Decrypting The Handbag Business With Glossy’s Jill Manoff

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Hi and welcome to the Handbag Designer 101 podcast with your host, Emily Blumenthal, handbag designer expert and handbag fairy godmother, where we cover everything about handbags from making, marketing, designing and talking to handbag designers and industry experts about what it takes to make a successful handbag.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Welcome, Jill Manoff, Editor-in-Chief of Glossy, to Handbag Designer 101, the podcast.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I'm so very excited to have you.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>This is like one of those things that I've always wanted to get you in a room and like lock you down and find out everything you need to everything you know about handbags in the industry and everything, and like suck it all out of you because you are a wealth of information that people are so unaware of.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Welcome, welcome.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>That's kind of creepy, but I mean it in a good way, I love this.

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<v Jill Manoff>I hope I don't disappoint based on that intro, but I'm excited.

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<v Jill Manoff>I am a newer fan of your podcast.

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<v Jill Manoff>Thank you so much for having me.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Yes, and you were so thoughtful to include me on your recent story and by the time this comes out it might not be recent about the rise of menswear bags.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>So thank you for that.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>It was very informative and I appreciate the other people who commented.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I like my comment the most, but I obviously approve and appreciate everybody else's content.

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<v Jill Manoff>Yes, I loved writing that story.

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<v Jill Manoff>It was just something that I'm sure you saw too at the recent men's shows in Paris Some of the shows, fendi every single man was holding a bag as he walked on the runway and definitely I think I call it out the Jacob Elordi effect.

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<v Jill Manoff>Like you know, he wasn't the first to do so, but he definitely recently popularized that.

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<v Jill Manoff>You gave the greatest quote, like you said, and also Beth from Sarkana, who you've had on the show Love that Another amazing quote and taught me some things.

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<v Jill Manoff>One of you guys mentioned the North-South bag.

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<v Jill Manoff>I should know these things.

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<v Jill Manoff>I didn't even know what that was.

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<v Jill Manoff>I was like I had to look it up.

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<v Jill Manoff>I was like, what's a?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>North-South bag.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Oh my God, north-south is my jam.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I actually had spoken to Gurka recently and to talk to menswear bags, because terminology like that usually goes for unisex bags.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I remember speaking to the founder of Manhattan Portage and I was lamenting because they were severe east-west.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>You remember the Manhattan Portage flat bags and I said you need a north-south.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And they're like well, I don't know if it's going to work.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And I said ergonomically it just falls better on a body.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I don't know why people want the back so damn wide.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>It goes better up down the end.

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<v Jill Manoff>That makes perfect sense.

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<v Jill Manoff>I so agree.

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<v Jill Manoff>So yeah, new fan of the show, new fan of the North South valve, I'm learning so much from you.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>So Jacob Elordi, you think, in your opinion, is the one who started, or responsible, or pinpointed.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>That's where uptick you think was coming from.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I mean, I don't know.

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<v Jill Manoff>He's really tall, though he's really tall, he's having a moment.

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<v Jill Manoff>He's carrying the Bottega bag he's carrying.

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<v Jill Manoff>I listed off a ton of bags he's been carrying lately.

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<v Jill Manoff>They were not all LVMH, although my story was focused on LVMH.

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<v Jill Manoff>But I also looked back because I was like, am I just noticing it, or did LVMH put this many bags down the runway last season and the season before?

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<v Jill Manoff>And, to be honest, they have been putting bags out for a very long time on.

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<v Jill Manoff>Men Can't say that they're different than what women are carrying, but there's just a steady progression of more.

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<v Jill Manoff>And it just so happened that this year, like there's so much buzz about in the luxury industry, the slowed growth, and so when you can call out, it seems like a story to me, when you can call out that their leather goods and fashion sales are slowing and they're putting more leather goods on the runway, it's just a marketing moment.

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<v Jill Manoff>It's how it read to me.

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<v Jill Manoff>So, yeah, it definitely is not new.

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<v Jill Manoff>But I think amongst maybe Gen Z, where everything that Jacob Elordi does these days, like he puts a book hanging out of his cargo pants and everybody's like oh, that's so slutty, he's just trying to get the girls or whatever.

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<v Jill Manoff>But like I can read, Multiple dialects.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Amazing.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>We're so impressed, jacob oh my God, we really are.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Also that you go by the name Jacob and not Jake, which is basically the name that everybody named their kid.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>In the last 10 years, there are more little baby Jacobs and Jakes running around.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>It's insane.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I just defer.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I'm like is your baby Jacob?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And they're like how'd you know?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I'm like, eh, still trending.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Still trending, oh my God.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>So let's dive in.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>So we had spoken about you had been with Glossy more or less since it had fallen out of Digiday, correct?

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<v Jill Manoff>That's correct, 2016,.

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<v Jill Manoff>I had formerly worked at a company called Mode Media in San Francisco.

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<v Jill Manoff>I remember that I abruptly shut down.

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<v Jill Manoff>I was the editor of Glamcom.

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<v Jill Manoff>They had some struggles, and so I was already a fan of the Glossy podcast and it had just launched a few months prior.

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<v Jill Manoff>So when they launched the magazine, the publication in May of 2016, they started a weekly podcast at the same time.

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<v Jill Manoff>It's the same setup that still holds true today.

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<v Jill Manoff>It's a weekly episode with a founder or a C-suite executive at a leading fashion publication.

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<v Jill Manoff>Episode with a founder or a C-suite executive at a leading fashion publication, and I loved how they talked about the industry in such a smart way and a business.

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<v Jill Manoff>You don't often I mean becoming more popular, but at the time, reading about fashion or beauty in a way that speaks to the business and why they do things.

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<v Jill Manoff>And it's not all trend, trend, trend, it really I loved it and gravitated toward it and tried to write like glossy reporters right At the publication that I was working for at the time, because I was like I want to talk about technology.

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<v Jill Manoff>These things are interesting.

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<v Jill Manoff>Fact of the matter is that went bust.

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<v Jill Manoff>I saw this job that became available, that glossy was growing.

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<v Jill Manoff>They were looking for somebody to lead the publication they had branched off, like you said of Digiday.

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<v Jill Manoff>There was a reporter who now works for a book business named Hillary and she basically her reporting on retail queued up the CEO and the president of the company.

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<v Jill Manoff>That wow, there's a lot happening in fashion.

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<v Jill Manoff>We didn't even have beauty out of the gate but, like this is a fast moving industry, there's a lot happening in marketing that they're trying things or seeing what works and just seeing how people were taking to that content about the fashion industry.

