inspiring, classy, timeless - Pouf! Magazine

42
PORTRAIT
they just don’t think of it, they just
buy it. You could say they are buying
freaks. I think I saw just the outside
part of the iceberg since I was in Singapore,
but if you go to China I think
it is even worse they can have the
entire range of bags from the same
brand and in different colours. When
I talk to my friends in Paris talking
about it wanting to buy an expensive
wallet or belt they talk about it but
they never really buy it so it is two
different mindsets.
What would you recommend to a
woman whom wants to get a bag,
but might not have a huge budget?
Would you recommend them to save
up for a real leather bag or buy 3-4
less expensive? Also what bag should
every woman have in her closet?
You need a big wallet there. I would
say if you want to do a life saving for
one handbag then you should go for
a Birkin bag and then the second one
would be the Chanel 2.55
I am not to much for a LV canvas bag
even though it is affordable, but if
your wallet has some limits and if you
are willing to look for new things, I
think it is quite interesting you look
at new designers that have some
kind of established image and you go
for their best selling bag that should
be quite affordable and you will se
what you buy will get value over
time. If you would have bought the
Chanel bag ten years ago you wold
have bought it 2-3 times cheaper
than today. So if you pick the right
designer it could be a good investment.
So you think a woman should invest
in a quality handbag. At least one yes
What is so special with customers in
the luxury segment, what makes it
so difficult to succeed in this segment?
It is challenging there. The kind of
customers you are looking for, they
already have all those classics expensive
Birkin, Kelly, crocodile versions
in different colours. When they go to
LV stores they buy the whole range
in every colour. So if you want to be
a player in this market you have to
come up with something exceptional,
you have to come up with something
extra. So I am still looking for that
extra.
What do you think makes your
brand competitive with the big fashion
houses?
Today I have an Idea that we will
be 100% custom bag oriented. As a
small player we have a lot of flexibility
to let the customer choose the
material, the fittings, linings using our
design. We will provide this service
in a luxurious way that hopefully will
make the difference.
Is it difficult to find good people to
work with?
It is really difficult, you open your
door and you get hundreds of c.v.’s.
Everyone wants to work in this
industry. But if you look for partners
you go for the ones that have a lot
of connections established already
because it is really helpful.
I have been in this industry for 5
years now and I still don’t have
enough contacts to go as fast as
would like. Usually look for people
with well established connections it
is really difficult and costly to get. So
far it has been me and some consulting
friends. But I work with some
customers in my regular job and
they are hiring former directors from
big brands that come with their big
contact book and help them develop
their network, but that will be the
next step. It is really difficult to get to
those people.
If you would get a connection like
that to open the doors for you,
where do you see your self and your
company in five to twenty years?
I have a clear vision, we are promoting
the Paris feeling so what we want
is to have is to have a “store apartment”
we don’t want to have two
hundred stores world wide. We want
to promote the fact that the customer
is coming to our home that is
why we call it the “store apartment”
to make their dream handbag. In
five years the goal is to have a place
and for starters only i Paris where
you can come and make your dream
come true, your own handbag.
So really, it’s all about exclusivity!
- Yes
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