If you follow me on social media, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of Annabel Brocks. Not just the brand and the stunning products, but the lady herself too. Belle is one of the sweetest, nicest and most creative people I’ve ever met, and is an absolute joy to be around. I love seeing her Annabel Brocks brand continue to grow and develop, so you can imagine my delight when the new Lavenham Leather Tote popped up on my radar. As this style of bag is new to the brand, I took the chance to catch up with Belle, to find out all about the Lavenham Leather Tote… are you ready?
Behind… the Lavenham Leather Tote by Annabel Brocks
I’m really excited about the new Lavenham Leather Tote – it’s gorgeous! Can you tell me how you came up with the design?
Thank you for your kind words, I am glad you like them! Following the success of our Pina Festival bags lots of customers asked if I could design a larger bag. It had to be roomy enough to carry a laptop/tablet, bottle of water, make up and generally fit in everything you might need in a day.
I wanted to offer two base colours which work well to complement other products in our collection. I am a tan girl in the summer months but the navy is equally eye catching and can be used in the cooler months too. I wanted a strong colour pop and classic bag so I designed two variants. The classic Lavenham is your day to day bag. Elegant, but with the tassel and contrast stitching it can be dressed up or down. I played around with trims and just fell in love with the rainbow. To me this sums up my designs – contemporary, fun and the colour pop will brighten any outfit.
Tell me about the special edition lines – what made you create them and how have people received them?
I wanted to introduce Limited Editions for those customers who like to have exclusive products which are not mass produced. We are offering a certain number and once they are gone they are gone. We have loyal customers who like to have something unique.
Tan is a big part of the Annabel Brocks range with many of the belts having a tan base – what made you pick navy and tan for this range?
I always design around what I would wear or need in my wardrobe (so I can of course steal samples!) and the tan to me is such an easy to wear colour for Spring/Summer but I know I will use this year around. However the navy is such an easy to wear colour and I am not really a fan of black bags as I wear blue or white jeans. The navy is so striking worn with one of our sweatshirts or t shirt and jeans. I looked at other colours but you can’t go wrong with tan and navy.
I love the tassel detail on the Lavenham – what made you add this to the bag?
I just wanted to add a bit of interest to the bag and our contrast trim tassel does just that. I have also incorporated the contrast stitch detail so it matches the design on other areas of the bag and who doesn’t love a tassel?!
What kind of testing period did the Lavenham have? Did it take a while to perfect the design?
I always do all the testing on any protypes and used the bag around the house and used it to go to the office. I wanted to see how much I could cram in and used it on my daily errands. The children used to laugh as I used it as an additional shopping bag. Could it carry wine (yes) , crumpets (yes and yum), a magazine (yes) , a bottle of squash (yes), M&M’s (yes)? I thought bingo, it ticked all the boxes for me so I was happy to sign it off as an approved new product.
What details about the Lavenham Leather Tote do you really like?
I am biased but I love the simplicity of them, but being a horsey girl, I love the fact both saddle and bridle leather are used to make the bag. The smell, the way it’s a natural leather which is strong and provides the structure which will wear and soften, and I think every crease in leather adds to the charm. The detail is subtle from a distance yet strong when inspected closely. The rainbow Lavenham Leather Tote is one of the best things I have designed. I literally squealed when the sample arrived and I am not letting my one leave my side
To find about more about Annabel Brocks and the gorgeous collection of bags, including the Lavenham Leather Tote, see the Annabel Brocks website.
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Website address- www.annabelbrocks.com
