The Making of Anima Iris Handbags from Grief to Glamour

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<v Speaker 1>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 Speaker 1>Welcome, will Glory Tanshung of Anima Iris to Handbag Designer 101, the podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>I have never been so excited to have someone that I've spoken to so much over the phone but never face to face, so I feel like this is like a first handbag date.

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<v Speaker 1>So welcome and nice to meet you again.

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<v Speaker 2>Nice to meet you too.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm so happy to be here.

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<v Speaker 1>This is amazing.

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<v Speaker 1>So your story.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh nice, honk, right, yeah, she.

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<v Speaker 1>But Gloria is sitting outside right now in a really cool background.

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<v Speaker 1>So much I'm in New York City.

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<v Speaker 1>I thought that was a fake background, but it's not.

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<v Speaker 1>Which is even funnier when are you right now?

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<v Speaker 1>What is the background?

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I'm in New York.

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<v Speaker 1>Funnier when are you right now?

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<v Speaker 1>What is the background?

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I'm in New York.

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<v Speaker 1>No, but like what neighborhood?

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<v Speaker 1>Oh, in Brooklyn.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh, okay, that, all right, that clears that up, because you can see the Williamsburg Bridge from my window.

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<v Speaker 1>So there you go.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, you know, when you're in New York, you take pride in being able to identify streets, and I'm like I can't figure out where you are.

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<v Speaker 2>So that's why, yeah, real new yorkers actually know exactly where everything is and it's always so good to me.

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<v Speaker 2>I actually was working with one of my friends who like, born and raised in new york, to find a tennis court because you know, we're getting ready to shoot our tennis handbag collection launch, or just our collection and he like knew of all these tennis courts and I'm like, how do you know these things?

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<v Speaker 2>And he knew where they were and it was just like mind-blowing to me because even like where I grew up, I could not really tell you much about where everything is.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, but yeah yeah, no, it's.

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<v Speaker 1>It's funny.

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<v Speaker 1>I had a friend visiting and she just kept saying what street she was on and I'm like, but what's the cross street?

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<v Speaker 1>She?

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<v Speaker 1>She's like across from what?

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<v Speaker 1>And I said I need to know where you are, because telling me the street tells me nothing.

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<v Speaker 1>Is it uptown, downtown?

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<v Speaker 1>You know they gave names in Brooklyn, like there's a grand street in both.

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<v Speaker 1>Like work with me here.

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<v Speaker 1>But I was drawn to your story other than you know how animated you are on social and how you're such a personality almost comparable to your handbag brand.

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<v Speaker 1>I feel like you both are your own property.

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<v Speaker 1>But you started your handbag brand in business school and I did that too, and I did it vintage year.

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<v Speaker 1>So it doesn't even count comparably to what you were doing, because when I started, entrepreneurship was kind of like an accidental course, and now it's major and now everything.

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<v Speaker 1>But I feel like school is such a value-added property that people don't seem to recognize that you can take advantage of so much of what the school is providing that it's more than just getting another degree.

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<v Speaker 1>It's that you're getting help building a nascent brand into something that actually has an opportunity to become a real player, like I was going to my accounting professor and being like, how do you help me with a balance sheet?

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<v Speaker 1>How do I break out, you know, this versus that?

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<v Speaker 1>And in my marketing class I'm like, okay, work with me on market research to determine what the threshold of price point and demographic and so forth.

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<v Speaker 1>And when I saw you doing that, not only did I love you and your product, but I'm like she's a clever bunny because she just gets it.

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<v Speaker 2>That's it.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, you know, I thought business school was going to be like that and very just, to be like, very honest.

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<v Speaker 2>I am such a transparent and honest person and I really tried to just tell my truth and what my experience was was not the Warby Parker experience, nope, right.

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<v Speaker 2>So you know the story of Warby Parker.

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<v Speaker 2>It was founded during their time in business school.

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<v Speaker 2>They all found each other in business school.

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<v Speaker 2>There was a problem that they wanted to solve and, you know, their professors were really excited.

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<v Speaker 2>In comparison, I actually recall reaching out to a lot of different professors who just wouldn't even email me back, wouldn't even email me back, and then a lot of classes that I did take weren't necessarily helpful.

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<v Speaker 2>Because the thing about Warren, it's a very quantitative program, right, and in order to leverage all of these equations that we're doing to find you know, how should you price a product, all of these different things you need data.

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<v Speaker 2>But in order to have data, you have to have a company.

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<v Speaker 2>For a couple of years, yeah, I had no data right, so I had.

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<v Speaker 2>But in order to have data, you have to have a company.

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<v Speaker 2>For a couple of years, yeah, I had no data right, so I hadn't input in order to get an output, so that wasn't even particularly helpful either.

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<v Speaker 2>So what I actually think, you know, I founded the business about three to four months before I started at Warren, but what I actually think happened was I learned how to build a company by building a company, and I think that's actually the best way to build a company is to actually just start doing it.

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<v Speaker 2>And then, on top of that, I just had like all these other classes that I think one day will be helpful To me.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, but that day just was not unfortunate.

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<v Speaker 2>I was in business school and yeah, and I actually because I wasn't getting help from professors, you know, and to be clear, I did have like two or three professors that really rallied behind me, that really supported me.

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<v Speaker 2>My marketing professor was like amazing, but like I'm always, it's always the marketing professor.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I gotta tell you because, listen, truth be told, like mine was absolutely not a Warby Parker story at all either, and I remember reading the case study.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm like, where are all these people meeting and where are the professors who are calling these scenes?

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<v Speaker 1>And I went to Fordham and I'm like, well, they were.

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<v Speaker 1>I felt like they were just entertaining me because I was such a pain in the ass.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm like, but I need help, who's going to help me?

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<v Speaker 1>So I totally, totally, totally get your story and you're especially starting a handbag brand in business school.

