Why did you start Skinny Bags?
I have always been obsessed with handbags. My primary goal with starting Skinny Bags was to create unique, high quality purses at an affordable price. Every Skinny Bag is a bold statement piece, and also very durable, reliable and practical. Each purse is made in Los Angeles using materials we hand picked.
I came from the world of fast fashion, where I worked as buyer for almost five years. During that time I traveled a lot and collaborated with brilliant professionals from all over the world. I pulled from that experience when I started Skinny Bags.
Where did you get the name Skinny Bags?
It’s actually my husband’s idea. It used to be a kind of family joke. We feel like ‘skinny’ is a magic word nowadays. We have skinny jeans, skinny wine, now it’s time for Skinny Bags.
Where do you get the inspiration for your bags?
My biggest source of inspiration is California! There is definitely something in the air that encourages you to implement all ideas. I am so grateful that we have a chance to design and manufacture Skinny Bags purses in Los Angeles and to support local economy at the same time.
Skinny Bags are all about unique, eye-catching design. The right handbag is a great way to express style and personality, so it doesn’t have to be boring or ordinary. Skinny Bags purses look like books, such a fashion statement. We have clutches and cross-body bags with different catchy titles like “My Diary,” “Love Story” and “Holy Bible.” Our customers can even order a custom Skinny Bags purse and tell their own story. It’s like a piece of character that they can take around.
We recently launched our new Fall collection, which features laser-cut leather and fringes, emphasizing the latest trends. It’s a kind of experiment for us.
There are a lot of bag companies out there. What makes Skinny Bags stand out?
My husband, who is an aerospace engineer, was part of the creative process. So we like to say our bags have out of this world style! But seriously, bringing his engineering techniques together with my international fashion experience created an outstanding product. Our bags are flat-out cool.
What was one of your toughest moments with Skinny Bags? How did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge for us was to find suppliers, manufactures and people we want to have business and build a strong reliable brand. The quality of Skinny Bags is crucial for the company. So it took a while to create the team.
Each Skinny Bags purse is produced in Los Angeles. Creating something in LA is a lot more complicated and obviously more expensive than somewhere in Asia. But at the same time the “Made in the USA” label has become a proven symbol of a high quality product. That was important to us, and we are very proud of the result.
What are some of your favorite moments as an entrepreneur?
One of my favorite things to do is to create custom Skinny Bags! If our customers want to tell their own story we let them customize the bag to make it even more personal and bold. And I love the unique gifts our customers create for each other!
What advice do you have for others trying to get started in the fashion world?
My best advice to aspiring designers, or anybody who wants to pursue a career in fashion industry, is to be prepared to work hard, be persistent and never give up! A career in the fashion industry might seem to be full of fun and glamorous events. In fact, it’s a lot of work and patience. Also, it’s very important to stay persistent and passionate about your job. You might hear a lot of rejections until finally the success will come your way. So keep being focused and encouraged.
Thanks Elena for stopping by and sharing your wisdom!
