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

Scaling Smarter with Nicole Levy from Baikal Handbag Manufacturing | Emily Blumenthal & Nicole Levy

• Emily Blumenthal

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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 to minimums, materials, and distribution strategy.

Nicole explains why your first collection should be three or four tightly connected styles (not 15), how a repeatable signature builds brand recognition faster than trends, and why military olive is this season’s sleeper hit. She walks through the production ladder that actually works—sample domestically, run 10-piece U.S. test batches, then move core colors to ~150-unit overseas minimums—and how pricing files reveal whether wholesale is financially viable before you burn cash. We also get into boutiques versus department stores, what materials truly perform, and how 3D modeling elevates hardware without crushing your budget.

✨ 3 Takeaways:

• Start focused, scale intentionally — A small, cohesive collection and a clear signature outperform sprawling assortments every time.
 • Know your numbers before you produce — Pricing files, MOQs, freight timelines, and margins determine viability long before retail does.
 • Choose distribution that builds loyalty — Boutiques drive discovery and repeat D2C sales in ways department stores rarely can.

👤 Our Guest:
 Nicole Levy is the founder of Baikal Handbag Manufacturing, a full-service development and production partner for emerging and established brands. With deep expertise in domestic small-batch manufacturing, overseas production, materials, hardware, and costing, she helps designers build collections that are both beautiful and financially sound. Her work has supported projects ranging from Western luxury to government-funded initiatives using innovative leathers.

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.

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SPEAKER_01:

So I feel like there's an opportunity for my clients in particular because we are so obsessed with the material and the handmade feel here that I think that our product stands out among the like made in China, made in Cambodia, and hundreds and hundreds of units without any like love and care. You could feel it. So the few brands that we're doing now, we're we're actually launching, I think, six brands in the next three months. Not us, but we're we finished developing over the last year and a half, and they're gonna be launching over the next two, three months, six, six brands. And it just makes me happy that I know that some of these leathers are from like the top tanneries in Italy and Germany, and the hardware, some of it's from like the top hardware factories in Italy. And I know that they were made in like small batches by hand crafted here, and you could see it. You could see it by looking at it. They look different.

SPEAKER_00:

Hi, and welcome to Handbag Designer 101 the podcast with your host, Emily Blumenthal, handbag industry expert, and the handbag Perry 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, Nicole Levy of Baikal Handbag Manufacturing. Welcome back. I said you're my resident handbag factory manufacturing person. So as the expert of all things handbags, manufacturing, and factories, welcome.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you so much for having me back, Emily. Great to be here.

SPEAKER_00:

Good, good. Oh, see, you're a natural. I told you. Great to be back. Good. So there were a couple things. Like we had a whole laundry list of things we wanted to cover just because you know the questions that designers come in and ask. You know what's going on with the factories. There's a tariff situation that seems to still be going on. Let's just get down to the basics. Like, what is the state of the union of how handbags are working? Like, what are you seeing trends are with designers coming in and then you saying, like, hold on, don't do that. This will sell more.

SPEAKER_01:

Go. So, what's going on right now? I mean, the tariff situation is huge. People are scared. People don't know what's going on. I mean, sometimes the tariff is over 100%, sometimes it's not. So that's been big. We've been getting a lot of phone calls from people who manufacture overseas to see if there's a possibility if they can manufacture in the USA. So that's been exciting. There's been a lot of interest in made in USA lately. In terms of the people that we're working with now, I am seeing a lot of Western luxury. So we have a few Texan brands who are launching soon that we're working with. It's kind of like a Ralph Lauren elevated, a little bit more edge, and we're really loving it. There's a few government projects we're actually working on that want made-in-USA only manufacturing. So a military project, an invasive species project. That's been really interesting lately. What's invasive species? Like what? So, like the alligators in Florida that are invasive. There's also lizard that's invasive. So there's a company we're working with that's doing incredible treatments on these skins, and they're using them for government projects, which is really interesting, really beautiful things.

