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

🎙️ From Soho to Sustainability: How Steven Alan Built—and Rebuilt—a Lasting Brand | Emily Blumenthal & Steven Alan

• Emily Blumenthal • Season 1

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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 always trump trade-show buying, and how clean distribution keeps both the magic and the margin intact. From recognizing Claire V’s voice in five self-sewn bags to cultivating independent designers who’d later define the modern accessories space, Steven shares how instinct, restraint, and precision build brands that last.

He also gets candid about scaling too fast—expanding from eight to twenty-three stores, adding overhead, and learning the hard way that growth without discipline can crush profitability. Post-COVID, he pared everything back, rebuilt around his core menswear, and reopened with a Chelsea studio that blends craftsmanship, curation, and calm. His playbook now? Specialize deeply, collaborate selectively, and let great product—not PR—do the talking.

đź’ˇ Key Takeaways:

  1. Craft Creates Belief: Every zipper placement, stitch, and texture matters—they’re what earn a customer’s trust.
  2. Scale with Purpose: Growth without clarity or discipline erodes the foundation of your brand.
  3. Quiet is Power: Thoughtful distribution and organic word of mouth can build more enduring value than flashy marketing.

👤 Our Guest:

Steven Alan is a designer, retailer, and curator known for redefining modern American style through his namesake brand and visionary showroom. With a career spanning three decades, he’s launched and nurtured some of fashion’s most recognizable independent labels while championing authenticity, craftsmanship, and understated design.

Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.

Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com. 

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Youtube: / Handbagdesigner101-ihda | Instagram:/ Handbagdesigner

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SPEAKER_02:

And then and then when it all sort of clicked in the store, when it was like, oh, this is what I need to do. I need to be discovering brands, not just like going to trade shows and like what is being dished out there, you know, for retailers. I need to actually be more uh instrumental in terms of like choosing and and that that's when it really started to switch. That's when the articles started coming out about clothing and and everything else.

SPEAKER_01:

Hi, and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the podcast with your host, Emily Blumenthal, handbag industry expert, and the handbag parry godmother. Each week we uncover the stories behind the handbags we love from the iconic brands and top designers, 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, Steven Allen, to Handbag Designer 101 the podcast. I feel like I'm with uh founder royalty here. Thank you for joining us today.

SPEAKER_02:

Very welcome. Thanks for having me on your show.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. I told you we go way back. You said you remembered, but I don't think you really did. But you did speak on one of the industry panels that I had had years back. I think you were on it with maybe Gary Wasner and Richard Kessenbaum. I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Yeah. That was mine. So that's good. All right. Yeah. But it's I have had the fortunate pleasure to speak with many, if almost, almost all, but two so far. I've got two left of people that you have discovered, put on the map, taken to the next level. You know, what made these people go from nobody to somebody? So if I can do this, and obviously not in discovery order order, we've Monica Bach here, Joy and Peter Gryson, Claire Vivigay, aka Glare V, and now I'm missing Foley and Karina and Loffler Randall. Am I missing anybody else?

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, there was definitely other handbag designers, but I don't think anyone that really comes to mind that I feel like is someone that uh yeah. It wasn't really our our main focus in the showroom either. It was just something that we did in conjunction with clothing. But it was definitely a big part of what we did, you know, working with these different brands.

SPEAKER_01:

So you like had this prolific showroom. And I started my handbag brand in the early 2000s, and it uh it did not go where everybody else, everybody else's brand, but I am really good at finding people and discovering people and talking to people. That's my strength, building my own personal handbag brand at the time, not so much. I'm good on the sidelines and elevating, and that's become what my MO is with the handbag awards and everything else within this community of handbag designers. But you started a showroom, but why did you start a showroom? Like what led us all the way to getting to the showroom narrative? Because that's that's real estate, that's taking on brands, that's like having to have other people get their act together that you need to rely on for them to do their thing, for you to make money. Like, how did this all come to be?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, when I started, uh, you know, I started the store and I and I had kind of like uh no limits in terms of categories that I wanted to sell in the store, but my store was tiny. You know, I was starting out right out of college, and I found a store, you know, in this area of Soho that was really kind of neglected. There was graffiti all over the outside of the building, bars on the windows, you couldn't even look into the store. And I was like, okay, this is the spot, you know, and it was really cheap. It was like$2,500 a month rent at the time, and uh like probably 500 square feet. And so I did that, and I really knew the accessory business pretty well. I I didn't know the clothing business well at that time, and I'm not trained as a designer, you know. I I, you know, I grew up with parents that are in retail, and I have been to a lot of trade shows and so forth. But anyway, it it was something that I I really liked and I had a strong and I used to get frustrated when people would write about the store and they would mention, you know, all the great, you know, great comments about the accessories and jewelry and stuff like that, but they wouldn't mention the clothing. I was like, why aren't they mentioning the clothing? And then I realized that I was just going to the trade shows, you know, and buying like other buyers and finding brands at the trade shows. And that really wasn't satisfying. Whereas with jewelry and with some handbags, you know, like and and accessories, I kind of had this almost like inside knowledge because I knew these people and I knew friends of these people. And it was it was very early stage when I started representing them. And so eventually I really found that, you know, through the accessory brands, they had friends that were clothing designers, and then that kind of built up. And it was frustrating in the beginning because we were getting a lot of press and we were getting a lot of stores coming into the store, and they would be like, you know, like they might as well have like a pencil and a paper, you know, in their hands, you know, taking notes. And it was just like on everything. And then some of the brands would call me and they'd be like, Oh, we were contacted. Because at that point, it was like there was no showrooms really representing these kinds of designers. The the showrooms were like in the garment center, and you kind of like had to be doing millions of dollars for the most part for a lot of these showrooms to even represent you. Right, right, right. And so they had asked me if I would represent them because what was happening is they were getting contacted by stores, and the store could have been like two blocks for me. And I was like, you can't sell to that store, they're two blocks for me. Like it's completely a conflict, you know, like it takes the specialness out. Right. And then I thought about it and I thought, okay, well, you know, it's not good for the body. Yeah, it's not good for me, but it's also not good for the brand. Right. You know, like they need to have clean distribution and be able to find the best stores to work with. And, you know, the best stores are not necessarily the same for every brand. You know, like one store could be maybe objectively better than another store, but that store might not give the brand true space on the floor and be really behind it. And the uh, you know, store number two might be also a good store, maybe not quite as good, but it could be better for that brand. Anyway, I thought, okay, I can combine this with what I'm doing and open a showroom. And so the second the mezzanine of that particular store, as small as it was, was the showroom. And I started, you know, representing uh designers. Uh in the beginning, it was like Rebecca Danenberg, Milk Fed, built by Wendy Cake, Pixie Yates, like those were the initial kind of lineup. And then what happened was we really outgrew that space. And I thought, okay, I need a big showroom. But again, it was sort of like, you know, me financing the whole business. So I was like, okay, I have to move my apartment. I'll just get a new apartment and that'll be my showroom. So I found a loft and Soho, and I lived in the back. I built a wall and then I had the showroom in the front, and we built that out. And then, you know, eventually after 9-11 happened, I thought, you know what, it would be good to have a bigger store and a place where it could also be my showroom. And it sort of made sense because rents at that time, obviously, they were very cheap downtown. And so, yeah. So I was able to get a good deal for the first uh couple of years on a space, and I started representing designers in the basement, and then I had my store on the first floor. And I thought maybe eventually this will be busier than my Soho location. And then I'll just move everything. But like within six months, it was busier, despite it being like ground zero. So I closed the Soho store, focused on the Tribeca store, and then eventually we really needed that basement space for storage. And so I took another space on Franklin Street, which became the showroom. And yeah, I started representing all these designers, and we had anywhere from 15 to 20 brands at any given time.

SPEAKER_01:

So I I like this this this is quite the quite the journey, but you said you opened up the store right out of college and you grew up with parents in retail. What was that? Like, what was like, hey, I've just spent four years learning, going to school, getting a degree. You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna open up a store. Like, how did all that come to be?