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<v Speaker 1>It's not linear to what anybody else is doing or what they're teaching.

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<v Speaker 1>It's like I can't help you.

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<v Speaker 1>And to that point it's like, how do you look up a word if you don't know how to spell it?

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<v Speaker 1>So what they're asking, you're like, well, I don't know because I don't have that information.

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<v Speaker 1>So I really can't tell you, I don't have those answers.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I mean, you know, getting help is hard, and I think the one thing that was most disappointing for me is that I really tried to get help in my first year.

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<v Speaker 2>I really tried after I realized that, you know, I would have to perhaps be more creative in the help that I do get because of where my company is and it's like it's not a company that is in the beginning stages right, I don't need to, like, figure out how to acquire my first set of customers.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't need to figure out how to, you know, make my first hundred, two hundred, a thousand dollars.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't need to, you know, learn how to build a website.

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<v Speaker 2>Like I'm way past that stage, but like at that stage that Warren doesn't, at the time at least, didn't have the resources to really help me.

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<v Speaker 2>And so I actually tried to get help all the way to our Dean, our Dean of Warren, and I listed out all of these ideas.

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<v Speaker 2>I had a one on one call with her, and it was really frustrating, because what ended up happening was it was basically just kind of like no, it was like yeah, no, I gave you all these ideas of different ways.

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<v Speaker 2>I feel like I could be supported by this institution and, you know, in the very most political way, as people who lead massive institutions do.

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<v Speaker 2>She told me no, yeah, and I'll never forget that.

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<v Speaker 2>I'll never forget the ways in which Wharton actually was not helpful for me in terms of now.

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<v Speaker 2>The students were amazing, and my peers and the ones that I did lean in and build community with, those are the people that, till this day, continue to support me and rely on and those are the people that I learned from and I'm so grateful for that.

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<v Speaker 1>So I want to just go back because to come up with an idea to start a handbag brand, going into a second round of school not your first, you know was this something that you always had rainbow fairy and unicorn dreams of?

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<v Speaker 1>I want to be a handbag designer.

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<v Speaker 1>Or I'm creative, or it was like you know what number child are you first?

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<v Speaker 1>I always need to find that out, that's.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm telling you everything that's true about middle children is literally me.

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<v Speaker 1>Because the middle child, the Rebecca Minkoff, said this about her brother they're either hustlers or high.

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<v Speaker 1>She said her middle brother's a hyphen and I said, well, middle children are either hustlers or hyphens.

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<v Speaker 1>They're either hustlers or hyphen.

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<v Speaker 1>She said her middle brother's a hyphen and I said, well, middle children are either hustlers or hyphens.

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<v Speaker 1>They're either the ones who disappear and fall into the woodwork or the ones who go kicking and screaming may move far away.

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<v Speaker 1>They're doing big and wild things, because number one colors between the lines and number three is just making a scene.

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<v Speaker 2>So you were number two then huh, oh, I'm definitely the hustlerler and I've always been that way, like, just you know, always going above and beyond.

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<v Speaker 2>I remember I wrote a book in high school.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I wrote yeah, I wrote a book in college and I ended up being published when I was like my first or second year in college and my mom was just kind of like, okay, great, yeah, and you're like my siblings are doing.

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<v Speaker 2>You know what I mean it?

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<v Speaker 2>It's like we young, I believe middle children definitely go out of their way to like be the best, and we never get like that much praise.

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<v Speaker 2>Anyway, I mean, you know our parents love us, but, yeah, all the things that are true about middle children is true.

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<v Speaker 2>Are your parents immigrants, though?

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, I would consider my parents to be immigrants, but unfortunately, my mother passed in 2017 when I was in my senior year of college, and that, for me, is actually what like really inspired me to take that leap of faith and build a Nima Iris right?

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<v Speaker 2>Because, like your question about, was this always my dream?

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<v Speaker 2>No, growing up, I'd always loved fashion.

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<v Speaker 2>My mother was very fashionable and she actually used to purchase bags in like Italy and resell them here to like her friends in her community.

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<v Speaker 2>So I think that's really funny because, like, I basically do the same thing now.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you want to hear?

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<v Speaker 1>something crazy.

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<v Speaker 1>A therapist told me not mine, mine.

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<v Speaker 1>A therapist told me years and years ago that, whether we like it or not, we end up following in our parents footsteps, whether it's literal or metaphorical, but there's a way that we end up pulling or extrapolating what they do.

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<v Speaker 1>We end up doing it too, whether we like it or not, so that must have imprinted on you without even being aware.

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<v Speaker 2>I didn't even realize it until I think, like earlier this year, where I was like, oh my gosh, I literally do the same thing my mom does.

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<v Speaker 2>But yeah, her passing at such a young age made me realize that I can't even imagine the life is so short.

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<v Speaker 2>It made me think a lot about what were her passions, what were her dreams.

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<v Speaker 2>Did she achieve her passion?

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<v Speaker 2>Did she achieve her dreams, or did she sacrifice everything for my sisters and I to be able to achieve our passions and dreams?

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<v Speaker 2>And that's why, for me, I'm very, very quick to leave a situation or not do something that I don't want to do.

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<v Speaker 2>That's not serving me, instead of, you know, thugging it out for another year or two years or whatever.

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<v Speaker 2>There's no time to waste in life.

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<v Speaker 2>Tomorrow's not promised Wow, that's deep.

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<v Speaker 1>I can't even imagine.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, here you are a senior in school and then you lose probably your lifeline, and I think that's kind of like a sucker punch to being a strong academic and doing well, and then all of a sudden it reframes what you want to do, how you want to be, what your goals, hopes and dreams are, because then being a great student then doesn't mean anything if you've lost your anchor.

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<v Speaker 1>So then that obviously makes you do some sort of life pivot of like well, okay, I'm not going to do that anymore.

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<v Speaker 1>This is how I want to do it.