SPEAKER_00:

That's so cool. Can I ask you? Because I know we're gonna bopity bop and go back and forth a lot. Like when designers come in, right, and they have these hopes, wishes, and dreams, how many bags do you tell them to start with? Like, what do you say? Like, okay, hi Nicole. I have been dreaming of becoming a handbag designer. I have this great idea because that's what everybody says. And it's something I've never seen before because that's what they all say. What do you ask them? Like, what's the order of operations? Like, what do we do?

SPEAKER_01:

So I get some people coming in here with like one piece at a time. And then I had a client the other day who came in with a 15-piece collection. And I would say both of those are extremes. I usually say start with three or four. Development is not cheap, it takes time. So you really want to launch soon. If you have too many styles, you can't launch quickly. There's just too much development time that's wasted. So I would say three or four is a good start.

SPEAKER_00:

Now, when you're saying three or four, is it three or four like a mini regular size and an oversized all of the same silhouette? Or are you like, okay, you need a tote. You have to have a tote, you have to have a crossbody. Like, are there things that you say to them like, this is not that? Like, what do you say? Like in terms of, or do you say, okay, if that's what you want to do, like in terms of direction, what do you, what do you like to buy them to saying, like for what will be sellable?

SPEAKER_01:

So if it's a regular handbag brand, I mean we we do some unique brands as well, but if it's just a regular handbag brand, I really drive that you should have like a signature look to start. So not necessarily make one small, one big, but kind of cross over something that's signature to your brand over just a few pieces. So it could be three big pieces, it could be two big pieces, two small pieces, but there should be a cohesive design direction, vision, something signature to your brand.

SPEAKER_00:

So are there silhouettes that you say, like right now in terms of trending? What do you think right now is the bag that the silhouette that you're like, I am so surprised it's made a comeback? Like I'm still shocked about the clutch.

SPEAKER_01:

Like this is my new the hobo is back. I I don't know. I have so many clients making hobos again. I didn't think that would come back for a long time. The slouchy boho hobo, yeah. Really? Oversized? Regular size, just medium size. I mean, I was thinking people are staying more structured, the satchels, small and large uh structured totes, but they're doing boho, especially in Texas.

SPEAKER_00:

Wow. So, you know, there's a connection between the silhouette shape and what's going on in the market. So, you know, the perception is that if the bags are structured, people are really holding on to their purse strings. People want to keep things together, they want to make sure everything's organized. Once that boho hobo comes back, people are like, whatever, I don't care. Let's throw it in, balls to the wall. Like, it doesn't matter. Let's see what's gonna stick. So I think that's a very interesting state of the union that hobos are back, that people also seem to be trending with that, right? Because there's no structure with that. You put something in a hobo, you can't find it. Like it's gone, it's an abyss.

SPEAKER_01:

Listen, I'm surprised too, but I'm producing hundreds of hobos right now. But there are always the clients who are doing the opposite. So we just had a brand that we developed a whole structured, large-size tote collection for like the modern working New York woman, I would say, or City Girl. So those are really beautiful and like the total opposite. So I can't really say there's one thing or another going on here. We have a little bit of extreme just because our clients are from all over and everyone has their own tastes. But I mean, I like both.

SPEAKER_00:

Right, right, right, right. And do you think, in terms of palette, that we're still looking at neutrals? Like, is it still neutral for the when?

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, my Texan brands are doing like dark browns and cognac and tobacco and olive, all neutrals. There's almost no color in those brands. But like if you were to pick up the colour, I mean spring is spring is coming. I just had to source like textured exotics in all different spring colors for a client because they want to launch spring in in uh February.

SPEAKER_00:

Right, right, right, right. If you were to pick a color though that you see, like a color color that you see that people that's resonated with green, military green is the color.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

So that's the pop of color now, military green.

SPEAKER_01:

Military green is the color.

SPEAKER_00:

That is a very interesting juxtaposition between an unstructured bag and a military green. It's like on the one hand, you're not paying attention because there's no structure, but on the other hand, you want to kind of fade into the back because color all has representation of something, right? Mm-hmm. That's so weird. Are you seeing these things happening before they are? Like, are you like, okay, I can see what's coming based on the requests?