SPEAKER_02:

Because that's not everybody's that's not what everybody's I knew I wasn't gonna go work on Wall Street and I knew I wasn't like gonna have some sort of a desk job. And in college, I was studying undergraduate business. It was this entrepreneurship program at USC. And and I wrote my business plan on kind of like the idea of I mean, really, it was it I was interested in real estate and and and entrepreneurship. And at the time I was thinking about like developing a neighborhood and taking several stores, you know, like imagine having 10 stores on one block or you know, around the block kind of thing, and sort of creating a neighborhood where rents would be cheap. And at the time I was thinking like the lower east side would make sense because stores were like a thousand to two thousand a month. And it it was actually doable, not not by me, but if I had a uh investor at the time, I I thought this could be great. And then I would have, and then I would be overseeing different people running each shop. So I'd find the best shoe shop, and that would be like Stephen on shoes, and the best bakery would be Stephen on Bakery, so forth, and um, you know, sort of creating a neighborhood. So that was the idea.

SPEAKER_01:

The neighborhood of Steven.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah. I thought it would be really fun to do, and you know.

SPEAKER_01:

What did your parents do?

SPEAKER_02:

Uh my father's a jewelry designer, and my mother and my father had uh stores growing up. They started out uh on 57th Street for like 13 years, and then they tore the building down, then they moved to 60th, and then they had a second store on Columbus Avenue. And so after I graduated, I was uh managing their store. And then I started buying and selling like collectible watches, and then that business I saved up money from that business to open the first store.

SPEAKER_01:

So you uh did you grow you grew up in New York City then? You went to high school here and everything?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. I actually went to an art high school where they have fashion as a major. It's called the High School of Art and Design. Mark Jacobs and Calvin Klein went there. And but funny enough, I I never took one fashion class. I I always found it kind of pretentious. So I was a photography and then switched to film and video uh major. And then I thought, okay, I should study business in college because I'm not gonna study photography anymore because I I already was developing my own pictures and I kind of like knew whatever I needed to know uh to do that. And then um, yeah, and then I had just thought the the storm made a lot of sense when I graduated.

SPEAKER_01:

Did your parents have any have any opinion of you quote unquote staying in the business? Because as Garmento offspring myself, uh, when I ended up starting my own handbag brand, and my dad was a converter, my whole life was in the Garmin Center. And I remember telling him that. And he's like, biggest mistake, biggest mistake, don't do it, don't do it. Nobody makes any money. There's no point. I mean, I grew up with peace goods and understanding bad lab dips and uh, you know, we grew up wearing seconds and closeouts and jeans that had mismatched legs and socks that were, you know, one was dyed differently than the other. And the whole construct of going into that business, as far as they were concerned, was like, what's wrong with you? Like you have choices. You went to college, you don't need to, you don't need to be doing this. Did they have opinions? And by the way, the fact that you had entrepreneurship, I mean, when I was getting my MBA, they had a very, very, very small entrepreneurship program. So having entrepreneurship way back when was perceived, okay, you're opening up your own business. That's cute. Like, why do you need a title for it? So, did they have opinions and thoughts? Didn't did that impact you? Because they're either all for it or all against it.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. I mean, that was the one language that they really spoke was retail. And um, throughout my entire life, I mean, they they had worked six days a week or seven as at a lot of times. So it was something like had I told them I was going into anything else, they would they would probably not really relate. But they definitely understood retail and they definitely knew that I I had a feeling for it. I've always loved product and um both buying product, you know, found finding brands, and then designing product. Those are my two favorite, they they still are my two favorite things. And I would say that um, you know, in the business, that's definitely what I focus on the most.

SPEAKER_01:

So there is something to be said about because I assume you worked in the store z growing up, like you had no it it was kind of understood, like, okay, you're gonna come work here and you're gonna come find it.