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<v Speaker 2>Right and that was the life pivot that happened when I graduated from college right, graduated from college.

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<v Speaker 2>I've been doing all this amazing activism work.

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<v Speaker 2>I was, you know, I started an African dance team.

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<v Speaker 2>Like Princeton actually was the first place.

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<v Speaker 2>I think that I really embraced entrepreneurship because the university always gave me like a ton of money, like I would just be like I need $10,000 to put on this show, and Princeton would be like here you go and you know, they just they just always gave me the funding I needed to build the things I wanted to build, and the things I built always added a lot to the community and I think that was the first time I really experienced entrepreneurship and that's how I learned how to like and support and validation and that your ideas are good.

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<v Speaker 2>All of that.

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<v Speaker 2>And so then, when I went into corporate America you know, it's not even like I really hated the company that I worked at.

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<v Speaker 2>It was more so that I felt that the impact that I am used to having the purpose that my life is used like the feeling of having great purpose that I always had I don't feel like that anymore and that was really difficult for me because I was like wait, wait, what's going on?

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<v Speaker 2>They were really just meant to make money and like not have purpose and impact, and that's why I took time off from work, in addition to, you know, mental health issues and needing to take time off to mourn the passing of my mom.

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<v Speaker 2>All those three things is what then led me to take time off, which led me to the African continent, which led me to create the African Hustle series, where I was documenting all of these young entrepreneurs in Africa and you know so in Ghana and Kenya and Senegal, building all kinds of amazing things.

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<v Speaker 2>And then, when I got to Senegal, I came across artisans making bags and clothes and shoes and I was like this is amazing, and I just started creating for fun.

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<v Speaker 2>I've always been a creative and I always like to say that I didn't go out searching for a Nima Iris.

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<v Speaker 2>A Nima Iris found me, but that's only because I had placed myself in a position to welcome and embrace.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, whatever it was that you know God had next for me.

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<v Speaker 1>So what was it about arriving?

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<v Speaker 1>Had you been to Senegal before?

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<v Speaker 1>No, I never went to Senegal, so you rocked on up to Senegal.

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<v Speaker 1>Right, you get there how?

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<v Speaker 1>Because, the interesting thing, what a lot of people don't know.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean you and I know, but the indigenous art forms, the leather, I mean we just.

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<v Speaker 1>I just had Zeshadu, the founder, on whom I absolutely adore she's from the Handbag Awards, but you know her plight to make sure that people know that Nigeria is a place where you can have manufacturing, like there's so much that goes on within the country that people don't know.

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<v Speaker 1>How were you when you got to Senegal, where you had this aha moment, where you meet these artisans and you're like, oh damn, I could do something.

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<v Speaker 1>Or did it come back to?

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<v Speaker 1>You were like, wait, if I showed them how I wanted this bag done and that bag done, maybe they could do it for me.

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<v Speaker 1>How did you get to that point?

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<v Speaker 2>Right.

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<v Speaker 2>So when I got to Senegal, right, the artisans are making bags, but they're, like, not particularly beautiful because the artisans are majority men.

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<v Speaker 2>Right, it's like handcrafting bags in Senegal it's a man's job.

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<v Speaker 2>It's a man's job, right, and we could talk a lot about how that even got to be, but the fact of the matter is it is men who are making these bags.

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<v Speaker 2>They are not wearing it.

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<v Speaker 2>Right, the people making the bags are also not the people who are the target market, so they don't really know what.

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<v Speaker 2>You know how to make a really beautiful bag that a woman would actually really like, right, that's where I came in, right, so I took their talent and their skills and we merged it with, like, my design capabilities and so, by the time, you know, we came together.

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<v Speaker 2>We created this really beautiful product and we're both looking at it like, wow, this is fire.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, and I'm sitting here like, okay, I saw what you made.

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<v Speaker 2>I didn't really like your bags that you had made.

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<v Speaker 2>You know that you had come up with, but then I saw the bag you made for me and I love it, and I'm thinking I think other people will really love this too, because a lot of people like the way I dress.

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<v Speaker 2>Generally, they always ask you know, where did you get this?

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<v Speaker 2>What did you get that?

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<v Speaker 2>I'm thinking like maybe people will buy these bags from me if I made more of them, and so I did.

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<v Speaker 2>I made like 50 and then took them back to the States.

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<v Speaker 1>But I want to know.

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<v Speaker 1>So, when you got to Senegal, were you traveling by yourself?

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<v Speaker 1>Like, who helped you find said artisan?

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<v Speaker 1>Were you like going for a coffee and you stumbled upon it, like, how did you find this factory or this particular man that we're speaking about?

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<v Speaker 1>How did that happen?

00:16:35.263 --> 00:16:50.664
<v Speaker 2>Yes, so in Dakar there's something called Marche Sumbajun and it's actually like a tourist destination so it's not like hidden by any means and people go in there all the time to actually buy, you know, like little goods and things that you might want to gift to your family and friends when you go back home.

00:16:50.664 --> 00:16:56.077
<v Speaker 2>Or maybe you know, maybe your buckle broke or something you can go to an artist in there to fix it for you.

00:16:56.077 --> 00:17:01.138
<v Speaker 2>Or maybe you want to start a business you can go to an artist in there to start making products for you as well.

00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:04.011
<v Speaker 1>So you were just shopping, were you with a friend.

00:17:04.972 --> 00:17:05.374
<v Speaker 2>I was.

00:17:05.374 --> 00:17:12.825
<v Speaker 2>I was with a designer that we were looking to feature at the time, who you know, showcased Marche's Tsumbijun to me.

00:17:12.884 --> 00:17:16.936
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, so she took you there and pardon my ignorance.

00:17:16.936 --> 00:17:19.623
<v Speaker 1>What is the major language there?

00:17:19.623 --> 00:17:25.362
<v Speaker 1>If you ever wanted to start a handbag brand and didn't know where to start, this is for you.