SPEAKER_01:

Honestly, people are just trying things. I think that the olive green comes from just like fashion trend for the season. Um, it's in a lot of like high fashion designer clothing and things like that. And people are pulling from, you know, the runway looks and they're kind of like throwing it in. Since we can do things pretty quickly here, you know, the fast turnaround, they're just throwing an olive run of 30 pieces of this style because it's hot right now. So I'm like, okay.

SPEAKER_00:

So if I was working with you, at what point would you say, okay, let's start looking into overseas production? Like, how many units do you think one needs to sell before they start thinking of doing it overseas?

SPEAKER_01:

I don't really see an exact time frame. Some clients need to go overseas like from the beginning. Like some people's price point is just so far from what the USA price point is that I tell them, listen, if you want to work with me, your only option is to make samples here. And then we do the first run in overseas, and you have to just do the quantity that they require. But other brands I, you know, that have a slightly higher price point, I would say even after one or two production runs, they could start overseas. I'm doing like 150-piece minimums overseas. So it's not that intimidating. Usually they'll do three or four colors within that minimum. So I would say to clients that work with me, I say keep your most popular colors we can do overseas. And then the more the more unique colors we can do locally in smaller batches and faster. But I always say this we should do both the US and the overseas at the same time. Because when you we place an order overseas, it's kind of like place it and forget it. Like just forget it exists for five, six months. It doesn't exist. So if you want to keep moving in the meantime, we still have to do US, you know, manufacturing and the things that we could turn around in a month, two months. We still have to be doing those things. And then the, you know, if you really want to get the best price, you have to ship IC, which adds another month to the timeline. So those goods will eventually come and they'll be an amazing price point, but it takes time.

SPEAKER_00:

Do you work with them in terms of what then their wholesale price would be? Because that's pretty tricky in terms of mathematics, right? Because you have to merge them together. Because economies of scale, right? The more you produce, the less your cost is. If you are, and I and I talk about this in class, that usually taking on a new color is a risk to a brand. So you can always see how well they're doing by the amount of color they have in their collection because they can afford to do it. Because it's not cheap. Because chances are to manufacture the color is more expensive than the black, brown, red, nude, beige, blah, blah, blah. You're doing more quantity with those. So, do you help them in terms of determining what their price points are to amortize the overseas production versus the domestic? 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.

SPEAKER_01:

We usually work backwards. So when a client comes in here, one of my first questions is what's your price target? And some of them don't even know. Some of them say a number that's really out there. Like they'll be making like a luxury style bag and they'll say, I want to retail this for$120. And they're calling a US manufacturer. So sometimes I have to just stop and do a little bit of education. But most people have like some understanding of the market and where they have to be. So if they start and say, you know, I want to be at a$300 retail price target, I usually say you're a little low for the US. So you can do overseas, or you could start in the US and not be profitable in the beginning until you're ready to move on. So you're you're kind of low. But if they have like a$500 price point and up for like bigger, more complicated bags, then I would say they can choose between the US or the overseas. And then we kind of, you know, once the sample is complete, I send each client a pricing file for that style. So they can see if they're doing our minimum, which is 10 pieces per color, this is your price, you know, 30, 50, 100, and so on. So they can see, you know, if I can stay in the US and I can do 100 pieces, you know, this is my price and that is my price. And I also have on that same pricing file the overseas price. So you can really quickly and easily see what financially will be the best option for you, especially if you're doing a wholesale business. So wholesale is very competitive. I mean, there's the department stores want this high margin. And when you add the labor, the materials, all the marketing you put in, your time plus your margin, it's it's just it's very small window that you have left when wholesale. So sometimes people are just eating it just so that they can be on the shelves at this department store. They'll just do wholesale and just not make profit there. Or they're doing a wholesale business as their strategy. And then we have to get the volume up. We have to do things overseas in bigger quantities, we have to cut the cost of the materials as much as possible. So there is an option for each, but it really depends on the client strategy.