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<v Jill Manoff>They saw the opportunities to launch Glossy and it was focused on luxury fashion and technology and I joined in November 2016, about six months in which I mean, I don't know.

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<v Jill Manoff>For you young entrepreneurs out there, that was something that was like a huge step, Like obviously moving across the country from San Francisco.

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<v Jill Manoff>I had never lived in New York and then starting as a manager that I'm managing a team of reporters when, to be honest, I had always been on the consumer facing side, I had never been in a newsroom and I'm leading news reporters, so definitely a sharp learning curve.

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<v Jill Manoff>Welcome to New York.

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<v Jill Manoff>Right Sat me in the face.

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<v Jill Manoff>I figured things out so fast.

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<v Jill Manoff>I was so determined.

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<v Jill Manoff>I just loved the brand and I love the company, which obviously that's kept me here for seven plus years, I mean in employment history, that's basically 10 years.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>So you know, lucky you for that.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>You know, lucky you for that.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>How do you think?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Because essentially Glossy is a, it's B2B, at least the way I've always read it.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>How you know, there are very few publications, let alone ones that have stood the test of time or ones that haven't been acquired and sold multiple times.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>You know a la Women's Wear.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And then there's the daily front row or the daily.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>However, how do you see the differentiating points?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Because you know there's obviously more than enough news to go around to keep everybody busy.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>But what do you think the unique selling point is of glossy versus the others?

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<v Jill Manoff>I mean, we're all about quality over quantity.

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<v Jill Manoff>We were talking about some recent news where we always we take a beat and we think about, like why does this matter?

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<v Jill Manoff>And we see ourselves as a guide to industry insiders.

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<v Jill Manoff>So, like we've branched off into beauty.

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<v Jill Manoff>So fashion industry and beauty industry insiders, luxury and what do they need to know to be better at their job?

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<v Jill Manoff>Because this is an emerging strategy that brands are seeing success using, and that could be around marketing.

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<v Jill Manoff>It can be around a new technology that they're investing in, like what's worthy of their investment.

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<v Jill Manoff>We also have a really strong community based on this content, and so we have both the podcast, but we also have events that are either single day events that are often in New York, or three day summits that we do at a destination location, and we also do member events.

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<v Jill Manoff>We have one tomorrow night which it won't be tomorrow, but when this comes out but an opportunity to bring people together and we call it a round table discussion or a town hall and just compare challenges and be able to talk to people from other brands in a way that everyone's so open and it's not I don't know if it's our community and we set the table for this type of a conversation.

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<v Jill Manoff>It's always surprising to me, particularly on the beauty side, how open people are and there's no competition.

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<v Jill Manoff>They don't care.

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<v Jill Manoff>It's not like we don't want you to know this.

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<v Jill Manoff>Everybody's being so open about what they're investing in and TikTok shop or I don't know who they're hiring and where they're lacking talent and it's just like it really runs the gamut from marketing to technologies to, yeah, ai impact, consumer behavior, all the things.

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<v Jill Manoff>But because we're guide to the industry and a source for industry folks to learn more from each other and from us.

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<v Jill Manoff>That's important and I always say we're not the expert.

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<v Jill Manoff>I don't work at a fashion brand, so we're talking to people all the time, because if we're not speaking to people to inform our stories, we're really like what do we know?

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<v Jill Manoff>We're coming out of left field, so it's like stories for insiders by, basically by insiders, based on what they're seeing success with.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>That was so long winded.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>No, no, no, no, no.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>The more wind the better.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>This is good win, not the bad kind.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I'm here for it.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>It's funny that you say that because this whole evolution of open source like you know, something like GitHub, where people were coders that the most elite coders publish their work and their code for other people to learn about, and it's almost like you get notoriety for being the one who shares the most information, and that's it's almost the juxtaposition of how things are right now versus very closed communities, very membership based, versus very open and inviting, because they both coexist right now in a very wild way.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Right, like you know, fashion overall I can speak to handbags it's a very exclusive community.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>You need to have the right person you know to get in anywhere.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>If anything, I think it's gotten a lot more difficult to get involved with certain things because it's really it's all about who you know.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>But who you know now at the molecular level, right.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>But then there's this democratization, because of social media, because of TikTok, because of everybody, people are like come behind, go into my closet, go see the dust bunnies.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I'm just like you.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Look at me, here I am with my process, and you know, I had this really incredible conversation with Rebecca Minkoff, whom I adore and have always felt like a fan.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>With Rebecca Minkoff, whom I adore and have always been a fan yeah, I mean as a fan of the brand, but as a fan of who she is as a person.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And it's funny.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I was talking to her about her morning after bag and you know she went on autopilot because she's told that story so many times.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>But then we were talking about the actual making of the physical bag and you know how many sample makers did it take and you know what did people on the inside think?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And then you know we had this conversation that I'd like to think had never happened before and like, what was it like working with your brother?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And I would hate that.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Did you hate that?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And, yeah, I hated that too.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And you know, now we can talk and you know all this insider information, it's like like you just need to be at the right place at the right time.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And I feel like a lot of that goes back to what Glossy is providing, because it's like you know, women's Wear is an incredible publication.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>It's been around for 200,000 years and I think there's space at the table for everybody, because there's, so I mean we're information overload, but there's so much more to learn because you know, we're all students of what's going on and you're never going to be an expert.

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<v Jill Manoff>You know.

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<v Jill Manoff>You're so right and I always there's competition in this space, but I feel like I almost look at it like I have blinders on, like I like to be aware of what other people are doing, but I also I know what our readers want and like in terms of the series that we're doing and the new products we're launching, like I'm just we're hearing from them.

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<v Jill Manoff>It's all like based on demand.

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<v Jill Manoff>But you're right, it's about the setting and what people feel comfortable saying, and if the PR person is not in the room, that makes it all the better.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Not just the PR people, but like even getting deals done.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Like if I meet with a brand and the brand is interested and I'm trying to go back and forth with the brand, and then I get the PR person who comes back like can you tell me more about it and I'll see if it's okay, I'm like, well, the brand already said, yes, it is okay, so you know we're here for it.

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<v Jill Manoff>Yes, They've got to do their job.

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<v Jill Manoff>But man such a buzzkill sometimes.

