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Handbag Designer 101: The Stories Behind Handbag Designers, Brands, and Industry Icons
Master the handbag trends, fashion retail, and brand building fashion strategies that define the luxury goods industry. Each week on Handbag Designer 101, host Emily Blumenthal—the ultimate resource for fashion entrepreneurs—explores the art of brand storytelling and accessories design.
As the author of Handbag Designer 101 and founder of The Independent Handbag Designer Awards (the most prestigious fashion award in the category), Emily goes behind the scenes of your favorite handbag brands. From fashion startup founders to fashion craftsmanship experts, this podcast features exclusive designer interviews and insights into iconic handbag history.
Whether you’re an aspiring designer, a collector, or a fashion executive, join us to discover the business savvy and creativity required to succeed in the handbag market. Get the inside scoop on leather goods manufacturing, fashion wholesale, and the journeys of visionary creators.
Our episodes serve as a living designer biography, covering everything from bag collection design to scaling a global brand.
Tune in every Tuesday to "Handbag Designer 101" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, or watch full episodes on YouTube, and highlights on TikTok.
Episodes
135 episodes
Real or Replica? Dani Smith on What Actually Makes a Bag Authentic | Emily Blumenthal & Dani Smith
What makes a luxury bag feel “real”—and why can even an authentic one sit unsold? We sit down with Dani Smith, senior authentication specialist at What Goes Around Comes Around (WGACA), to unpack the fine details that drive trust in th...
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Season 1
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35:10
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Designing Bags That Actually Sell: Holly Lauren Beedle on the Real Math Behind Handbags | Emily Blumenthal & Holly Lauren Beedle
Why do some beautiful bags fail the moment they hit the market? We sit down with handbag designer and consultant Holly Lauren Beedle—an industry “ghost designer” whose work appears under brands you definitely know—to unpack the realities behind...
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Season 1
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32:31
Luxury Without Gatekeeping With Bags For Breakfast | Emily Blumenthal & Shay Prasad
What makes a handbag truly worth carrying every day? We sit down with Shay Prasad of Bags for Breakfast to explore how years on the retail floor shaped her approach to bags as tools for life—not just status symbols. From writing deep-d...
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Season 1
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28:30
From Idea to Sample in 47 Days: Lauren Reed on going from burnout to bags | Emily Blumenthal & Lauren Reed
What does it take to turn a spark into a bag you can actually hold? We sit down with founder and designer Lauren Reed, who left corporate life, partnered with generational leather artisans in Guatemala, and launched her brand in just 47 days fr...
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Season 1
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26:32
Perception Is Profit: Matthew Lafargue on Making Bags Feel Important | Emily Blumenthal & Matthew Lafargue
What makes a bag feel powerful the second someone spots it across the floor—and why does that magic disappear when brands scale? We sit down with Matthew Lafargue of Accessory Think Tank to unpack lessons from the Macy’s sales floor to leading ...
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Season 1
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34:02
Sell the Story, Not Just the Bag with WIlliam Brobston | Emily Blumenthal & William Brobston
Retail isn’t dying—it’s recalibrating. We sit down with William Brobston of the Brobston Group, to explore the shift from oversized, anonymous stores to smaller, neighborhood spaces where teams know your name and brands feel personal. Dra...
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Season 1
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34:24
She Learned the Rules. Then Built the Bag Brand, A by Anyah, That Breaks Them: | Emily Blumenthal & Anyah Sealey
What turns a love of making into an accessories brand people stop you on the street to ask about? We sit down with Anyah Sealey, founder of A by Anyah, to trace a path shaped by global training, hard critiques, and real market feedback...
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Season 1
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27:16
Craft That Earns the Hand: Grant Anderson on Meaningful Building Bags | Emily Blumenthal & Grant Anderson
What makes a bag feel alive after years of use—not just intact? We sit down with Grant Anderson, founder of Uptown Common, to explore how hand sewing, vegetable-tanned leather, and solid brass hardware reshape durability into desire. Grant brea...
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Season 1
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29:35
Ana Laverde on Turning Colombian Craft into a Scalable Handbag Brand | Emily Blumenthal & Ana Laverde
What happens when a dream job disappears—and the real opportunity is right at home? In this episode, designer Ana Laverde shares how a Milan-trained industrial designer transformed a setback into a focused handbag brand rooted in Colombian leat...
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Season 1
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28:45
The Bag Man’s Blueprint: How Coach Built Democratized Luxury with Lew Frankfort | Emily Blumenthal & Lew Frankfort
What does it really take for a heritage brand to become part of everyday culture? In this episode, Lew Frankfort—former CEO of Coach and author of The Bag Man—shares how Coach scaled from a small leather workshop into a global brand by...
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Season 1
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40:55
The Birkin Playbook: Inside Handbags as an Asset Class | Emily Blumenthal & Dana Auslander
What happens when a Birkin is treated as an asset instead of a trophy? In this episode, Dana Auslander, founder of Luxus, breaks down how she built a private investment fund around Hermès quota bags—where discipline, data, and liquidity drive r...