SPEAKER_00:

That's so interesting because you said about wholesale. And you and I talk about this a lot, that a lot of these smaller brands tend to neglect boutiques. And boutique business is so much more effective, profitable, marketing driven than going straight into department stores because most department stores now it's either drop ship, they won't buy inventory, you're stuck holding on to the product, and then you become like a third-party essential third-party sales per the sales brand for them. Boutiques, you may get them to place an order. The order might not be big, but you'll get your money, right? You can develop relationships, the product will sell, you could do events, like they want you to be successful as a result of them making that investment in you. So I again I wouldn't have created this partnership with New York now to create this section called it bags, specifically because there is no real opportunity for independent designers to sell their product at wholesale to get into boutiques. Because as a smaller brand, we all know how the most of these brands work because you deal with them. They're usually alone. It's very isolating. They really don't have anybody to discuss this with. They're making all these decisions by themselves or with you, Nicole, because you're probably the only person they have to run these ideas by, you know, pricing, concept, brand, trend. And it's lonely. And people right now are so swept up in D2C, like having a strong, strong following on Instagram, selling direct to consumer. And that's awesome because you get to keep the margin, you get to keep the markup, but it's not realistic to think that you're going to be able to reach as many people if you don't have local boutiques on the ground selling your product. I mean, that's the that's the success story, ironically, of Claire V, Claire Vivier was solely through boutiques. So I think a lot of people tend to forget that because they get swept up into I need to be a superstar on Instagram or on social, and I need to make sure that I'm in a huge department store so I could have that flex of saying, like, I'm in Nordstrom or something. But so I just spoke to a designer before who is international and she was talking about getting into print ump. And I'm like, you're not ready. You don't want to be in there. You know, you're gonna get lost, especially when your price point is higher than some of the major brands there who can afford to sell the product like under 500 US. So it's a tricky dance.

SPEAKER_01:

So the thing about me is that I'm not only just manufacturing their bags, I'm also their consumer. So I am a consumer of luxury women's bags. It's a passion of mine. So I personally cannot buy a bag or product on someone's website if I haven't touched and felt or tried on their quality. This goes for bags and this goes for clothing. So I think the boutiques are so important because when you touch and feel something from a brand even once, and you understand what that quality is, even later on when they have other styles in the future, years from now, you'll remember that you touched and felt that product then and their quality was good and you associate it with their brand. So the boutiques are extremely important. You know, when I walk through, like I come into Penn Station and I walk like five blocks to the office. But when it's raining or it's cold, I walk through Macy's. Macy's and you know, 34th Street. So I don't know if you've been there, but they move the whole handbag section to the center, front and center. When you walk into Macy's from 7th Avenue, it's all the handbag section is there now. I guess it's good for their traffic. So when I walked in there, I was pretty surprised that I didn't even know some of the brands that were being shown there. And I noticed that almost all of it was made in Asia. Like in Macy's, it's not the highest price point, but trendy, but the whole section was these brands that I kind of never heard of. I mean, there was a Minkoff mixed in there, Hammett was mixed in there, but there were other ones that I never heard of. And honestly, they got lost. There was a coach there, there's, you know, Michael Kors and those little brands were lost there. But if you were, let's say, in a boutique sitting next to like curated brands and curated product that the boutique owner handpicked themselves at a show, it's kind of like niche, and you, you know, you're more drawn to it and you don't get as lost. So I do like what you're doing with the whole it bag at the New York Gift show. I think it's great that that stores come and pick up these new designers, and you know, people can touch and feel in all different cities.

SPEAKER_00:

Because people always remember that experience. Like I was in this boutique, and this is where I discovered this brand. This is where I discovered this bag. And that's exactly what you said. There's an emotional connection to discovering something that you've never seen before. And it's like, oh my God, what is this? It's so beautiful. It speaks to me because you know, it's an oversaturated, choked market handbags. Like you and I both know that. Nobody is splitting the atom when it comes to a handbag, right? Like everything's been done. So the whole essence of trying to be a new brand, a designer, it's really coming down to what is your take on an existing silhouette? And much like you said, what's your DNA and putting your spin on it to make it yours? Now, whether it was inspired by somebody else, it really comes down to putting your own stamp on it to ensure that like it's you and not anybody else.