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<v Jill Manoff>But man such a buzzkill sometimes.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Yeah, I know, I know God bless the gatekeepers, you know.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>So if we could just talk a little bit about specifically handbags and the industry on the whole, to me is obviously so interesting because I could talk about it all day and all night.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Do you think right now, as a result of social media and so forth, the growth of the independent designer that there is an opportunity?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Do you think the industry is open?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Because, as someone who came very much from the outside and it killed me and I've spoken to other designers about this that those who got credit or attention were always people who had friends in womanswear and friends here and friends there, and then they came and went just as fast, you know.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Do you think now, as a result of social media, that there are more opportunities to get discovered and so forth?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Because currently even retail retailers won't pick up a designer, much like a modeling agent will pick up a model until they have you know what's your traction, what's your following, what are your sales?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>What stores do you tell to?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I mean, nobody wants to waste the retail space on something that won't sell through.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Do you have any thoughts on that?

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<v Jill Manoff>I mean, I would think that it's so hard to do something unique and to gain a following.

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<v Jill Manoff>I just listen to the most oh my gosh fascinating podcast about like the algorithm versus taste and like how they're kind of impacting each other and I would think, like there's a bag brand at the tip of my tongue but it's kind of there's a slanted kind of hero bag that it's carried.

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<v Jill Manoff>It's very affordable 200 bucks and it's carried by like Kylie Jenner and Hailey and all of these guys and I would, and they seem to be doing fantastic, but there's that celebrity and that's become such a cliche and it's like is that over?

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<v Jill Manoff>And that's definitely how they gain their following, it seems.

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<v Jill Manoff>But I do think that there's opportunity.

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<v Jill Manoff>I also think there's opportunity because a lot of shoppers that were making those you've talked about this on the podcast they're making like luxury purchases.

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<v Jill Manoff>It was aspirational, they were saving up.

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<v Jill Manoff>Now they're officially boxed out.

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<v Jill Manoff>They're not shopping that they go drop down to a lower tier, pricing down and seeing good traction, which with brands that I wouldn't say are emerging, but like brands that are advanced, contemporary or affordable luxury and like the Neely Lhotan and the Anina Bing, and they're all coming out with bags and they're taking off.

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<v Jill Manoff>But also just this morning I talked to the most interesting bag brand, which I'm sure you've heard of it and know it well is Metier, based in the UK on Quiet Luxury, and I started digging in because I thought it was so interesting.

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<v Jill Manoff>I'm based today, these days, in St Louis, missouri.

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<v Jill Manoff>I was in a home decor store because I'm trying to decorate my apartment and they had one bag.

00:15:53.581 --> 00:16:00.961
<v Jill Manoff>It's definitely like luxury, I would say like high end, and they had one bag brand and I was like why do they sell handbags here?

00:16:00.961 --> 00:16:02.225
<v Jill Manoff>And it was Metier.

00:16:02.225 --> 00:16:08.019
<v Jill Manoff>And you know how, you know everybody's, kind of three days, yeah, like why did they choose to sell here?

00:16:08.019 --> 00:16:08.662
<v Jill Manoff>Like everybody's?

00:16:08.662 --> 00:16:11.556
<v Jill Manoff>So I guess exclusive and right.

00:16:11.556 --> 00:16:13.402
<v Jill Manoff>But no, she's there.

00:16:13.402 --> 00:16:16.653
<v Jill Manoff>She came out of the gate, quiet, luxury, with a hit.

00:16:16.653 --> 00:16:24.946
<v Jill Manoff>No doubt served the brand well, they'd make these beautiful bags, no logos, great leather, suede looking I think that they call it Moroccan suede, something to that effect.

00:16:24.946 --> 00:16:31.005
<v Jill Manoff>But, yeah, catching on, like Princess Kate wore it, harry wore it, so definitely, but they're not gifting.

00:16:31.025 --> 00:16:31.706
<v Jill Manoff>This just so happened.

00:16:31.706 --> 00:16:37.761
<v Jill Manoff>They came into their store in Manchester, uk, and they had decked out the store, the brand that they wanted to present.

00:16:37.761 --> 00:16:52.350
<v Jill Manoff>It felt warm, it didn't feel cold and it's luxury, but it didn't feel intimidating and they just have a great story and a great approach and everything is like to a T according to this brand message that they want to put out there in their brand.

00:16:52.350 --> 00:16:54.381
<v Jill Manoff>Anyway, I'm a fan.

00:16:54.381 --> 00:17:05.468
<v Jill Manoff>It's definitely $2,000 bag, at least I don't know but I was like how do you launch a luxury brand that's so wild and brand new, but it's definitely resonated, so, anyway, something like that.

00:17:05.468 --> 00:17:07.518
<v Jill Manoff>I think that it's all about the approach.

00:17:07.518 --> 00:17:14.849
<v Jill Manoff>You no doubt need money to be able to build out a retailer, a store, these specifications.

00:17:15.115 --> 00:17:15.717
<v Emily Blumenthal>Yes, you're not going to.

00:17:15.717 --> 00:17:16.157
<v Emily Blumenthal>You can't.

00:17:16.157 --> 00:17:24.106
<v Emily Blumenthal>I mean, I know the amount of designers with whom I've worked who have said, oh, I've got a studio space and I'm like, are you selling?

00:17:24.106 --> 00:17:25.698
<v Emily Blumenthal>And they're like, no, it's appointment only.

00:17:25.698 --> 00:17:30.249
<v Emily Blumenthal>I'm like that is a waste of space, that is a waste of money, that is a waste of overhead.

00:17:30.249 --> 00:17:38.288
<v Emily Blumenthal>Figure out a way to have it open to the public, because the whole thing is is that you want people to come in and out and guess what Shop.

00:17:38.288 --> 00:17:39.738
<v Emily Blumenthal>You want people to shop.

00:17:39.738 --> 00:17:51.147
<v Emily Blumenthal>So not tell you call it whatever the hell you want, but like, get some bodies in to cover your overhead, because this is your ego talking to say you have a studio that actually has so much space that you could actually get people in.

00:17:51.147 --> 00:17:51.969
<v Emily Blumenthal>Oh, we're doing events.

00:17:51.969 --> 00:17:52.915
<v Emily Blumenthal>No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

00:17:52.915 --> 00:17:53.678
<v Emily Blumenthal>Sell.

00:17:53.678 --> 00:17:55.080
<v Emily Blumenthal>You need to sell.

00:17:55.080 --> 00:17:56.384
<v Emily Blumenthal>That's the whole point.

00:17:57.365 --> 00:18:01.859
<v Emily Blumenthal>If you ever wanted to start a handbag brand and didn't know where to start, this is for you.

00:18:01.859 --> 00:18:07.709
<v Emily Blumenthal>If you had dreams of becoming a handbag designer but aren't trained in design, this is for you.

00:18:07.709 --> 00:18:12.344
<v Emily Blumenthal>If you have a handbag brand and need strategy and direction, this is for you.