00:17:25.362 --> 00:17:27.255
<v Speaker 1>If you had dreams of becoming a handbag designer but aren know where to start, this is for you.

00:17:27.255 --> 00:17:31.259
<v Speaker 1>If you had dreams of becoming a handbag designer but aren't trained in design, this is for you.

00:17:31.259 --> 00:17:35.920
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00:17:51.623 --> 00:18:12.160
<v Speaker 1>Broken down to ensure that you will not only skip steps in the Handbag Designer Bible, founded the Handbag Awards and created the only Handbag Designer podcast.

00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:18.757
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00:18:18.757 --> 00:18:28.958
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<v Speaker 1>So let's get started and you'll be the creator of the next it bag.

00:18:32.813 --> 00:18:37.123
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00:18:54.090 --> 00:19:01.585
<v Speaker 2>So it's French, but French is mostly spoken, I would say, by like the upper class in Senegal.

00:19:01.585 --> 00:19:05.559
<v Speaker 2>And then, but everybody in Senegal speaks Wolof.

00:19:05.559 --> 00:19:08.105
<v Speaker 2>That's like the Senegalese.

00:19:08.105 --> 00:19:15.821
<v Speaker 2>You know African language, and so when you are communicating in French, you know, do you speak French?

00:19:15.821 --> 00:19:19.997
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, they speak French, but it's like not perfect French, right.

00:19:19.997 --> 00:19:25.415
<v Speaker 2>So it's like okay, you have like me and my French is like okay, and then like your French, okay.

00:19:25.415 --> 00:19:33.982
<v Speaker 2>And so then we're like both speaking like just okay French and like trying to like, you know, understand each other.

00:19:33.982 --> 00:19:40.838
<v Speaker 2>But after a while you know you really start getting, they started understanding, like what I was really looking for.

00:19:41.130 --> 00:19:47.316
<v Speaker 1>And then you were like here you design this like comme ça, comme ça, like this, like that, yes, exactly, wow.

00:19:47.316 --> 00:20:15.439
<v Speaker 1>So you found this artisan guy with this designer, friend Kamali, whatever, how did you and it's so funny because I totally know what you mean by meeting these artisans and you look at the product and you're like it's all the same, it's all exactly what's to be expected to come out of an African country, like, and it almost breaks your heart because they work so hard.

00:20:15.439 --> 00:20:22.913
<v Speaker 1>And you're like, damn, if, if someone just like give them some direction to create something that would sell their livelihood, the country, the whole.

00:20:22.913 --> 00:20:27.080
<v Speaker 1>You know the ripple effect of what that could do is is wild.

00:20:27.080 --> 00:20:41.182
<v Speaker 1>So what made you because your silhouette is very, very specific and you really haven't deviated, like you have your anchor hero bag what made you decide on that particular silhouette?

00:20:41.182 --> 00:20:43.731
<v Speaker 1>Was it exactly the same from day one?

00:20:43.731 --> 00:20:50.196
<v Speaker 1>I'm so fascinated by the why of this, the how of the story we get into the weeds here.

00:20:50.810 --> 00:20:56.955
<v Speaker 2>One of the first bags I ever made was our Zaria bag, and it was inspired by like.

00:20:57.156 --> 00:21:05.701
<v Speaker 2>I saw this Instagram ad for something that you put like on the back of your phone and it was in the shape of, like you know, hexagon.

00:21:05.701 --> 00:21:14.332
<v Speaker 2>And so I was in the shape of like you know, hexagon and sorry it was in the state it was in the shape of a trapezoid and I was like, wait, this could be like nice as a bag if you just put a handle on it.

00:21:14.332 --> 00:21:21.210
<v Speaker 2>And so I went home that day and I ripped apart a magazine and I built the bag myself.

00:21:21.210 --> 00:21:34.222
<v Speaker 2>I actually have a video that I posted on close friends all the way back then where I built the bag, and then I took it to the artist in the next day and said this is the bag I want you to actually turn into a handbag.

00:21:34.690 --> 00:21:40.143
<v Speaker 2>Now, the most popular bag that we sell today is the Zaza Grand.

00:21:40.143 --> 00:21:47.022
<v Speaker 2>So I initially created that base silhouette, which was a pretty simple, simple, simple silhouette the Zaza bag.

00:21:47.022 --> 00:21:50.136
<v Speaker 2>But then people were saying you know, I want to be able to put my phone in it.

00:21:50.136 --> 00:21:52.672
<v Speaker 2>So I expanded the bag it was so.

00:21:52.672 --> 00:21:53.933
<v Speaker 2>It was a medium-sized bag.

00:21:53.933 --> 00:21:55.257
<v Speaker 2>You could fit your phone in it.

00:21:55.257 --> 00:21:59.270
<v Speaker 2>However, the handle that was on the Zaza.

00:21:59.270 --> 00:22:07.063
<v Speaker 2>That looked great on that bag, as a smaller mini bag did not look good, right, because they, because you need a strap exactly.

00:22:07.323 --> 00:22:10.457
<v Speaker 2>And then that's when I saw this.

00:22:10.798 --> 00:22:33.387
<v Speaker 2>You know, maybe it was like an ad or maybe I was looking through a magazine, I don't recall but I saw this girl in this model and she had a belt that was a rope and the rope was a, and the way the rope was twisted really inspired me and I messaged my artist and I'm like what if we did like a twisted handle?

00:22:33.955 --> 00:22:40.348
<v Speaker 2>And then I took my two like you know, the cords you plug into the wall like an extension cord.

00:22:40.348 --> 00:22:43.884
<v Speaker 2>I literally took, like we had like a very long extension cord.

00:22:43.884 --> 00:22:52.159
<v Speaker 2>I took the extension cord and I twisted it and I was like then I put it like on top of the bag itself so he could really see what I was trying to do.