SPEAKER_01:

So there's something I did notice when I was at the department store recently is that some of the bigger companies I notice have been like a little bit cheapening out on their materials, on their manufacturing. Like you just feel it when you look at their product. Like when they began, it was kind of like a little more elevated, and now it seems like they're maybe bought by investors. You know, they're cut, cut, cut. Like the styles are so simple, the material is just terrible. So I feel like there's an opportunity for my clients in particular because we are so obsessed with the material and the handmade feel here that I think that our product stands out among the like made in China, made in Cambodia, and hundreds and hundreds of units without any like love and care. You could feel it. So the few brands that we're doing now, we're we're actually launching, I think, six brands in the next three months. Not us, but we're we finished developing over the last year and a half, and they're gonna be launching over the next two, three months, six, six brands. And it just makes me happy that I know that some of these leathers are from like the top tanneries in Italy and Germany, and the hardware, some of it's from like the top hardware factories in Italy, and I know that they were made in like small batches by hand, crafted here, and you could see it, you could see it by looking at it. They look different, they feel different, they feel elevated. So I'm really excited about these. And I'm really excited that recently that we have a bunch of clients that are really going for it. So I always say, like, this is not the business to dabble in. It's just, it's not. So if you're gonna dabble, you're not gonna make it. Right, right, right. I've seen it a million times. The ones that are like, oh, I'll just do one and I'll think about it. You know, it you're not business, you have to put it all in your heart and soul, your money, your energy, the marketing, you have to have it all going on in order to make a brand. It's just what it is. So we do have a handful of people that are like fully going for it. And I feel like when they're going for it, like our energy like matches it. So it's been really fun working with these super passionate brands lately. I'm so excited for them, and I really hope a few of them take off.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and it's funny because you know, I talk to so many designers like you, and the funny thing is that I would say, if not all, like they were doing something before, right? If someone was a designer right out of design school, I think they'd be less likely to find you or me, right? Because their approach would be very different. They perhaps wouldn't even know to find a you or me because they'd be like in a tunnel lane, like this is how it needs to be done because I was just taught. But the designers we deal with, like they had day jobs, they had something, they had this itch that had to be scratched. And I had this and it was bothering me, and I really and I couldn't ignore it anymore. And the funny thing is that most of these people were really methodical, were really organized. Some of them were really penny pinching, no more penny, but like were really budgeted. And then they got this idea to do a handbag, and then all that was out the window. Like, I'm spending 20,000 on a sample. I'm making bespoke lining in Italy. I found a hardware person in Madagascar who's making like, and you're like, what the? I thought you told me I'm really budgeted, I'm really wrist. And now you're telling me you've dropped just dropped like$15,000 on something that's gonna go nowhere because you didn't do the same homework, research, like customer, competitive analysis, who would you sit with? Like all these basic things that you and I'd be like, okay, what's your targeted price point? Who is your targeted customer? Where would you like to sell it? And who, what's your DNA? You know what I'm saying? If 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. For 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 boards, 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 up again, 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 Emily Blumenthal.com slash masterclass and type in the code INCAST to get 10% off your masterclass today.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I mean, people spend a lot elsewhere sometimes before they find me, also. Like I had a client recently manufacture in three factories before they found us, and people waste so much money. So much. I mean, there is some of it that is just like inevitable. Like there is there are experiences where you're gonna have a bad manufacturer or a bad this, and but I just think that the faster you move on from a bad experience or from a mistake, the better. Like, don't keep going just because you spent a lot of time making that mistake. Also, like certain materials, like I've seen people spent like$15 a square foot on leather that they didn't understand that you can get leather for$4. That looks beautiful. So don't kill yourself about it that you spent all this money to begin with. You know, once you realize something, just cut your long, move on, or even realizing like from materials, right?

SPEAKER_00:

Like you get a lot more out of working with cow because it's a bigger skin. But then you're like, I want, then they try to build a very structured bag out of lamb skin, which is smaller and it's very soft. It's a much more, it's got a great it to me, it's got a better hand feel, but you're never gonna get a really great structured bag out of lamb unless it's hyperlined, you know?