00:18:12.344 --> 00:18:20.958
<v Emily Blumenthal>I'm Emily Blumenthal, handbag designer expert and handbag fairy godmother, and this is the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass.

00:18:20.958 --> 00:18:28.042
<v Emily Blumenthal>Over the next 10 classes, I will break down everything you need to know to make, manufacture and market a handbag brand.

00:18:28.042 --> 00:18:37.467
<v Emily Blumenthal>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.

00:18:37.467 --> 00:18:48.644
<v Emily Blumenthal>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 Awards and created the only handbag designer podcast.

00:18:48.644 --> 00:18:55.196
<v Emily Blumenthal>I'm going to show you like I have countless brands to create in this in-depth course, from sketch to sample to sale.

00:18:55.196 --> 00:19:05.377
<v Emily Blumenthal>Whether you're just starting out and don't even know where to start or begin, or if you had a brand and need some strategic direction, the handbag designer 101 masterclass is just for you.

00:19:05.377 --> 00:19:09.236
<v Emily Blumenthal>So let's get started and you'll be the creator of the next it Bag.

00:19:09.236 --> 00:19:13.585
<v Emily Blumenthal>Join me, emily Blumenthal, in the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass.

00:19:13.585 --> 00:19:25.618
<v Emily Blumenthal>So be sure to sign up at emilyblumenthalcom slash masterclass and type in the code PINECAST to get 10% off your masterclass today.

00:19:29.786 --> 00:19:32.289
<v Emily Blumenthal>There was an incredible store and I don't even know if you're aware.

00:19:32.289 --> 00:19:33.738
<v Emily Blumenthal>There was a store called Verve.

00:19:33.738 --> 00:19:37.547
<v Emily Blumenthal>That was on Bleeker and everybody got their story.

00:19:37.547 --> 00:19:47.865
<v Emily Blumenthal>There's right there Minkoff did, monica did, bakir did Like if I could find Steve Ginsburg and get him on, and you know the stories that he had with designers.

00:19:47.865 --> 00:19:55.721
<v Emily Blumenthal>Like you know, he told me this, he told me this, but like how Rebecca Minkoff had shipped to him and he called her up and said come and see this.

00:19:55.721 --> 00:19:59.715
<v Emily Blumenthal>And she came and said listen, I'm not going to pay you.

00:19:59.715 --> 00:20:03.519
<v Emily Blumenthal>I want you to see how I receive your bag and the merchandise.

00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:06.542
<v Emily Blumenthal>I'm going to pack this up, I'm going to show you how this should look.

00:20:06.542 --> 00:20:09.306
<v Emily Blumenthal>Take it back and reship it to me and then I'll pay you.

00:20:09.306 --> 00:20:13.371
<v Emily Blumenthal>You know, I know, you know, and that's the thing.

00:20:13.371 --> 00:20:21.441
<v Emily Blumenthal>And well, he's in my book but like the store is no longer there because it just became prohibitive, he's like the you know industries change, blah blah blah.

00:20:21.461 --> 00:20:24.747
<v Jill Manoff>But this whole notion of being designers are just like emerging bags, specifically.

00:20:25.468 --> 00:20:26.911
<v Emily Blumenthal>And emerging bags.

00:20:26.911 --> 00:20:28.192
<v Emily Blumenthal>I, I mean, he was a bag store.

00:20:28.192 --> 00:20:31.601
<v Emily Blumenthal>They had shoes too, they had jewelry, but they had two.

00:20:31.601 --> 00:20:32.984
<v Emily Blumenthal>One was shoes, one was bags.

00:20:32.984 --> 00:20:34.650
<v Emily Blumenthal>But he had said was.

00:20:35.412 --> 00:20:36.575
<v Emily Blumenthal>So it was sage advice.

00:20:36.575 --> 00:20:45.214
<v Emily Blumenthal>Like you're a handbag designer, you are not monet, you are not renoir, you want people to come at van gogh.

00:20:45.214 --> 00:20:49.998
<v Emily Blumenthal>He said van gogh, you want people to come in and buy your bag again and again and again.

00:20:49.998 --> 00:20:53.440
<v Emily Blumenthal>It's not supposed to be art, it's supposed to be used and wearable.

00:20:53.440 --> 00:21:10.892
<v Emily Blumenthal>So it's one thing if you're buying a Chanel bag and holding on to it, like Christina Ricci did for her divorce, to use it as collateral to pay, but it's another thing that if you're buying something, it has to cover you know and check the US fees the unique selling points of what you need to use it in your day to day life.

00:21:10.892 --> 00:21:12.692
<v Emily Blumenthal>So it's supposed to.

00:21:12.732 --> 00:21:20.147
<v Emily Blumenthal>And, by the way, the brand and it was killing me, it's called Open A-U-P-E-N, the slanted bag.

00:21:20.147 --> 00:21:22.977
<v Emily Blumenthal>Yeah, all the celebrities are wearing, thank you.

00:21:22.977 --> 00:21:36.513
<v Emily Blumenthal>But the fact is, and to that point about that brand, a bag like that would never have worked pre-pandemic, because novelty aspect is so hot right now.

00:21:36.513 --> 00:21:50.156
<v Emily Blumenthal>Yes, it is like people want fun, they want whimsy, but it still needs to have a structure and a functionality of functionality.

00:21:50.156 --> 00:21:56.127
<v Emily Blumenthal>So it's, I feel like, if done strategically, there's so many opportunities for the industry, for designers, to get out of this.

00:21:56.127 --> 00:22:00.519
<v Emily Blumenthal>Like super max, you know, tj Maxx, tk Maxx glut of like we're selling the mass.

00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:05.758
<v Emily Blumenthal>Like there is an opportunity for uniqueness and innovation and individuality.

00:22:05.758 --> 00:22:08.263
<v Emily Blumenthal>And like stop doing what everybody else did.

00:22:08.263 --> 00:22:11.181
<v Emily Blumenthal>Like not, but not I love that you're seeing this in handbags.

00:22:11.275 --> 00:22:11.959
<v Jill Manoff>I mean random.

00:22:11.959 --> 00:22:14.615
<v Jill Manoff>But I was just talking to Tony King, king and Partners.

00:22:14.615 --> 00:22:18.859
<v Jill Manoff>They do branding for skims and luxury brands kind of across the board.

00:22:18.859 --> 00:22:20.279
<v Jill Manoff>I was like what's out?

00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:27.067
<v Jill Manoff>He was like, basically, like the clean, the minimal, like that's going out.

00:22:27.067 --> 00:22:35.528
<v Jill Manoff>People want charm, they want an extra element that sparks interest more than like yes, let's bring that back, yes, please.

