Cambridge Satchel Company meets the Peanuts cartoon
British accessories brand is expanding its reach and range
That success surprised even the company. "I have to admit, I didn't even know what a fashion blogger was," says founder and fashion entrepreneur Julie Deane.
While many fashion brands are born in glamorous cities such as Paris or Milan, The Cambridge Satchel Company was cooked up in the most unlikely of places — Deane's kitchen in Cambridge, England. The mother of two and former accountant was looking for ideas to raise funds to send her daughter to private school, and making traditional leather satchels was one of them.
"I was tired of buying disposable things that didn't last long, or weren't made well. I could never find satchels for my kids, and assumed that many other mothers had the same problem," she remembers.
Using £600 (HK$7,070) from her personal savings, Deane made several prototypes, and launched the brand online, placing herself on every free listing available. Today, 65 per cent of the brand's orders are still made online. The business gained traction, and she soon caught the attention of editors and bloggers who loved her simple, colourful designs.
"I have no fashion background, but I have a real love of beautiful things. I especially like colour, which is what we are known for. We didn't want to do something that was over designed — I can't stand bags with too many zippers, pouches, and pockets," she says.
Because Deane couldn't afford a Pantone colour book for reference, she used everyday items for her inspiration: spices and flowers and an old-fashioned paint chart. Even her best-selling neon styles — which have been featured in magazines such as — were inspired by the high visibilty yellow and silver jackets that policemen wear.
Quality was also high on her list of priorities, so she found some local factories to make her bags by hand from start to finish, using durable saddle leather.
It wasn't long before Deane's designs caught the attention of several big league designers including Vivienne Westwood, Erdem, and the notoriously low-profile Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, all of whom collaborated with the brand. Such was the demand for her satchel that at one point, Deane had a backlog of 30,000 orders.
This year Deane is taking the brand up a notch with a new team of industry experts and designers. In addition to her best-selling satchels, she has expanded the product range to include styles such as totes, cross bodies, pouches and small leather goods. Men can choose from backpacks, music bags, and trunks.
"We have numerous new designs for spring-summer 2015, although each still references details from the satchel. We are also using more premium leather, although the price is still affordable," she says.
Other upcoming projects include a collaboration with Peanuts, which features dog collars, zip pouches, and satchels decorated with the Charlie Brown stripe, as well as characters from the cartoon. To celebrate their launch on the TMall website in China this month, they have launched a special edition satchel featuring an embossed sheep in gold or silver.
"These collaborations are fun, and I hope our brand makes people think twice about what they buy. I want to make bags that make people happy, that add something to their lives, rather than them buying something they feel they can throw away," says Deane.