SPEAKER_01:

You know, and we did a collaboration, we're we're working on our project, and I chose lamb for our project. I love lamb because of the ham feel is just so buttery, but our size of our product works because small and it works, and also because I, you know, you know uh I'm the boss, I can kind of get away with the extra costs of the filler and everything. But generally, if you're going any bigger than that, there's no more lambskin. That forget it. It's cow only. I mean, we're we we need to make money at the end of the day, but yeah, there's certain things that I would say to invest in. So recently we partnered up with a like um, they really do like branding and it's a creative studio, and they have 3D printing machines and they have 3D art art modelers. So I've had a couple of clients recently develop really unique hardware metal concepts with us, and this has been something new for us that basic logos, zipper pulls, locks, things like that we do in our sleep, but like water bottles, really crazy shapes of things, like 3D with multi part things. Like, we're not that's not our you know, it's not what we're used to. So we partnered with this shop and they've been doing 3D art for us, which we then 3D print and then show it to our clients. And once that's approved, then We found bigger manufacturers for like larger metal scale objects. And we've been doing it recently. And honestly, this has been like next level for some of these brands. Like until this brand launches, I can't describe some of the pieces, but just taking it to the next level with the 3D printing and modeling and then manufacturing is just it's very um brand identifying. So I think that was worth it. The art is, you know, it's expensive. It's a it's a 3D artist, but that was worth it because now when we're producing the piece, it's just as inexpensive as anything else, like a logo plate, but it's special, you know? So that that initial investment I would say is worth it if it's something really special.

SPEAKER_00:

That's so cool. See, that's where technology has its benefits with creativity. I really believe in those kinds of things to try and offset. Like we had one designer who was making his bag out of he was 3D printing his bag, period, full stop, out of leather. And I just kept saying, But how do you do that? He's like, Well, you know, you could do that, and then with the mold, and then you put the leather, and you know, there's there's very unique ways to do very cool things, but there's still basics that you have to do because at the end of the day, it's a handbag. You want people to buy it, right? Like that's the end goal. It's not to create works of art, it's to create product that you will be able to get a customer that will come back and buy your product again.

unknown:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

So the 3D printing has been really good for like hard shell bags, like just printing a frame. We can put the shape into the model, and then we could just print a shell and we can have like, you know, those, you know, the Louis Vuitton building in the city that's like all luggage. So those style products we can do with like 3D printed shells, which I used to have to mold overseas, and they were very expensive mold. And now we can just make like 10 shells, I can print them down the road, and we can make we can start a hard shell collection, which that's been really great. But I I mean, I don't want to tell everybody to do this because it will affect my business. But another thing with the whole like 3D futuristic things, a lot of people are skipping doing duplicates, and they're just doing you know, AI renderings of all their products in different colors, and it saves money, and you could see the product in different colors without you know prototyping and developing it all.

SPEAKER_00:

So that's been really I don't I don't think that makes you lose money because I think it's a you know, yes, perhaps people aren't spending the money on sampling, but I think then in in you're able to hold on to the designer as a customer longer because they actually have real sales against product as opposed to them draining their budget doing samples on batch.

SPEAKER_01:

It's good for them for not for them for pre-orders, like they can pre-order off of an AI rendered image, get the money they need for production, and then spend it on production. Some challenges that I've had with this whole AI thing is people come to me now with a full AI image of their product, like fully finished AI and it never was developed before, but it looks real and it's complicated and real. And I'm like, I've already done many of these, and to get a real product to look just like the AI image is almost impossible.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, well, because it's so detailed, it'll cost much more money.

SPEAKER_01:

People have been looking at this image of their dream item for so long that I have to create exactly that what that was that they've been looking at for so long, and it's never exact, so they're always disappointed. So I've seen this happen a couple of times already. So now when I see an AI image as their first interaction with me, I'm looking to make this, and I right away have the conversation with them. AI images is not a real life product. AI image is an AI image. A lot of times they're not even constructed with real construction, it's just a line or like uh, and I'm like, this is not real, that we're gonna actually have to develop this product, and it might not look exactly like this. It might not even be possible to make this, you know, don't get your hopes up. So we have that conversation first before we move forward.

SPEAKER_00:

And that's been really helpful. It's kind of like saying, it's like saying, you know, see this AI image, she has six fingers. Now, if she has six fingers, I can't make a bag that looks like this because this is a six-fingered bag. Like this is, you know, like this is not that.