00:22:35.528 --> 00:22:39.443
<v Jill Manoff>I mean, how can you have fashion with a capital F, which I am a fan of?

00:22:39.904 --> 00:22:40.887
<v Emily Blumenthal>with all this minimalism.

00:22:40.887 --> 00:22:51.285
<v Emily Blumenthal>No, it's true, and you know I speak a lot about the history of the handbag and you know timing and so forth and people are sick of hearing me talk about this.

00:22:51.285 --> 00:22:57.726
<v Emily Blumenthal>But post-Spanish flu came the flapper era and the bags.

00:22:57.726 --> 00:22:59.429
<v Emily Blumenthal>They had no structure.

00:22:59.429 --> 00:23:10.742
<v Emily Blumenthal>You know, the zipper had just been invented but really hadn't been used and people were taking things you know again, diy, taking stuff from their home and developing things that were fun.

00:23:10.742 --> 00:23:14.938
<v Emily Blumenthal>You know, the pockets and women's clothes really weren't part of the story yet.

00:23:14.938 --> 00:23:26.079
<v Emily Blumenthal>So people wanted novelty, they wanted something to dress up that you know outfit that stopped having the seams and stopped having everything to bind you in, because they just wanted to let loose and be happy.

00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:28.727
<v Emily Blumenthal>Yeah, so that's the opportunity right now.

00:23:28.727 --> 00:23:30.400
<v Emily Blumenthal>Let's have some fun.

00:23:30.875 --> 00:23:34.778
<v Jill Manoff>I mean speaking of the men's bag stories, all those LVMH bags.

00:23:34.778 --> 00:23:36.881
<v Jill Manoff>I mean they're bright yellow, they're bright red.

00:23:36.881 --> 00:23:38.561
<v Jill Manoff>Hallelujah, I like that.

00:23:39.123 --> 00:23:45.087
<v Emily Blumenthal>Yeah, but no, purple, purple never sells, really, oh, I hate purple, I hate it.

00:23:45.229 --> 00:23:47.211
<v Jill Manoff>I hate all purple bags.

00:23:47.211 --> 00:23:47.911
<v Jill Manoff>It looks good on me.

00:23:47.911 --> 00:23:48.491
<v Jill Manoff>It's flattering.

00:23:54.836 --> 00:24:02.078
<v Emily Blumenthal>Well, you know the funny thing, and I had the same conversation with said Steve of verb VIP, not Steve, the store, not him Hopefully he's alive Be awful.

00:24:02.078 --> 00:24:10.501
<v Emily Blumenthal>But this premise of adding the bag or adding a product to your collection, that is your editorial piece, it's the piece you have in the window.

00:24:10.501 --> 00:24:22.720
<v Emily Blumenthal>But ensuring that you know within your collection you still have the sellable colors, you know your blacks, your browns, neutral is now a shockingly a hot color, which to me is like.

00:24:22.720 --> 00:24:42.550
<v Emily Blumenthal>But you know when your bags obviously need to be the same price and if you're buying less quantity of a color, you're going to have to deal with the backlog and negotiating with the factory that your purple bag is going to have to cost the exact same amount of your black bag when you're ordering less.

00:24:42.550 --> 00:24:47.424
<v Emily Blumenthal>So, like one way or another, it has to be fiscally viable to even be creative.

00:24:47.505 --> 00:24:50.401
<v Jill Manoff>Now, oh my God, Got to find your audience.

00:24:50.401 --> 00:24:55.984
<v Jill Manoff>I feel like it's somehow get that purple bag in front of the Depop shopper who's liking purple and butterflies.

00:24:55.984 --> 00:25:00.442
<v Jill Manoff>So all this look.

00:25:00.442 --> 00:25:01.525
<v Jill Manoff>I don't know what you call it.

00:25:01.704 --> 00:25:03.167
<v Emily Blumenthal>Y2K, oh my God.

00:25:03.167 --> 00:25:08.461
<v Emily Blumenthal>Y3k at this point, oh my gosh, the crowds are cycling.

00:25:08.461 --> 00:25:09.957
<v Emily Blumenthal>I don't know, I know.

00:25:09.957 --> 00:25:22.221
<v Emily Blumenthal>What do you think about what's going on in terms of retail, and like bags being sold, and like which retailers do you think, in your opinion, are like ahead of the curve and really standing out in terms of newness and innovation?

00:25:22.221 --> 00:25:23.305
<v Emily Blumenthal>Do you have thoughts on that?

00:25:23.815 --> 00:25:25.640
<v Jill Manoff>Oh, my gosh, this is hard.

00:25:25.640 --> 00:25:32.345
<v Jill Manoff>Like you said, I've been talking a lot of designers and it's wild to me the state of who wants to work with retailers and they've all.

00:25:32.345 --> 00:25:40.461
<v Jill Manoff>First of all, they've been rubbed wrong during the pandemic all those canceled orders, and now I would just assume that the power is shifted to the brand.

00:25:40.461 --> 00:25:44.136
<v Jill Manoff>But no, it doesn't necessarily seem like that and this is not a bag designer.

00:25:44.136 --> 00:25:47.103
<v Jill Manoff>But I was talking to Amy Smilovic at Tibby.

00:25:47.103 --> 00:25:50.088
<v Jill Manoff>Oh my God, he doesn't sell it no longer.

00:25:50.088 --> 00:25:53.224
<v Jill Manoff>She used to sell at a single department store in North America.

00:25:53.224 --> 00:25:54.580
<v Jill Manoff>She sells internationally.

00:25:54.580 --> 00:25:59.247
<v Jill Manoff>She sells maybe some specialty stores and she has retail partners, but it doesn't work for her.

00:25:59.375 --> 00:26:16.299
<v Jill Manoff>The margins, all the things but I mean you've mentioned them on this podcast with, like launching bays and launching it's such a good launchpad Nordstrom still like I'm hearing that still and it's interesting that Bayes I know you've also had on the show Erin Luo from Kara.

00:26:16.299 --> 00:26:35.045
<v Jill Manoff>But like a lot of the things that you mentioned that were like people see as differentiators and probably because they're hearing it from a celebrity, shay Mitchell are things that Kara has been doing all the time with the little extra zip pocket for your shoes and the extra little bag and I'm like, but they don't have a celebrity attached, so maybe it hasn't been shouted from the rooftops.

00:26:35.045 --> 00:26:37.098
<v Jill Manoff>But anyway, worsham is doing good things.

00:26:37.098 --> 00:26:39.243
<v Jill Manoff>I don't know who else Nobody's coming to mind.