SPEAKER_02:

It wasn't it wasn't understood that I was gonna go into their business at all. No.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm excited to share my new book with you. Welcome to Savvy Susanna's Amazing Adventures in Handbags and the start of Susanna's triumphant journey to become a young handbag designer. Filled with ingenuity, fun, and a hint of steam. Susanna will inspire children and you everywhere to follow their dreams and put in the hard work to get there. Savvy Susanna is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or wherever you get your books. Thanks for your support. But did you work there through high school? You were working there through high school, no?

SPEAKER_02:

No, no, I wasn't. I I would go in there, you know, and I I would go with them like on a Sunday if there was a trade show. I would go with them because it was like there was nothing else to do. So that I would do, but I never thought that I would be going into their business. And it's funny enough, I have a brother who's three years younger, and he definitely was not going to go into retail, like he was like went to Harvard, studied visual and environmental studies. And uh the last thing I would have ever thought he would have done is gone into retail. And he lives in Paris, and um, he's got restaurants there. So he's also in retail. So it's funny.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, I I read this study, and I've spoken about this before, that one way or another, what your parents have done has such a deep imprint on who you are that you could try to escape it, but without fail, you will end up following in their footsteps or replicating their footprint in some capacity just because it's so ingrained in you without even being aware that like, I don't want to do this, I don't want to do this, but I guess I am doing this. Well, I'm really good at it. Well, I've been exposed to it, and all this stuff makes sense and it's low-hanging fruit. And I guess I am passionate about it because I get it, because I've seen it my whole life. It's it's interesting how all that kind of comes to be, especially when you were saying that in your store the jewelry was doing well, and you're like, what about the apparel? But yet you'd grown up with jewelry anyway. So you clearly had a sensitivity, uh, had a had a sense of what could sell because you've been around it so much. Do you think that's the case?

SPEAKER_02:

Definitely. And then and then when it all sort of clicked in the store, when it was like, oh, this is what I need to do. I need to be discovering brands, not just like going to trade shows and like what is being dished out there, you know, for retailers. I need to actually be more uh instrumental in terms of like choosing and and that that's when it really started to switch. That's when the articles started coming out about clothing and and everything else. And then it was it was a known thing. I mean, we we were selling when I opened the showroom, I think I had like 750 accounts all over the world. So we were selling to department stores, specialty stores, and it was very easy, you know. Like when I saw a brand that I thought had potential, it was like okay. It was kind of like I I visualized it, like it was clear to me that they would be successful, and I knew what I needed to do to make that happen. And it didn't matter if the brand had a huge collection or had like you know, 10 pieces or 10 items or or whatever. It was more about the DNA of the brand. And if I could see that they really had their own point of view, you know, like someone like Claire, it was very clear. She came in with, you know, like a bag of bags. Like literally, it was like they all fit in one bag. And uh she's like, Yeah, I sewed these myself. And I remember I showed it to my showroom director at the time, and um, she was like, Steven, come on, this is like five bags. Like, are you serious? And I was like, No, no, no. She has talent. This is gonna be huge. And um, she's like, Okay, I'm gonna do it because it's your showroom and you're saying to do it, but mark my words, you know, whatever, something like that. And um, and I was like, Okay. And uh, and you know, it it was obviously it's it is, and um, she's fantastic, and she's just kept sort of refining it and really has her own language and DNA about the brand. I mean, uh for for Rosoli to come out with a book um I know two years ago, you know, on a handbag design. Yeah, you know, that's that's yeah, that's that's that's something.

SPEAKER_01:

Can I ask you though, having worked with so many independent designers, how and and with the awards, you know, and purely because I've dealt with so many and so many who've won, and I could see their talent and I could see what they're capable of, and they have a clear vision and a clear voice. But I've called this basement to Beyonce, where they get a little bit of attention and they get a spotlight. And then all of a sudden, you know, you have to educate them on pricing and realizing like because they lack economies of scale, their product are way too expensive. And you have to educate them. And it's very confusing and frustrating when you're like, I'm here to help you. I'm here to help you grow. I'm offering you resources, opportunities, retail. Like, I can help you, like, but you're gonna get in your own way. You're the one who's gonna stop your own your own success. How have you dealt with that? Because look, out of that's like eight designers, right? We have who are prolific. Like Claire Vivier, aka Claire V is, I feel like very unique. She's very calm, she's very thoughtful, she's very focused, she's very much no ego, right? It's one of the things that makes her such a unique person that she really has something special about her in that regard. How did you deal with designers that you were like, oh, you know, if only, if only, if only, and I gotta let it go.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I mean, I did I dealt with them a lot. I mean, I was on the board of the CFDA uh the missions board, you know, so I dealt with designers that were applying to the CFDA. I also mentored brands for a while, and and you would see it, and you'd see certain brands that were really drawn to the to the spotlight, and that was their focus. And some brands were brands that like should be that's what they do, that's what they do well. They do these amazing fashion shows, they're great with the press. They sort of and then there's other brands though, like, why are you spending this money on a show? You know, you need to just spend the money on the collection, like, don't, you know, and it was just sort of like, you know, hiring PR companies, then paying ridiculous amounts of money for a lot of these brands, you know, when it wasn't really warranted yet, you know, like so anyway, I uh there was all kinds of things that that you would see, you know, doing that. And um, you know, a lot of times it was it was I would meet with brands even before, you know, like when Montre Gabriel started, like I met with them before they even had a bag, you know, and they asked me, you know, what would you what would we do? And it was it was at an art party, and I think we were I mean we were their first uh account, I believe. And I think there was um, yeah, I mean, from being in our store, they were in then in Bergdorf's and other, you know, everyone else kind of picked them up. But uh yeah, I I don't know. I I got I got off the subject, but yeah, so so being in the CFDA, I definitely saw a lot of this with brands.

SPEAKER_01:

Had you dealt with someone that you thought was going to be like a star student, and then you saw that they got blinded by the spotlight. Like again, you hit the nail on the head. I've it's like within the handbag designer masterclass that I teach purely for independent designers, because I'd worked with them for so long. And then the same questions kept coming up over and over and over and over again that I'm like, okay, let me just templatize it. If you want to pay for it, it's there. Like here, find your audience, go through your chasm, your customer, your agony, solution monetization, understanding who your customer is on a deeper level. So before you go spending money and thinking, I need to pay for a publicist, I need to pay for a sales rep, I need a show, I need overhead. It's like, what's your hero bag? What's your collection? You know, what's your DNA? How are you going to grow this? Like, what's the one bag that you know is going to sell over and over and over again? Have you figured out pricing? Like, who do you match up with? And I I had this ongoing joke with a lot of the designers where they say they almost got into sacks. Actually, I used to say Barney's because it was, you know, RIP Barney's, but I used to get I almost got into Barney's and I said, I almost got into Barney's too, but then I went and had sushi. Like, you know, it's like you either are or you're not. And if you're not, it's for good reason. So how how would you handle those designers that you're like, God, you're so talented. I could do so much with you if you'd let me. Like you had to cut your losses and get over it and be like, you know what?

SPEAKER_02:

Like I had a designer, for example, who I thought was very talented. And we had been contacted by a businessman. Um, she was from New Zealand and he was from New Zealand. And he was very excited that, you know, there was a little story about this New Zealand designer, and you know, that that there was someone from, you know, and he wanted to meet her. And we had brunch at Barney's, actually, at what was it, Fred's? Is that what it was? Um, yeah. And he was like, look, you know, and this is literally like just starting out time, you know, and he said, All right, well, tomorrow I'll send a hundred thousand dollars into your account and let's get started. And we'll do this 50-50. And it was like, at the I mean, literally at the time, it was like tiny, tiny. And then I I remember having the conversation with her and and her saying, you know, like, I don't think that's fair. Like, why should he get 50% of my bill? I'm like, you understand? This is someone who's like, for no other reason, other than you're both from New Zealand and he wants to help you. And I think, you know, this could be a good opportunity. And anyway, she didn't do it, and um, she stopped designing shortly thereafter. But I really felt like that was something that as an example, I I really felt strongly. Sometimes it's like, you know, you you just have to know when is is the right time.