SPEAKER_01:

So I think I was making a a bag that was in the shape of like a bow, and the bow was just so beautiful in the AI image. And I mean, I gave it to like four different makers, and no one could even come close to this bow. And I had to break it to them that this is not real, like we could 3D print it, maybe, and you could have just like a plastic version of this, but it can't be constructed out of leather or fabric. So we had to do a lot of changes to get that even like close to the concept. But there was another one that it was like a piece of candy, and that's been a whole host of challenges to make that one real.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, the the bag, the bag's shaped like candy. Yep, yep, yep, yep.

SPEAKER_01:

I I know those well. So to make those kinds of things look real and like their image is just it's hard, but yeah, yeah, no, it's new, it's something different.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my gosh, Nicole, we're like, I'm always gonna have you back. I'm always gonna have you back just because I love these conversations. I mean, again, selfishly, I was able to start a podcast so I could talk to people that I'm already talking to and have the exact same conversation, and now I could record it. So, and I get I get to have people being a fly on the wall on our conversation because there's so much good nuggets in this. Like, this is good, this is interesting, this is helpful. And I think, and I'm so grateful for our friendship and our relationship because I really think, you know, we're doing God's work here. We're helping people be the best version of themselves to start a handbag brand, to continue a handbag brand, to grow a handbag brand. Because there's so much about this, especially within handbags, that is not like any other classification. It's not like running any other business. The good thing about handbags, like it's size agnostic, you don't need to create a right and a left, you don't need to create it multi-sizes unless you're building out a collection. There's a lot of benefits of going into handbags, but the downside is like it's a crowded market. So, you know, if you and I can help people build something that really has an opportunity to have a voice, have DNA, and at the end of the day make someone happy that they bought that bag, then we're doing what we're supposed to. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly. And you know, I a lot of people say it's just a handbag or like it's just it's superficial, it's a handbag. You know, what's the big deal? Like, it's you and I is like life's work is just a handbag. But I have to say that, you know, I've had many children over the years and I've grown in size, I've shrunk in size, and the accessories are what kept me confident during those hard times. They always fit. The jewelry, the handbags, they always fit. I think that handbags and shoes are an investment piece. You can wear them every day for years and pass them on. It's not that deep, but it does, you know, they make people happy. So it's quality of life. Quality of life. It makes you happy. It's something small that adds a little joy to your day. So I and of course, the whole process of developing something creative, it's it's you know, the clients, it's their art. And I get to help them make their art, and it's it's it's exciting to make something that you've had in your mind and you see it become real. So I'm proud of what we do. And if you look around at some of the biggest names, Chanel and Louis Vuitton and Celine, you know, a small bag is$4,000 and up, you know, and people are paying it left and right. They are mes bags or$50,000 and up. I mean, there's a reason. There's a reason. And those brands, I feel like, help our clients. Because even though they have no name, there's an association that handbags go at this price point, and they can help them. I think that this is what has helped, you know, made in USA stay around for so long, our factories stay around for so long, is the fact that a new brand has this like, I can sell my bag for a thousand dollars and I will be cheap compared to the big names out there. And it's true, like if so that I feel like has helped clients of UNIs like get out there in the world and start something and be able to grow.

SPEAKER_00:

Exactly. Exactly. Nicole, how can we find you, follow you, and work with you at BaCal?

SPEAKER_01:

You can look us up online, bikal handbags.com and bagman.com. We have two websites. Uh we have Baikal Hambags. Bagwoman. I know my father started that one. Baikal handbag factory is our Instagram. But really, you can just Google Baikal or Handbag Manufacturer in New York City, and we're we're the top one on Google. There's not there aren't many of us left, and we're probably one of the only ones left. And uh, you can find us that way. Email us, fill out the form on there, and someone will get back to you. Uh honestly, it's it's right before Black Friday and Christmas time right now. So we're just like a little bit busy. Okay, we're very busy getting out those orders, but so just be a little patient with us during this holiday time, but someone will get back to you within a day or two.

SPEAKER_00:

And it's D-A-I-K-A-L. Bye, Cal. D-A-I-K-A-L. Nicole, always a pleasure. I will see you at the end. Thank you so much, Emily.

SPEAKER_01:

Next quarterly uh review. Okay. Thanks, Emily.

SPEAKER_00:

Talk to you soon. 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

Host