00:22:52.159 --> 00:22:56.757
<v Speaker 2>Right, with time and iteration we finally figured out like how to do that handle.

00:22:56.757 --> 00:23:12.904
<v Speaker 2>So that handle is so original to a Nima Iris that when I see other people try to like replicate it today, they're not even sure how to do it because they're like how did they even, you know, look like logistically figure out how to make us make this a handle?

00:23:13.426 --> 00:23:20.304
<v Speaker 1>yeah, can I, because your bags, your bags, don't have zippers, they're fold overs, right yeah, a lot of the bags are fold over.

00:23:20.924 --> 00:23:26.143
<v Speaker 2>some of our bags, depending, you know, they do have zippers, like our tote bags and things like that.

00:23:26.143 --> 00:23:28.508
<v Speaker 2>Was that on purpose?

00:23:28.508 --> 00:23:36.903
<v Speaker 2>I think that's just how the design ended up going, and I'm really inspired by shapes and geometry.

00:23:36.903 --> 00:23:45.695
<v Speaker 2>I'm inspired, yeah, and I think, you know, african culture is a big part of my identity, so that naturally inspires me all the time.

00:23:45.695 --> 00:23:49.365
<v Speaker 2>But I'm honestly also inspired by everything that I see every day.

00:23:49.365 --> 00:23:52.539
<v Speaker 2>I mean, it's not, you know, people think that I go to like.

00:23:52.539 --> 00:23:55.678
<v Speaker 2>They're like oh, you're a good designer, so you go to like New York fashion.

00:23:55.678 --> 00:23:58.144
<v Speaker 2>You can gain inspiration and I'm like that's what people do.

00:23:58.144 --> 00:23:59.756
<v Speaker 2>That's not what I do.

00:23:59.756 --> 00:24:17.785
<v Speaker 2>I I like to, you know, walk about the world and I take pictures of things and I reimagine them as bags, but it's like an item that's like not at all synonymous with a bag, but I reimagine it, what it could look like as a bag.

00:24:18.974 --> 00:24:19.675
<v Speaker 1>And I want to.

00:24:19.675 --> 00:24:25.388
<v Speaker 1>You know it's funny again, coming through business school not being a designer by trade.

00:24:25.388 --> 00:24:29.821
<v Speaker 1>I mean, I wrote a whole book about how to become a handbag designer when you're not trained in design.

00:24:29.821 --> 00:24:53.740
<v Speaker 1>That's like literally the DNA of what I do and I think that's why you know creating the Handbag Awards, creating this podcast and being fortunate enough to connect with people like you that your story just so resonates, because I get it and I think there's almost some amazing naivete that works in your best interest when you don't know how things are made.

00:24:53.740 --> 00:25:09.843
<v Speaker 1>You're taking that totally different angle and I teach this that there's a huge gap with design that things have to be made not only to sell but you're designing into somebody's lifestyle.

00:25:09.843 --> 00:25:25.144
<v Speaker 1>I'm sorry I'm using my hands here, but to ensure that you know, taking your product for a test drive, all these simple things, the retail, anthropological elements of your bag to ensure it sells, to make sure it works with who your customer's lifestyle is.

00:25:25.144 --> 00:25:38.902
<v Speaker 1>So I want to just touch upon, because you said something really bold and I'm obsessed that you said I don't need to worry about customers, I don't need to worry about like you're so confident, like you made these 50 bags.

00:25:38.961 --> 00:25:42.135
<v Speaker 1>You came back, how did you know who to sell them to?

00:25:42.135 --> 00:25:44.862
<v Speaker 1>Did you, like, have friends over for a cocktail party?

00:25:44.862 --> 00:25:47.248
<v Speaker 1>Was it like, oh, I'm already on social?

00:25:47.248 --> 00:25:49.769
<v Speaker 1>People want them because you know?

00:25:49.769 --> 00:25:54.743
<v Speaker 1>I'm sure you had a following from what you were doing with Africa and all of this.

00:25:54.743 --> 00:25:58.019
<v Speaker 1>You know, like people knew you, but how were you able to?

00:25:58.019 --> 00:26:04.080
<v Speaker 1>I don't want to say pivot, but change direction and say like, hey guys, this is what I'm doing.

00:26:04.080 --> 00:26:06.028
<v Speaker 1>What do you think I mean?

00:26:06.568 --> 00:26:15.086
<v Speaker 2>I had an African household series Instagram page, but I started, like completely from scratch for the Nima Iris page, and the very first photo that we ever posted was Beyonce.

00:26:15.086 --> 00:26:39.855
<v Speaker 2>And we posted that photo because my graphic designer and I, who had helped us with our initial logo and the initial feel of the brand her name is Alyssa, she has an incredible company I think it's ATT and design and shout out Alyssa yeah, and you know, and the question that she asked me was like what kind of woman do you want wearing your bag?

00:26:39.855 --> 00:26:42.442
<v Speaker 2>And I said woman like Beyonce.

00:26:42.442 --> 00:26:48.881
<v Speaker 2>And you know, we built the brands around the essence of women like Beyonce, right?

00:26:48.881 --> 00:26:55.567
<v Speaker 2>Women who are go getters, right, women who love beautiful things, who love fashion, who are beautiful people inside and out.

00:26:55.567 --> 00:26:58.989
<v Speaker 2>And those are the kinds of people that we, you know, look to market.

00:26:58.989 --> 00:27:13.303
<v Speaker 2>And it's actually so crazy that, if you literally scroll all the way down, our very first photo we ever posted was Beyonce and then now the last photo that you have, like the top of our page, that you always see, it are like two photos of Beyonce wearing the bag.

00:27:13.584 --> 00:27:29.585
<v Speaker 2>So I, at different times, and so I think this is actually really powerful and important for people to to see, which is like when you are studying a brand, what you are manifesting, the kind of customers that you want, it can really come to pass and it can literally be the exact person loving that product.

