Though the idea of the "It Bag" has been around for decades, from the Hermès Birkin to the noughties Mulberry Alexa and Chloé Paddington, the ubiquitous Céline handbag, and the current obsession with Goyard, the speed with which bag brands garner cult status these days is astonishing. Snapped on the arm of certain celebrities or accessorising #ootd posts of influential social media stars, an item can become an instant sellout before you've even thought about adding it to your online basket.
One such designer who has experienced this meteoric success (and entirely deserving of her acclaim), is Sophie Hulme, the Kingston University graduate who launched her eponymous accessories brand in 2011, after starting out in ready-to-wear, and now retails her instantly-recognisable and often-imitated gold hardware bags in over 200 locations across 30 countries including giants Selfridges, Net-A-Porter, Harvey Nichols, Saks, Bergdorf Goodman, Opening Ceremony and Le Bon Marche. Everyone from Jessie Ware to Kate Hudson are loyal fans. "Initially I couldn't have hoped for such success, especially so quickly, so I’m delighted by the way things have gone and the great feedback I’ve had. We’ve gone from 12 to 32 staff in 18 months which has been incredibly exciting but very busy! I’m so excited with the launch of online retail and our first shop-in-shop launching next month in Harrods. I’m really looking forward to this opportunity to connect with our end consumer and also to create a full brand environment," Hulme explains.
Today Sophie Hulme officially launches a shiny, online store and to coincide with the new site, the designer has created a capsule collection of beautifully crafted grey bags with silver hardware in the brand’s most popular styles, available exclusively on sophiehulme.com, with prices ranging between £250 – £650 (we're appreciative of the far more accessible price points than the aforementioned highly-coveted It Bags). "Our bags are so known for their gold plated hardware that I’ve always been very intrigued to try silver. This is the first time we are offering our iconic bags with silver hardware, and each bag comes with a silver whistle charm, which was the first one we ever did."
The capsule collection introduces the new hardware in silver, across the Nano Envelope, Mini Tote, Square Tote, Nano Tote and Box Tote bags and the accompanying whistle charm is inspired by Air Force Pilots, who often had a whistle or bell sewn underneath the collar of their jackets as a token of luck. With new packaging and next day delivery available in London and New York, the new site will offer a one-click Sophie Hulme experience directly to customers in over 50 countries.
And the Sophie Hulme experience is set to expand even further as she reveals the imminent introduction of a jewellery line and occasion bags: "We launch jewellery mid next year through online retail and our Harrods shop. The range is inspired by our signature charms and I’m really happy with it. We launch evening bags next winter which are inspired by our core bag range and I think they bring quite a new look to the evening bags I am used to seeing in the market." If you've requested another designer tote at the top of your Christmas list, we'd suggest amending your request sharpish, as 2016 is set to be the year of the silver Sophie Hulme bag.