00:26:40.205 --> 00:26:51.101
<v Emily Blumenthal>The worst Isn't that why I don't think it's the worst, I think it's relative to what's going on in the industry.

00:26:51.101 --> 00:27:03.920
<v Emily Blumenthal>You know like it's so hard to, and this is why I always say people should not sleep on boutiques, they should not sleep on specialty stores, because they'll pay you up front, you know they'll pay, you can do events with them, you can show up, you can do limited edition for them, for their audience.

00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:18.221
<v Emily Blumenthal>And I think this construct of the influencer is so, in my opinion, misguided when you can get the influencer that shops in that specialty store, who has a circle of friends who what they wear is what sells.

00:27:18.221 --> 00:27:26.980
<v Emily Blumenthal>I mean, you're in St Louis now and, like you said, there you were in this one store that happened to have this Metier bag that must be there for a reason, like that's not an accident.

00:27:26.980 --> 00:27:31.422
<v Emily Blumenthal>So somebody somewhere told the buyer, the owner, I love this bag, get it in.

00:27:31.422 --> 00:27:34.537
<v Emily Blumenthal>And I doubt they bought only one, no doubt.

00:27:34.676 --> 00:27:42.106
<v Jill Manoff>And you're so right, I keep hearing about the power of the specialty store more and more and more from brands who are selling and it's kind of a dirty word, almost to say wholesale.

00:27:42.106 --> 00:27:44.544
<v Jill Manoff>They're like, well, specialty stores, I'm like retail partners.

00:27:44.544 --> 00:27:45.936
<v Jill Manoff>Yeah, that's probably what it is.

00:27:45.936 --> 00:27:51.366
<v Jill Manoff>Oh, and you see the power, like you said, of the specialty store here.

00:27:51.366 --> 00:28:00.276
<v Jill Manoff>There's an area in St Louis suburb called Ledoux.

00:28:00.276 --> 00:28:05.125
<v Jill Manoff>They're at the fancy Plaza Frontenac Mall, but there are many small boutiques where it's run by a local tastemaker in the community.

00:28:05.125 --> 00:28:09.757
<v Jill Manoff>She is her creation, her stamp up, approval and they do a great business.

00:28:09.757 --> 00:28:13.546
<v Jill Manoff>I used to be a stylist here and go in and find the most unique, fun things.

00:28:13.546 --> 00:28:15.137
<v Jill Manoff>It's a fun shopping experience.

00:28:15.137 --> 00:28:18.626
<v Jill Manoff>That curation still matters when everything again is an algorithm.

00:28:19.796 --> 00:28:20.557
<v Emily Blumenthal>Yeah, for sure.

00:28:20.557 --> 00:28:52.124
<v Emily Blumenthal>Now, I was in Columbus last year, like in October, november, and like they're a handful of boutiques that are beautiful and you know, the bags they have were designers, like two which I'd never heard of, and whenever that happens I'm like going on Instagram like looking them up, like, oh, this one is from you know, this country and this one's local and you know, having that group and diversification of designers, and I always tell brands like look locally, go locally, invest locally.

00:28:52.124 --> 00:28:56.877
<v Emily Blumenthal>They want to invest in you and where so many designers want to.

00:28:56.877 --> 00:29:05.816
<v Emily Blumenthal>You know I'm working with one designer who was going on and on how she never wants to produce abroad because she wants to go to the factory and wants to be part of the design and the story.

00:29:05.816 --> 00:29:10.463
<v Emily Blumenthal>And if there's a problem which you know obviously adds to their time and labor costs.

00:29:10.525 --> 00:29:18.457
<v Emily Blumenthal>But boutiques and specialty stores are no different they would prefer to work with local designers because, guess what, it's the same thing If they sell.

00:29:18.457 --> 00:29:37.663
<v Emily Blumenthal>Well, there's a great designer who came through the handbag awards called Sage Aubrey, who is, oh my gosh, I think she's out of New Mexico no, it's not Arizona, I'm pretty sure it's New Mexico and she's become this hometown hero and her business has been able to sustain itself and now she's like a person of interest and can speak to.

00:29:37.663 --> 00:29:41.182
<v Emily Blumenthal>You know, women empowerment, and that's really what it's about.

00:29:41.743 --> 00:29:42.828
<v Jill Manoff>That's fantastic.

00:29:42.828 --> 00:29:43.913
<v Jill Manoff>It's tough.

00:29:43.913 --> 00:29:53.306
<v Jill Manoff>If I was a designer, I would definitely be weighing all of the distribution channels and where I wouldn't sell, because we also had a podcast today with the.

00:29:53.306 --> 00:29:57.339
<v Jill Manoff>There's a brand that was built on faux fur coats called Aperi.

00:29:57.339 --> 00:29:59.997
<v Jill Manoff>Yeah, so cute.

00:30:00.190 --> 00:30:11.115
<v Emily Blumenthal>But she had this great quote and had the yellow one and you know the bright colored coats that people I always tell people like, don't forget about the bright colors, people want that.

00:30:11.655 --> 00:30:12.417
<v Jill Manoff>Statement.

00:30:12.417 --> 00:30:13.219
<v Jill Manoff>I love it.

00:30:13.219 --> 00:30:20.577
<v Jill Manoff>She said something like there's the awareness and the I guess notoriety.

00:30:20.577 --> 00:30:27.118
<v Jill Manoff>You want alignment with other luxury brands but being in stores like Saks and Bloomingdale's out of the gate.

00:30:27.118 --> 00:30:34.824
<v Jill Manoff>She just said we couldn't have achieved that presence and growth that we did in retail via our DTC channels.

00:30:34.824 --> 00:30:40.160
<v Jill Manoff>It would have taken years and it took months and it was so instrumental to the growth of the business.

00:30:40.250 --> 00:30:47.383
<v Jill Manoff>And I was like, yeah, I could see that Then also, we all know the struggle of meeting the minimums or being able to meet retailers.

00:30:47.910 --> 00:30:51.200
<v Emily Blumenthal>So wait, they went DTC first or they went to the big stores first.

00:30:51.710 --> 00:30:56.041
<v Jill Manoff>They went they started at Bloomingdale's and then they saw it wasn't an exclusive in any way.

00:30:56.041 --> 00:31:00.231
<v Jill Manoff>So then, immediately after getting Bloomingdale's, they're like, well, if they like us, others will like us.

00:31:00.231 --> 00:31:00.993
<v Jill Manoff>And so then they went.

00:31:00.993 --> 00:31:09.084
<v Jill Manoff>They basically like pitched themselves to Saks, saks picked them up, and then they ended up at a lot of stores Nordstrom, and now they're at like Elise Walker, and now they're everywhere.