00:27:29.585 --> 00:27:33.288
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, oh, because you've really been intentional about catering to it.

00:27:33.288 --> 00:27:42.847
<v Speaker 2>And so, as I started looking for these women who I think were a lot like me and could resonate and relate to me, I started building community, and I think it's.

00:27:42.847 --> 00:27:45.960
<v Speaker 2>You know, when you're building community, it's really important that you're engaging with the people.

00:27:45.960 --> 00:27:47.644
<v Speaker 2>You're responding to their comments.

00:27:47.644 --> 00:27:55.925
<v Speaker 2>You're you know they're DMing you and responding to your Instagram stories and you're actually engaging in conversation.

00:27:55.925 --> 00:28:00.567
<v Speaker 2>So many times I've gotten messages where you know people like will message us on the Instagram story and then I'll respond a little bit.

00:28:00.567 --> 00:28:02.316
<v Speaker 2>Oh my God, I was actually expecting you to respond.

00:28:02.355 --> 00:28:03.917
<v Speaker 1>Right, right, right, right, right, I know.

00:28:03.917 --> 00:28:14.903
<v Speaker 1>And isn't that that the expectation is so low that they just assume it's going to go in an abyss and it's like, well, why wouldn't I respond?

00:28:15.204 --> 00:28:17.601
<v Speaker 2>Right, that makes no sense.

00:28:17.601 --> 00:28:22.686
<v Speaker 2>We, you know, I think companies used to be like here's a product, buy it.

00:28:22.686 --> 00:28:32.901
<v Speaker 2>You know, nowadays it's like consumers are like if I don't feel like you love me, I'm not gonna buy your product and I love that, right I.

00:28:32.901 --> 00:28:44.439
<v Speaker 2>You have to ensure that the people, the companies in which you're giving your money to, they care about you, they care about the things that you care about, your values, are aligned and that they're listening to you.

00:28:44.439 --> 00:28:50.829
<v Speaker 2>So even when you're talking about, you know, I'm over here building products and I've never designed anything.

00:28:51.295 --> 00:28:59.170
<v Speaker 2>The way the Neemeyer's collection expanded from the small Zaza is because I was listening to consumers.

00:28:59.170 --> 00:29:01.001
<v Speaker 2>So they saw the small mini bag.

00:29:01.001 --> 00:29:03.644
<v Speaker 2>They said we love it, but we want a bag that we can fit our phone.

00:29:03.644 --> 00:29:06.021
<v Speaker 2>Boom, the Zaza's round is created.

00:29:06.021 --> 00:29:08.001
<v Speaker 2>Then they're like I love this bag.

00:29:08.001 --> 00:29:16.222
<v Speaker 2>You know I wear it on my hand all the time, but I really need something I can like put on my shoulder so you know when I go out, you know I'm getting groceries.

00:29:16.222 --> 00:29:18.569
<v Speaker 2>Then it was like boom, the zaya was created.

00:29:18.569 --> 00:29:24.949
<v Speaker 2>And all of these things were created with the community, like I literally created the zaya with my community.

00:29:24.949 --> 00:29:25.871
<v Speaker 2>Online.

00:29:25.871 --> 00:29:26.797
<v Speaker 2>We were talked about how.

00:29:26.797 --> 00:29:30.597
<v Speaker 2>What should the length of the Zaya be and what kind of handle should we do?

00:29:30.597 --> 00:29:32.541
<v Speaker 2>And I remember seeing even the Zaya.

00:29:32.541 --> 00:29:39.576
<v Speaker 2>I saw a pair of shoes where the slippers were like braided, and I told my artist and I was like, how do we do an infinity braided handle?

00:29:39.576 --> 00:29:43.104
<v Speaker 2>We looked it up on YouTube and that's how the Zaya design came to be.

00:29:43.104 --> 00:29:44.567
<v Speaker 2>That's wild.

00:29:45.115 --> 00:29:55.448
<v Speaker 1>I want to ask you something, because you built your brand on social and I love and I've seen your videos and I saw you did kickstart.

00:29:55.448 --> 00:30:07.084
<v Speaker 1>You did a Kickstarter, right, you did, I think, yeah, I think I did an Indiegogo.

00:30:07.084 --> 00:30:24.666
<v Speaker 1>But but how were you able, being someone who's never and maybe this all stems back from the empowerment that your mom has bestowed upon you but how were you able to find the confidence in putting out a product with no experience, no real idea?

00:30:24.666 --> 00:30:30.540
<v Speaker 1>How were you able to put yourself out there immediately being like hey guys, here's my bag, what do you think Like?

00:30:30.540 --> 00:30:32.348
<v Speaker 1>Did you have an instant audience?

00:30:32.348 --> 00:30:34.416
<v Speaker 1>How did you assume that people would find you?

00:30:34.416 --> 00:30:41.903
<v Speaker 1>Or were you able to parlay the people following you from what you built with your African research to come follow you all the way back?

00:30:42.743 --> 00:30:47.800
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I mean, I think that in this life you must have audacity.

00:30:48.020 --> 00:31:02.463
<v Speaker 2>I must be audacious, like you know, even when you're applying for a job, like low key, if you look at a job and you tick off every single box, you're like overqualified in my opinion, because I feel like you need to be applying for jobs.

00:31:02.463 --> 00:31:05.580
<v Speaker 2>It's like, oh my gosh, I kind of like don't really fit those three things.

00:31:05.580 --> 00:31:14.825
<v Speaker 2>But you have audacity because you know that you can do it and I think that Princeton, like I mentioned, curated that audacity within me.

00:31:14.825 --> 00:31:20.221
<v Speaker 2>I'm like, I know I can build things that people like because I've done it before.

00:31:20.221 --> 00:31:25.840
<v Speaker 2>I know I can create beautiful things because I've done it at Princeton so many times.