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Season 1
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28:32
From Clutches to Community: Boutiques are Back | Emily Blumenthal & Nancy Forman
Wholesale isn’t dead—it’s just evolving. In this episode, we unpack what’s actually working in handbags right now with Nancy Forman of Accessory Think Tank, from how specialty boutiques, focused DTC, and selective dropship can coexist, to the d...
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Season 1
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29:48
Why Consistency Beats Virality in Today’s Creator Economy | Emily Blumenthal & Brittany Hennessy
What if your content didn’t have to perform—just work? In this episode, we sit down with Brittany Hennessy to unpack how social media shifted from a scrapbook to a search engine, and what that means for founders building visibility without burn...
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38:23
Story Over Specs: Wale Sanni on Founder-Led Luxury and Hero Bags | Emily Blumenthal & Wale Sanni
What if the material doesn’t matter as much as the meaning? We go deep on the power of story to outsell specs, exploring why a polarizing point of view can create die-hard loyalty and how luxury falters the moment it tries to scale. With Wale S...
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Season 1
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39:15
Purpose in Every Stitch: Mercado Global’s Ethical Accessories | Emily Blumenthal & Fabiola Bercasa Beckman and Ruth Álvarez-DeGolia
Heritage craft scales on design and strategy, not good intentions. Ruth Álvarez-DeGolia, founder of Mercado Global, and Emmy-winning filmmaker Fabiola Bercasa Beckman share how Guatemalan handwoven textiles become modern handbags that compete a...
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Season 1
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33:12
How Salt Athletic Became the Cleat Bag Athletes Want (and Parents Trust) | Emily Blumenthal & Rafael de la Vega
A single on-field embarrassment became the spark for Salt Athletic—Rafael de la Vega’s patented cleat bag designed for the athlete who uses it and the parent who buys it. In this episode, Rafael shares how early missteps with PR, broad targetin...
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Season 1
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32:31
What It Really Takes to Launch a Handbag Brand 💼👜| Emily Blumenthal & Nancy Forman
Think launching a handbag brand is as easy as designing a pretty product? Think again. In this episode of Handbag Designer 101, we’re joined by industry expert Nancy Forman, whose decades of experience—from Bloomingdale’s to Accessory ...
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Season 1
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37:56
Scaling Smarter with Nicole Levy from Baikal Handbag Manufacturing | Emily Blumenthal & Nicole Levy
Ever wonder why some emerging handbag brands thrive while others stall before launch? In this episode, Nicole Levy of Baikal Handbag Manufacturing breaks down the real operations behind successful accessories brands—from timelines and tariffs t...
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41:06
Dr. Jessica Quillin & The Power of Cohesive Luxury Brand Storytelling | Emily Blumenthal & Dr. Jessica Quillin
What if the real engine of modern luxury isn’t loud marketing—but meaning delivered consistently across every touchpoint? In this episode, Dr. Jessica Quillin, fashion strategist and PhD in 19th-century poetry, breaks down how elevated storytel...
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Season 1
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38:14
🎙️ Carrying Craft and Clarity: How Adriana Castro Built a Lasting Brand | Emily Blumenthal & Adriana Castro
What if the secret to growth isn’t chasing the next trend—but carrying a dream with enough grit to outlast them? In this episode, Adriana Castro shares how she turned Colombian craftsmanship and business discipline into a timeless accessories b...
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Season 1
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41:17
🎙️ From Soho to Sustainability: How Steven Alan Built—and Rebuilt—a Lasting Brand | Emily Blumenthal & Steven Alan
What if the difference between a forgettable line and an enduring brand came down to a handful of details and a few brave decisions? In this episode, Steven Alan unpacks how a small Soho storefront became a global showroom, why discovery will a...
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Season 1
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42:16
Quitting Marc Jacobs to Create an Iconic Brand: The Story of Joy Gryson | Emily Blumenthal & Joy Gryson
What happens when you walk away from Marc Jacobs and Calvin Klein—and bet on your own name instead? In this episode, Joy Gryson shares the bold pivot from corporate fashion to building a modern handbag brand that exploded in Korea and won a loy...
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Season 1
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49:53
Clare V and The Art of Intentional Growth: Part 2 | Emily Blumenthal & Clare Vivier
Ever wonder what it takes to turn a small retail dream into a lasting fashion empire? Clare V, founder of her namesake brand, proves that steady growth, not viral fame, builds a real legacy. Starting with a 500-square-foot shop in Silver Lake, ...
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Season 1
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37:41
Inside NY Now: Why Wholesale Still Matters for Independent Designers 👜🛍️| Emily Blumenthal & Matthew Mathiasen
In an era dominated by DTC, what role do trade shows still play in building a fashion brand?In this episode of Handbag Designer 101, we sit down with Matthew Mathiasen, Show Director of NY Now, to unpack why wholesale isn’t just...
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Season 1
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42:03
Inside the Handbag Machine: How Cathy Schwartz-Shino Defines Real Brand Power | Emily Blumenthal & Cathy Schwartz-Shino
Ever wonder why some handbags turn heads while others disappear into the crowd? Cathy Schwartz-Shino—veteran of major handbag licenses and founder of Edit Accordingly—pulls back the curtain on what truly makes a brand unforgettable: a strong id...
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Season 1
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39:10