00:31:09.084 --> 00:31:12.145
<v Jill Manoff>But now they're trying to pull back BTC, now that they've got that course.

00:31:12.346 --> 00:31:14.247
<v Emily Blumenthal>Of course, why not?

00:31:14.247 --> 00:31:15.248
<v Emily Blumenthal>I should keep the markup.

00:31:15.248 --> 00:31:16.728
<v Emily Blumenthal>No one else should Screw that.

00:31:16.728 --> 00:31:18.271
<v Emily Blumenthal>It's so funny.

00:31:18.271 --> 00:31:23.751
<v Emily Blumenthal>After working with all these designers, I actually created a masterclass and it's on my site.

00:31:23.751 --> 00:31:53.963
<v Emily Blumenthal>Truly, and this isn't really a plug, but it was really one of those things that, after having worked with so many designers and teaching for so long that it's like there's so much knowledge that is missing before you even, should get out of the gate, like understanding your customer, understanding the landscape, understanding what stores do, what, befriending the owners of the boutiques, talking to them, finding out what sells, finding out what they don't like, before you come in trying to, like you know, split the atom that didn't need to be split.

00:31:54.585 --> 00:31:57.940
<v Jill Manoff>Yes, so many people get above their like, over their skis or whatever.

00:31:57.940 --> 00:32:12.820
<v Jill Manoff>Charles Harb is an amazing designer and he basically is going at it like round two, like he was picked up and accepted by Vogue and and I heard the whole fashion community embraced him and he was in this crazy bro at a very young age and dressing.

00:32:12.820 --> 00:32:15.317
<v Jill Manoff>I think it came out of a dress that was in Vogue.

00:32:15.317 --> 00:32:20.696
<v Jill Manoff>I think I have the story wrong, but the fact of the matter is gangbusters, growth and he didn't have investors.

00:32:20.696 --> 00:32:28.810
<v Jill Manoff>He was basically I don't know struggling and not making ends meet as he's seeing all the success and killing himself, and so he took time on.

00:32:28.832 --> 00:32:39.297
<v Jill Manoff>He just stepped away and he has recently come back and he's basically doing it your way, where it's like, let me learn my customer, and he's doing a lot of custom work and he is maybe he's not doing a huge show at fashion week.

00:32:39.297 --> 00:32:44.174
<v Jill Manoff>He sets up shop in like almost like a market meeting where a lot of people come and influencers.

00:32:44.174 --> 00:32:49.682
<v Jill Manoff>I'm such a fan and he's so passionate about what he does and he just is like I want to do this, but I want to do it my way.

00:32:49.682 --> 00:32:51.503
<v Jill Manoff>He's very like.

00:32:51.503 --> 00:32:53.632
<v Jill Manoff>He says that a lot and he's doing it his way.

00:32:53.632 --> 00:32:55.476
<v Jill Manoff>It's awesome.

00:32:56.076 --> 00:33:00.492
<v Emily Blumenthal>Yeah, I think it's one of those things that if you're going to go about it, you should go about it.

00:33:00.492 --> 00:33:09.384
<v Emily Blumenthal>It's like work smarter, not harder, and I think the ego that's involved with saying I'm a designer and I'm a brand owner, I'm an entrepreneur, I'm doing it all.

00:33:09.384 --> 00:33:23.580
<v Emily Blumenthal>It's a bucket of BS and we all know that, because either you're going to overspend just for an image or you're going to overspend trying to get to places where you shouldn't be, because growing too fast, too soon and you know it's having had kids and walking my son.

00:33:23.580 --> 00:33:24.711
<v Emily Blumenthal>This happened with my boys.

00:33:24.711 --> 00:33:30.663
<v Emily Blumenthal>It didn't happen with my daughter them complaining that their legs were hurting, and with my first one I didn't think about it.

00:33:30.663 --> 00:33:36.911
<v Emily Blumenthal>My second one I said oh, I get it.

00:33:36.911 --> 00:33:37.893
<v Emily Blumenthal>And it's growing pains.

00:33:37.893 --> 00:33:40.077
<v Emily Blumenthal>It's physical pains of your body growing and the bones growing and it's painful.

00:33:40.097 --> 00:33:42.462
<v Emily Blumenthal>And if there are ways to bypass all of that, why wouldn't you?

00:33:42.462 --> 00:33:46.559
<v Emily Blumenthal>You know that's why I'm reading your stories on the daily.

00:33:46.559 --> 00:33:48.794
<v Emily Blumenthal>You know that's why I'm reading your stories on the daily.

00:33:48.794 --> 00:33:50.518
<v Emily Blumenthal>We're all in pain together.

00:33:50.518 --> 00:33:53.663
<v Emily Blumenthal>Yeah, we're all learning the learning curve and so forth.

00:33:53.663 --> 00:34:02.089
<v Emily Blumenthal>I wanted to talk to you a little bit about how you see the evolution, at least in terms of structured handbags, unstructured.

00:34:02.089 --> 00:34:09.155
<v Emily Blumenthal>Do you see any differences or changes from what you're covering or what's even being pitched to you, which I think would be a better insider?

00:34:09.155 --> 00:34:12.170
<v Emily Blumenthal>Like what are the stories that are coming to that you're like good God.

00:34:12.170 --> 00:34:15.103
<v Emily Blumenthal>I've done this already, but I guess it's a trend as a result of that.

00:34:15.784 --> 00:34:16.887
<v Jill Manoff>Yeah, that's exactly it.

00:34:16.887 --> 00:34:21.126
<v Jill Manoff>Like we, I'm always like don't take a pitch and run and tell the story that they want us to tell.

00:34:21.126 --> 00:34:26.027
<v Jill Manoff>Like let's keep it, read them, be aware of what's happening in the industry, what new is coming out.

00:34:26.027 --> 00:34:32.813
<v Jill Manoff>But I'm sure you've talked about this a lot Like, obviously, TikTok and social media are having a big influence on what's taking off.

00:34:32.813 --> 00:34:35.947
<v Jill Manoff>I just see everything becoming fashion meets function.

00:34:35.947 --> 00:34:39.550
<v Jill Manoff>We're seeing a lot of the belt bags and the crossbody bags, of course.

00:34:39.550 --> 00:34:41.492
<v Jill Manoff>But we're seeing a lot of the belt bags and the crossbody bags, of course.

00:34:41.492 --> 00:34:49.121
<v Jill Manoff>But you're seeing this popularized on social media based on it's almost like what's in my bag, but there's this new trend it's like see what can fit in my bag.

00:34:52.664 --> 00:34:54.148
<v Emily Blumenthal>They want to fit a lot of stuff into it, which is really interesting to me.