00:31:25.840 --> 00:31:28.625
<v Speaker 2>I know that I can build an audience.

00:31:28.625 --> 00:31:36.827
<v Speaker 2>I know that you know I can get people to come back and over and over and spend their own money, because I did it at Princeton so many times.

00:31:36.827 --> 00:31:49.074
<v Speaker 2>And that's why I'm so grateful for having been at an institution that had this immense amount of resources to, you know, a 19 year old thousands of dollars to create all these things.

00:31:49.134 --> 00:31:54.699
<v Speaker 1>Because I'm like, but you are also smart enough to utilize those resources and so many people don't.

00:31:54.699 --> 00:31:56.226
<v Speaker 1>And it's there for the taking.

00:31:56.226 --> 00:31:58.207
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, it is there for the taking.

00:31:58.579 --> 00:32:03.686
<v Speaker 2>I think Princeton also kept giving me the money because they were like this girl is like the proof is in the pudding.

00:32:03.686 --> 00:32:08.471
<v Speaker 2>She's adding to the community, and a lot of the things that I started at Princeton continue to exist today.

00:32:08.471 --> 00:32:11.630
<v Speaker 2>So that just goes to say that what I really built was so powerful.

00:32:11.630 --> 00:32:16.146
<v Speaker 2>But I knew that if I had $10,000, I knew what I could do with $10,000.

00:32:16.146 --> 00:32:17.910
<v Speaker 2>And I had $5,000.

00:32:17.910 --> 00:32:26.205
<v Speaker 2>That's the amount of money I used to start this company and I knew what I could do with $5,000.

00:32:26.205 --> 00:32:26.969
<v Speaker 2>And I knew how far it could go.

00:32:26.969 --> 00:32:29.599
<v Speaker 2>And I knew that with $5,000, I can build a community, I can build a following, I can make some initial sales.

00:32:29.599 --> 00:32:31.781
<v Speaker 2>And then I just started having a really good time.

00:32:32.042 --> 00:32:37.588
<v Speaker 2>But in the second part of it, you know, I had audacity, but I also had planned for this right.

00:32:37.588 --> 00:32:59.740
<v Speaker 2>I had been saving like 70% of my paycheck by the time I came back from work, and so I had built up a formidable savings that where it was like I cannot earn money from this business for, like you know, six months a year or whatever, and I'll be fine because I had planned for it, and I think that's something that's really important for you to understand.

00:32:59.740 --> 00:33:03.226
<v Speaker 2>It's like don't get up and quit your job tomorrow, because that's what your hurtful glory did.

00:33:03.226 --> 00:33:06.448
<v Speaker 2>I did, in fact, quit my job the week COVID was announced a pandemic.

00:33:06.448 --> 00:33:17.347
<v Speaker 2>Yes, I did However well, lori had also been saving 70% of her paycheck for the last three months and I saved my bonus as well.

00:33:17.749 --> 00:33:27.011
<v Speaker 2>Right, so I had saved up a lot of money that I felt comfortable on, knowing that if I failed, or if I was putting this money into the company like, I'll be okay.

00:33:27.011 --> 00:33:32.823
<v Speaker 2>And also I just think, like at the end of the day, like when you're, when you go to a really great school, somebody's going to hire me.

00:33:32.823 --> 00:33:37.307
<v Speaker 2>I remember thinking I was like, oh, I know I can get a job at like at least Starbucks or something.

00:33:37.307 --> 00:33:43.836
<v Speaker 2>If I think, you know, if, like, all really truly crashes and fails, like, somebody will hire me.

00:33:43.836 --> 00:33:45.299
<v Speaker 2>I have a college degree.

00:33:46.622 --> 00:34:10.710
<v Speaker 1>I think what you're, everything you're saying, is so admirable because I got to tell you, like, between the essence of saving and I wouldn't even call it ego saving and I wouldn't even call it ego I call it strategic ego because you have something to back it up, because I've worked with so many designers that dig their heels into the ground saying this is who I am, this is how much my bag costs and this is it.

00:34:10.710 --> 00:34:13.405
<v Speaker 1>And it's like you got to be responsive.

00:34:13.405 --> 00:34:19.525
<v Speaker 1>You have to listen to your customers and if your bags are too expensive, then change it.

00:34:19.525 --> 00:34:20.708
<v Speaker 1>They're not going to follow you.

00:34:20.708 --> 00:34:31.804
<v Speaker 1>And if you say you're going to have, I mean I've had so many designers that say we've got invite only, appointment only studios, and I'm like that's the craziest thing because you're paying for overhead.

00:34:32.264 --> 00:34:38.081
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, it's nice to say, but you want people, you want bodies, you want people coming through constantly.

00:34:38.081 --> 00:34:44.213
<v Speaker 1>You want someone to come through your door at least five times a day to at least buy five bags to cover what you have.

00:34:44.213 --> 00:34:46.507
<v Speaker 1>It's not about like saying, oh, it's cool.

00:34:46.507 --> 00:34:55.201
<v Speaker 1>It's like I'm here to make money, I'm here to build a product and I'm here as one of the boutiques that I worked with a hundred years ago, saying you're not a van, go.

00:34:55.201 --> 00:34:58.047
<v Speaker 1>You're here to have people buy your bag and buy it again and again.

00:34:58.047 --> 00:34:58.869
<v Speaker 1>Right?

00:34:58.869 --> 00:35:00.512
<v Speaker 1>You're not Hermes, right?

00:35:00.512 --> 00:35:01.501
<v Speaker 1>Oh?

00:35:01.501 --> 00:35:06.235
<v Speaker 1>And I think the sooner people realize that, the more they're like wake up.

00:35:06.896 --> 00:35:14.588
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, yeah, no, I, you know Brandon Blackwood likes to say something where he's like if your product is sold out, that's not really a good thing.