SPEAKER_01:

So yeah, when to call it, at least on your end. It sounds like you have a really good sense on how to pull emotion out of finding something. Like, okay, I gotta let it go, moving on. Like, I'm not getting water from this stone. I uh next. That's an interesting skill set to know, like, I'm I'm calling it. We're moving on. Thanks next. Bye.

SPEAKER_00:

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SPEAKER_01:

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SPEAKER_00:

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SPEAKER_01:

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SPEAKER_00:

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SPEAKER_01:

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SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Yeah. And also knowing I feel like, you know, for example, Steve Jobs, you know, like when he was CEO of Apple, and then he became, and then he left Apple because they replaced him with another CEO. Right. And then you're like, how could they do that? It's Steve Jobs. Like, it's his company. He knows it better than anybody. And certainly he does. But there's like certain times where like you have to allow people to kind of like step in. I I had a husband and wife team that I I wanted to represent. I remember at the time. And uh he was like a very talented dress designer. And she was kind of like his like part of the team, you know, and it was like but it was like there she was like the the it just it was clear that they he needed to have someone else represent him. It was it wasn't wasn't really and I and this has happened with other brands as well, with when it's just sort of like, but they're kind of like close or they're in a relationship or whatever it is. And I remember having that meeting, and it was very clear as like that she did not want me to be representing him because that was her role in the relationship. So even though like she was there at the meeting, like on the surface about like interviewing me, you know, they never hired anybody because it was like again, it was clear, and same thing, they they shut down the they were huge, and you would know them if I told you. Um I'll tell you, I'll tell you off the record. But um, but uh anyway, I don't like to badness anybody.

SPEAKER_01:

No, it's you know, as someone who started their brand at 26, and there I think there's there's something to be said about the evolution of starting your first business, your first brand, your first artistic way to make money off of something that you've created. That a lot of people, even the most resound, logical people, all that gets thrown out the window when they're like, oh, I'm doing something creative. It's me, it's my voice, it's my vision. And they treat the product they've created and they call it their baby. And, you know, it's all heart and soul and emotion and garmento offspring. I was always taught there's no emotion in business. And you know what? I have three kids, those are my kids. But now I it's it's very clear to me now, years later, that what I've created, it's not my baby, it's a business. It's a way to copy, paste, make money, and it's a gift that I've been able to do the one, do what it takes to create it. But I think dropping ego and realizing like what's best for the product that I've created is a very hard pill to swallow. And you either you can't be the one to take the time to educate because then that's time value of money lost on what you do. So it's I'm sure that's been an interesting conversation on your own being like, okay, well, let me know if you change your mind, you know where to find me. That's it.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I just want to touch on the fact that you've been able to, you know, you're known for discovering lots and lots of people and lots and lots of brands. Obviously, from where I sit, I can only speak about the ones that I know the most. Why do you think within the scope of handbags, you you really have this magic touch? Because there's very few people. Like there was one particular woman, and again, not speaking ill of people or showrooms that are no longer here, but who was very well known for picking up handbag brands and being able to find she was very expensive, wasn't very good to her designer. And therefore, you know, they would stay until they couldn't. And then when they couldn't, she'd punish them for it. Like, okay, you've left me, you've ditched me. I was the one who discovered you. How are you able to find these brands, grow with them, and still retain and sustain these kinds of partnerships and relationships? Like you're still part of Claire's brand, if I'm not mistaken. Like, how are you able to stand the test of time? Like, you know, you have your own life, you have a showroom, you have a store, you've got kids. Like, how are you able to do all of that and say, okay, you, I want to keep working with you?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, I thought that the model of the showroom, I mean, there there is something about that model that I always thought it would be good to be able to invest in the beginning with these brands, because, you know, it is a lot of work, especially in the first few years in terms of building the business. That that's kind of like sometimes the most work, you know, and getting it, and you know, you know, what has to happen. So I think that I mean, for me, it's just well, I don't know how how else to answer it, really.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, in terms of, you know, you were able to find these designers at different times in different stages. When you said, Okay, I'll invest in you. Did you get pushback? Did you have to sell them on it? Or were they like, okay, it's Stephen Albert?