00:34:54.148 --> 00:34:59.159
<v Emily Blumenthal>I saw the Uniqlo, the Uniqlo bag that everybody's knocking off, that same one, look and everything that they're showing the clips of.

00:34:59.159 --> 00:35:04.851
<v Emily Blumenthal>It's like a Chanel wallet and a Louis this and a Louis that, but I got it at Uniqlo, you know.

00:35:05.293 --> 00:35:11.411
<v Jill Manoff>Everybody's backing it up and some like H&M version is like $2 less and I'm like I guess that people are very, very budget conscious.

00:35:11.411 --> 00:35:12.353
<v Jill Manoff>They'll get the H&M one.

00:35:12.353 --> 00:35:13.416
<v Jill Manoff>It's very strange.

00:35:13.416 --> 00:35:28.784
<v Jill Manoff>No-transcript.

00:35:28.784 --> 00:35:37.630
<v Jill Manoff>Maybe the backpack's making a return, but more about function and fashion, and I love a structured bag personally, so I want that to be popular.

00:35:37.771 --> 00:36:00.128
<v Emily Blumenthal>But well, I think you know, and just retail, anthropologically speaking, when the market is bad, structured bags always make a comeback and just as a result, psychologically we want to hold on to everything, we want everything in order and then, when the market gets a little better, backpacks take a dip because we don't need to see what's behind us.

00:36:00.128 --> 00:36:02.869
<v Emily Blumenthal>We're going forward, we wear soft.

00:36:02.869 --> 00:36:11.994
<v Emily Blumenthal>That's why the hobo, the oversized, like you'll see teeny, tiny bags and big oversized bags and things that are just more about whimsy and lack of structure.

00:36:11.994 --> 00:36:17.463
<v Emily Blumenthal>So you know, I think the market's going to have to take a hit before we see those uber structured bags coming back.

00:36:17.463 --> 00:36:28.186
<v Emily Blumenthal>Other than you know the circular economy of saying, look, here's a bag from Coach Pre-Sara Lee, I'm going to get my hands on that where the leather is so dark and the handle is like very.

00:36:28.186 --> 00:36:31.295
<v Emily Blumenthal>You know my first job that I got from my mom.

00:36:34.005 --> 00:36:36.454
<v Jill Manoff>Yes, I love that oversized too.

00:36:36.454 --> 00:36:41.987
<v Jill Manoff>I forgot that one is coming Like I feel like it's trending, I mean, obviously, at the men's shows.

00:36:41.987 --> 00:36:46.567
<v Jill Manoff>I always regret that I didn't get my hands on it, but there was a really fun one that was really huge.

00:36:46.567 --> 00:36:51.016
<v Jill Manoff>That was Axel Arigato and it was a collaboration with Mulberry and it was huge.

00:36:51.016 --> 00:36:53.568
<v Jill Manoff>But anyway, it's a sneaker brand and so very fun.

00:36:53.568 --> 00:36:58.856
<v Jill Manoff>But also you see, that new Bottega clutch which is old, over it's like nostalgia.

00:36:58.856 --> 00:37:03.048
<v Jill Manoff>It definitely reads like something my mom had in the 90s or I had in the 90s.

00:37:03.048 --> 00:37:07.016
<v Jill Manoff>I'm old, but that is definitely lard for a touch.

00:37:07.016 --> 00:37:18.596
<v Jill Manoff>So I think, I don't know, oversize is having a moment for some reason and I had that line in that story about basically bigger bags are more expensive, so maybe it's strategic.

00:37:18.836 --> 00:37:19.798
<v Emily Blumenthal>On the part of the industry.

00:37:19.798 --> 00:37:28.556
<v Emily Blumenthal>Yeah, I know, if I can quote Will Ferrell from I Don't Remember which Movie, or maybe it was an SNL skit strategery, that's what it's about.

00:37:28.556 --> 00:37:30.809
<v Emily Blumenthal>I love that.

00:37:30.809 --> 00:37:34.673
<v Emily Blumenthal>Yeah, I think he was mocking Bush Bush Jr for that.

00:37:34.673 --> 00:37:36.846
<v Emily Blumenthal>It's all about strategery, jill.

00:37:36.846 --> 00:37:39.070
<v Emily Blumenthal>This has been so enlightening.

00:37:39.070 --> 00:37:45.952
<v Emily Blumenthal>I would love to have you back, just because this is like we might as well have been drinking tea or cocktails.

00:37:45.952 --> 00:37:59.166
<v Emily Blumenthal>You know to clank the screen, tell everybody how we can find you, follow you everything glossy, and I think we're going to have to have you back to continue talking about trends and so forth, because men's bags oversize.

00:37:59.166 --> 00:38:02.394
<v Emily Blumenthal>That's just the tip of the clutch, if you will Totally.

00:38:02.434 --> 00:38:03.356
<v Jill Manoff>I would love to come back.

00:38:03.356 --> 00:38:04.610
<v Jill Manoff>This was so, so fun.

00:38:04.610 --> 00:38:06.693
<v Jill Manoff>And yes, don't follow me, follow Glossy.

00:38:06.693 --> 00:38:14.054
<v Jill Manoff>We're at Glossy Co on Instagram, linkedin, all the things and come to our events and check out the Glossy podcast.

00:38:14.054 --> 00:38:20.617
<v Jill Manoff>We have a weekly podcast with, again, a founder or a C-suite executive on Wednesdays, again a founder or a C-suite executive on Wednesdays, and then on Fridays we do the Week in Review podcast.

00:38:20.617 --> 00:38:28.490
<v Jill Manoff>Just kind of highlights three big stories of the week that we may not have had time to talk about in a story during the week, but it's just something that was noteworthy.

00:38:29.112 --> 00:38:32.867
<v Emily Blumenthal>Oh my gosh, thank you, thank you, thank you, and we will be seeing you soon.

00:38:32.867 --> 00:38:33.809
<v Emily Blumenthal>Thanks.

00:38:33.809 --> 00:38:35.052
<v Emily Blumenthal>Thanks, too.

00:38:35.052 --> 00:38:35.132
<v Emily Blumenthal>Bye.

00:38:35.132 --> 00:38:38.579
<v Emily Blumenthal>Thanks for listening.

00:38:38.579 --> 00:38:44.831
<v Emily Blumenthal>Don't forget to rate and review, and follow us on every single platform, at handbag designer.

00:38:44.831 --> 00:38:45.132
<v Emily Blumenthal>Thanks so much.

00:38:45.132 --> 00:38:45.855
<v Emily Blumenthal>See you next time.