00:35:14.588 --> 00:35:20.407
<v Speaker 2>Obviously, that shows there's great demand, but that says that you're not doing your job enough to keep things in stock right.

00:35:20.407 --> 00:35:21.869
<v Speaker 2>Get it to people who want it.

00:35:21.869 --> 00:35:30.940
<v Speaker 2>And I think that's so important to ensure that you are listening to where your consumers are, I mean where your clients are in their journey in life.

00:35:30.940 --> 00:35:38.724
<v Speaker 2>And I remember when we did a really big Black Friday sale last year and it was like, you know, it was like 70% off.

00:35:38.724 --> 00:35:39.407
<v Speaker 2>Like we off, like we did it.

00:35:39.427 --> 00:35:41.422
<v Speaker 2>We were like bring back the real black friday.

00:35:41.422 --> 00:35:47.045
<v Speaker 2>You know the kind of black friday deals that had you like still turkey in your stomach, going away in line.

00:35:47.045 --> 00:35:56.871
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, you know, 7 pm right of a, you know a store because you're like I need to get these blockbuster deals right, right, none of that like fake stuff that they have now.

00:35:56.871 --> 00:35:58.061
<v Speaker 2>Um, you know.

00:35:58.061 --> 00:36:02.088
<v Speaker 2>So we brought back a real black fr deal was like 70% off the entire website.

00:36:02.088 --> 00:36:06.820
<v Speaker 2>I mean people like flooded online the moment it hit midnight.

00:36:07.222 --> 00:36:09.065
<v Speaker 1>And how long did you have the sale on?

00:36:09.065 --> 00:36:10.931
<v Speaker 1>How long one day it was I?

00:36:10.971 --> 00:36:25.304
<v Speaker 2>think it was just like, yeah, one like one day or something, but there were so many other bags that people wanted was like so sold out by the time they woke up and you know, and so, but there were so many people that messaged me that were like thank you for doing that sale.

00:36:25.744 --> 00:36:32.164
<v Speaker 2>Because, you know, I'm really struggling financially now and a lot of people are struggling financially now.

00:36:32.164 --> 00:36:47.442
<v Speaker 2>Right, the economy is not that great, money is just not moving as much as it was during the pandemic, and people are like, thank you, because I love your product so much, it brings me so much joy, but I really couldn't afford to spend that much money on it.

00:36:47.442 --> 00:36:49.889
<v Speaker 2>But because sales able to afford it.

00:36:49.889 --> 00:36:56.367
<v Speaker 2>And I think that that is so important, because I was thinking about where are people financially right now?

00:36:56.367 --> 00:37:00.606
<v Speaker 2>Right, and even as I continue to price the new releases, I'm thinking about where are people financially right now?

00:37:00.606 --> 00:37:02.972
<v Speaker 2>That, and even as I continue to price the new releases, I'm thinking about where are people financially right now?

00:37:02.972 --> 00:37:09.231
<v Speaker 2>That's, you know, because you never want to alienate the people who love you, care about you and who are your supporters.

00:37:09.231 --> 00:37:15.001
<v Speaker 2>You want to make that you continue bringing them along the journey, even as you grow, exactly.

00:37:15.983 --> 00:37:17.686
<v Speaker 1>Man, this has been enlightening.

00:37:17.686 --> 00:37:22.081
<v Speaker 1>I feel like I'm going to the church of will glory and I'm a faithful fan.

00:37:22.161 --> 00:37:23.606
<v Speaker 1>You've got me signed up for that.

00:37:23.606 --> 00:37:28.585
<v Speaker 1>I would love, love, love to have you back, because I feel like we have scraped the surface.

00:37:28.585 --> 00:37:30.670
<v Speaker 1>Oh, we haven't.

00:37:30.670 --> 00:37:32.556
<v Speaker 1>Oh, I, I love a part two.

00:37:32.556 --> 00:37:33.619
<v Speaker 1>This is so amazing.

00:37:33.619 --> 00:37:42.909
<v Speaker 1>I think we're probably gonna have to tie something to it to make it everybody's worth, everybody's wild, because this is, this was just amazing and I I think you're an absolute delight.

00:37:42.909 --> 00:37:47.947
<v Speaker 1>I think you're so inspiring and I just can't wait to see how the journey continues.

00:37:47.947 --> 00:37:52.201
<v Speaker 1>But how can people find you, follow you and your incredible brand?

00:37:52.780 --> 00:38:03.514
<v Speaker 2>Yes, yes, you can find us on Instagram at animairis a n I m airis on Instagram, at animairis A-N-I-M-Airis on Instagram and also on TikTok.

00:38:03.514 --> 00:38:09.590
<v Speaker 2>And then you can find my personal page, will Gloria, with two Ys on Instagram and TikTok.

00:38:09.590 --> 00:38:17.409
<v Speaker 2>I know one day I can get the at that has just one Y, but now my at is at with two Ys.

00:38:17.409 --> 00:38:22.115
<v Speaker 2>And you can also find us on Twitter as well, at Anima underscore Iris.

00:38:22.739 --> 00:38:25.389
<v Speaker 1>Well, it's two Ys, because you don't need to ask twice.

00:38:25.389 --> 00:38:27.952
<v Speaker 1>So I think that's why there you go.

00:38:27.952 --> 00:38:31.146
<v Speaker 1>All right, my love, this has been amazing.

00:38:31.146 --> 00:38:32.028
<v Speaker 1>Thank you so much.

00:38:32.028 --> 00:38:33.768
<v Speaker 1>Thank you so much.

00:38:33.768 --> 00:38:35.380
<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening.

00:38:35.380 --> 00:38:40.842
<v Speaker 1>Don't forget to rate and review and follow us on every single platform at Handbag Designer.

00:38:40.842 --> 00:38:41.724
<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much.

00:38:41.724 --> 00:38:42.728
<v Speaker 1>See you next time.