need one of the three to start with , but if you can maneuver your way into not crossing out all those three like you're good , you're good .
Speaker 2Yeah , and also , you know how niche can you afford to be ? That's also a problem . You know , if you get too niche , where do you fall ? Is there enough for people to follow you , to work with you , to want to do a partnership , to do a collab with you ? How much are you voicing ? Personally , I always say professionally keep your opinions to yourself , no matter what's going on , whatever the climate is , because it will come back to haunt you one way or another . People want you for you , not for what your opinions are on topics that are divisive .
Speaker 1Yeah , I was dealing with a situation right now , with an influencer going through that , and I said you know , do you want the climate right now to be part of your business model ? Want the climate right now to be part of your business model ? That's all you got to ask yourself . Because if the answer is yes , you know , and you want to transition , go for it , Like I . You know it's , that's your prerogative . But once you do start offering your opinion , you are opening Pandora's box , which is not necessarily bad .
Speaker 1It's just you need to understand the consequences , both good and bad , that are going to come from it and how is it going to affect your business . Do you want this to be part of your business model ?
Speaker 2Yeah , that's all it is to do with what their personal opinions are . They want their personal opinions based on you know how they look , how they dress , how they shop . Which line are you going to cross ? So it's something I don't know . Especially as someone who teaches , I make sure , and make it very clear , that my personal opinions are never , ever , part of the dialogue , because it's not my business . My business is to teach , it's to educate , it's to make sure that you understand this process , how and what you want to do with it . That's on you . I can't control that .
Speaker 1Yeah , I can only make sure that I'm right there with you .
Speaker 2I'm right there with you . I'm right there with you as an educator .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 2Oh my gosh , Idalia , I don't want to take any more of your time . This has been an absolute treat , delight . How can people find you ? Follow you get more amazing stuff .
Speaker 1So you can find me on Instagram idaliasalsamendi I-D-A-L-I-A and then Salsamendi . My agency is idalia Inc , so I-D-A-L-I-A-I-N-Ccom . You can go on my website and I do offer free exploratory calls . I offer free worksheets and , again , if you are either a designer or a content creator , you fall somewhere in between , or neither . You just want to understand the content creation business a little bit more . I do offer again a free exploratory call and free worksheets , and then Substack , which is how you and I met Emily Substack .
Speaker 2I was just going to say , if you didn't say it , yeah , no-transcript .
Speaker 1So Instagram TikTok . Same thing , my website , deli Inc and Substack .
Speaker 2Beautiful . Thank you so much for joining us today . This has been an absolute pleasure All mine Thank you joining us today . This has been an absolute pleasure , oh my , thank you . Thanks for listening . Don't forget to rate and review , and follow us on every single platform at Handbag Designer . Thanks so much . See you next time .