Hot Interview: Katherine Kwei - Handbags with an Eastern Flair - Stylehive

About Katherine:

Accessories designer, Katherine Kwei is known for the intricate knots she incorporates into her handbag designs. She began her career working in public relations for Louis Vuitton in Hong Kong, before going to school for accessory design. She graduated from Cordwainers in London, and worked for local handbag designers Susan Hunter and Billy Bag Company. Shortly after, Katherine moved to New York and worked on Zac Posen€™s handbag and accessory line for the Spring/Summer 2006 collection. In 2007, she launched her own handbag line, which combines modernity with tradition, and uses luxury materials with unique textures. Katherine keeps her signature Chinese €œEternity€� knot-inspired weave as the center of attention in her designs.

Stylehive: You are very rooted to your Chinese heritage. Tell us about how your grandmother and your culture inspires you.

Katherine Kwei: My grandmother had an incredible spirit which translated into everything she did. Like most cultures, family is cherished and most of the times family gathers around food. I loved watching my grandmother cook and prepare large family dinners. One of my favorite activities would be to help her fold wonton dumplings all afternoon. Her love for food also translated into creating beautiful clothes and jewelry. She and my mother had so many beautiful Chinese embroidery fabrics, and even now I know we have old Chinese robes in storage. The Chinese culture is so rich it would be hard to pinpoint everything that inspires me, but the food (cooking and preparing), the jewelry and clothing my grandmother introduced me to has influenced my love of €˜craft€™ work.

SH: You have very intricate craftsmanship. How long does it take to make one of your bags?

KK: From start to finish, around 5 hours for the clutch. The most time consuming part of making a bag is actually preparing all the €˜bits and pieces.€™ So we need to join and smooth out the snake skins, then adhere them to the lambskin, then cut and then weave. The final stages of sewing all the pattern pieces together is the least time consuming.

SH: How has living so globally, in different cities like London, Hong Kong, New York, and Athens, affected your design?

KK: The impact of colors, textures and forms have all influenced me. I am fortunate to have been able to live and experience so many different places and have at the very least taken away that although the designs may be different, everything has it€™s own inherent beauty.

SH: What was it like working for such renown designers as Louis Vuitton and Zac Posen?

KK: I worked in the PR department for Louis Vuitton. I got to meet and work with Marc Jacobs on PR events which were very exciting and challenging. Marc is terribly charming and gifted with talking to the press and €˜fans€™ and you can learn so much by just watching how he composes and handles himself. He is truly a man of so many talents, not just in incredible design. Zac Posen is also extremely charming and charismatic and I cannot think how anyone could not adore him. I was able to work in the creative studio with him and it was very inspirational. He has a strong support team, his sister Alexandra and mother, Susan, who really complement his visions and ideas. It is great to watch how themes and ideas would be transformed from research books, to sketches, initial toile's, and then the final piece on the catwalk.

SH: In producing your own high-end handbag line, what has been the greatest challenge so far?

KK: The greatest challenge was just getting the first line ready and out there to the €˜right€™ people. I think every designer will have production issues especially when production units are so small€¦ but once you do find a factory that is willing to go on the journey with you, you can count yourself very lucky. After my first pieces were ready I returned to NY and literally just cold called and emailed showroom and PR agencies to see if they would represent me. I walked around NY for several weeks with bags in hand and fingers crossed.

SH: How would you describe your customer?

KK: My customers are my friends, their sisters, mothers, aunts, etc€¦ really any woman who appreciates quality and is an independent thinker and innovator, who is confident and secure in her own sense of style.

SH: What advice would you give to someone wanting to go into handbag design?

KK: Take your time and be persistent. From when I decided to start my own business to when I actually presented my first collection took 5 years. Not everyone will €˜get€™ your vision, but that is okay. Believe in yourself and your product and there is no reason why you will not succeed. On a more practical note €“ speak to as many people in the business as possible and DO NOT be afraid to ask questions and ask for advice or contacts. We all started in the same place, it€™s how you use the information you obtain that is crucial.

Katherine Kwei's Site in the Hive: site/katherinekwei.com

Katherine Kwei's Website: katherinekwei.com