Hi, fairly new here and just started getting into handbags. It all started innocently enough as I was searching for some xmas presents for my wife. I ended up with a Lo & Son Pearl, an Anya Hindmarch charm, and a Valextra clutch. Admittedly, I initially got a little caught up with exclusive brands while shopping (the usual suspects of Chanel, YSL, Chloe, etc.) but was turned off by a rather snobby sales attendant at a Chanel store in their SOHO store (which directly lead to my inevitably selecting Valextra). Certainly, like most, I'm not made of unlimited funds and tend to be a little choosy with my purchases and a bit dismayed by the low warrantee for some of these handbags costing 1000's of dollars. That said, I'd like to start some discussion around Independent Designers that are worth a look.
I think a good place to start are to perouse the finalists and winners of the hand bag awards (https://www.thehandbagawards.com/), both past and present. They represent designers worldwide and with the strength of the dollar, currently, gives a great opportunity for Americans to experiment a little. For instance, I find some of the designs from John Edwards (Florian London - http://florianlondon.com/handbags.html ), a 2014 design winner, to be quite attractive but would like to hear from those that may know about the brand. At around $300-$400 USD, it's a great price point for many of us (even if you could afford 3k+).
Invariably, what would be nice is to have a forum just for Independent Designers here but would like to see how much interest there would be before asking the mods to do so.
So what do you think Ladies (and Gentlemen)? What independent handbag designers do you like?
I think a good place to start are to perouse the finalists and winners of the hand bag awards (https://www.thehandbagawards.com/), both past and present. They represent designers worldwide and with the strength of the dollar, currently, gives a great opportunity for Americans to experiment a little. For instance, I find some of the designs from John Edwards (Florian London - http://florianlondon.com/handbags.html ), a 2014 design winner, to be quite attractive but would like to hear from those that may know about the brand. At around $300-$400 USD, it's a great price point for many of us (even if you could afford 3k+).
Invariably, what would be nice is to have a forum just for Independent Designers here but would like to see how much interest there would be before asking the mods to do so.
So what do you think Ladies (and Gentlemen)? What independent handbag designers do you like?
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