SPEAKER_02:

No, no, they were very excited about it. And and in the beginning, I wasn't even sure that the showroom should be called Stephen Allen Showroom because I was like, should it be Stephen Allen Showroom? Because it's really not about me, it's about them. And then I found that the designers were like, no, are you kidding? Don't change the name from Stephen Allen Showroom. We like, you know, it's in good company. Like, and and it really was very complimentary. We never had brands that can I felt like competed with other brands in our showroom. And I think that getting back to your first question in terms of why handbags and what was it about handbags? I really think that having grown up in a family where my father makes jewelry, and I used to go to these shows and accessory shows, and I obsess over the littlest details. I mean, with everything. I mean, I'm like that. You know, there was like my wife had bought a soap dispenser the other day, and I was like, what is this? You know, like it was just like I didn't like it. I didn't like the touch of it. You know, I got rid of it. It was just like plastic, it was just not good, you know. And did she know it was gonna disappear? No, she didn't actually. I thought that she bought it, but it was just like it was there from I think we had uh, I don't know, I think I had a shoot at the house or something, and someone had brought it. But anyway, yeah, so I think that's why. I think it's it's about the with handbags, it's a small object. And you know, it to me, there's a lot of handbags that look very similar. And if you don't really get the details, if you don't get the hand of the leather, and you don't really get the hardware piece and you know, and where the zipper should be and how it's gonna look on you, you know, like there's just like those little things, and it could be a very simple shape, but there's one tote that's right and one tote that's wrong, and there's like a little clutch that's right and a little clutch that's wrong. So I think that you know, it's fun to it's fun to look at that. And um, sometimes with clothing, it's just like so much. You're looking at so much, and I feel like designers are often forced to reinvent not out of um this desire necessarily to create. I'm talking about like with clothing designers a lot, but just like, okay, it's a new collection, so I've got to like put out all this brand new stuff, right? And you know, create a collection for this season. And some designers are able to do it, and it's like amazing. And I feel like they have that vision and it still has their DNA on it. And then other designers, I feel like, what is this? Like, if I didn't see the label, I would have no idea that that's that designer. And so for me, that's not very rewarding, is to find brands like that that are just sort of chasing chasing fashion.

SPEAKER_01:

Right, right. How based on you know, your I think it's like 20 plus years that you've been in the business, where do you stand today? Oh my god, well, I didn't want to, I didn't want to triple digit, well, triple digit, triple it. I kind of knew that, but didn't want to say it. I felt like it was better that you said it. Where does Steven Allen stand today? Are you still looking for new talent? Have you said, okay, I've been there, done that. I don't need to, I've already had kids who are in college, like I I've already done the showroom thing, I've done the store thing. Like it's, you know, very much what Pete and Joy, Peter and Joy Grayson have done. Like they went through it, they had the freestanding store, and now they're really, really big in Korea. Like they've been able to next chapter that. And I can speak to a lot of these brands that have gone through that evolution. Like, you know, Rebecca Minkoff, she sold a majority stake. She's still the face of her brand. She's still very much involved. And it's Claire, who I'm obsessed with and her calmness, like it's almost rattling how calm she is. She's so level. Where do you stand in this whole evolution of what's going on today? And in terms of you and your brand.

SPEAKER_02:

So I basically expanded, I would say, too fast. I went from having eight stores to 23 stores. Um I went from, you know, doubling the showroom. You know, I went from one showroom to two showrooms. I went uh from working out of my store to having a corporate office, you know, 190 employees. It was kind of crazy for me because it was something where I didn't feel like I was really like I didn't know everything that was going on. I didn't even know the names of some of the people that were working. It was kind of it was kind of amazing and it was kind of horrible because it was just like I felt out of control. And I didn't like feeling out of control. And I didn't know if I would survive it, quite frankly, because you know, the New York stores, the LA stores, the San Francisco stores were all really good. And we had uh a really strong following. And but then we started opening all I mean, all over the country in states that had no idea who we were. And you know, I knew it would take a few years to sort of become known, like this is who we're about, what we're about, and this is our point of view and stuff. But you know, the thing about retail is retail is not like a highly profitable entity by itself, you know, like having a store, there's a lot of expenses, rent, salaries, insurance, build-out, you know, it's a lot. So when you start opening up a lot of stores at once, you know, which we added 15 stores in two years, it's very, very taxing. And then you get into a situation where if anything goes wrong, there's not really like, you know, it's one company. Right. So, you know, and then our website went down. So we just kind of like had like a series of things. So where we are today is kind of like, I mean, throughout COVID, I was online only and I was shooting everything at my house and you know, in the backyard, and I was modeling stuff, my son was modeling stuff, really pared down the business to mostly men's shirts and pants. And and then I wanted to really get back to physical retail. So I opened up a store on 20th Street in Manhattan in West Chelsea, kind of where all the art galleries are. And I thought I wanted a place where I could go, and essentially it would be my office, but I can also see customers. And that's really what this is. It's perfect for that because it's it's a highly educated customer. They love art. You know, there's all the galleries uh are here, and you know, there's a good group of people that are living here as well. And so, and I used to have a store on 19th Street, and it was a good store, so I knew this area would be good. And really, that's what it is. For me, it's kind of like starting with that, building the collection again. And so, you know, I would say every couple months we add another product that I feel, you know, like we're doing knits out of Peru, and we're doing outerwear out of Japan. And so, you know, things that even when I had all the stores, it was difficult to keep adding, you know, right because we had to do, you know, so much quantity to fill all the stores and right, you know. So anyway, are you fun? Are you still talking about and um, you know, I haven't really been doing much consulting lately, but I I I've thought like maybe I'll get back to doing some consulting.

SPEAKER_01:

Are you still talent scouting?

SPEAKER_02:

Uh not scouting really, but I I find, you know, the the the niche of this store is a little bit different. So essentially it's product that I make and then it's product that I find makers that specialize in something. So for example, it could be socks from Japan, it could be sweaters from Norway, but it's basically it's like companies that are also manufacturers of that particular product and they excel in that particular thing. So that's how I'm complementing what it is that I'm making. And I think it really feels, you know, quite different because of that. So it's a very edited, you know, curated little shop. And then in addition to that, I have a lot of jewelry, new and vintage jewelry that uh some is made from, you know, my father who still makes jewelry, and some, you know, are vintage pieces and so forth.

SPEAKER_01:

Are you content being men's focused?

SPEAKER_02:

Uh we're going, we're adding uh we're starting with women's shirts. You're going back as a as a new category, but we're just doing it, you know, step by step. There's no rush, and I don't need to do a collection. So, you know, as we get, you know, the more requests we get for certain things, then we'll go back into different categories and so forth.

SPEAKER_01:

Is your customer as obsessed with social media if they're that educated?

SPEAKER_02:

Is that really I think everyone is kind of on social media, but I I I I feel like it's not like super, super young. I mean, we do get customers in their 20s, but I would say that's not our main, our main customer base, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Steven, this has been an absolute delight. I'm so grateful that I was able to find you quite literally corner you, because that's where you are. You are in a corner. How can we find you, follow you, get more information about the inimitable Stephen Allen?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, I mean, the website, if you join the mailing list, you'll get information, just stephenallen.com, and then our Instagram. We're not that active because I'm not that active on social. So but I hope to be more. But anyway, we we will be posting on our Instagram account. But uh it's not uh we're not we're not a brand that's like highly social media focused for better or for worse, right now. Right. Yeah, we definitely recognize the importance. It's just I'm really my focus is really on product and making great product, and and our existing customers, you know, luckily are great and they're very supportive. And I think that the new customers that we get are mostly through existing customers, you know, it's sort of like a word-of-mouth brand.

SPEAKER_01:

So that is amazing. So it's T-E-V S T E S T E V N L A L A N. I can't even spell anymore. Steven with the V, Al and all A's just for everybody listening. Thank you so much for joining us.

SPEAKER_02:

Sure. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00:

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.

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Emily Blumenthal

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