GUEST POST: Spotlight on Australian handbag designers

In today’s guest post, Anna K, a freelance fashion writer, gives us a guided tour of the Australian handbag designers that should be on our radar (but may not be).

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Australian designer bags are unique in their styling and fabrics. They are coveted not only because they are beautiful and many times sport a “big name,” but they are often not as expensive as many of their high fashion competitors.

Milleni‘s goal is to remain the largest manufacturer and distributor of quality leather goods in the Southern Hemisphere. That includes handbags, wallets, and other fashion accessories. The company more than 3500 retail outlets in Australia and New Zealand and 30,000 square feet of showrooms, offices, and warehouses in Sydney.

LouenHide handbags were the creation in 2006 of Lou Kendall and Heidi Bailey when they knew they wanted to start a business and felt that most women love to have a variety of bags in shapes, styles, and colours. It took a year to design and manufacture their first bags because they insisted that the handbags be practical and affordable while still having quality. In only 3 and a half years, LouenHide has grown to a team of ten in their office and ten agents in Australia and New Zealand that have gotten the handbags in more than 400 stores.

Olga Berg means contemporary fashion-forward day and evening handbags. Begun in 1995 by Olga Lippman, it has been run by husband and wife team, Mark and Kelly Lippman, since 1998. Kelly is incredible at interpreting the international trends and coming up with a luxurious assortment of cutting edge “statement” bags. The evening bags use beautiful fabrics and unexpected finishing touches.

Etiquette handbags and accessories are for the fashion conscious and sophisticated customers who appreciate the unique handbags that use imported fabrics and individual characteristics. Mindy Mason’s signature style has placed her in nomination as one of the world’s best accessory designers and into the pages of the most savvy fashion magazines.

Manzoni has a wide variety of offerings from clutch bags to totes that have been called works of art. The formal evening clutch uses beautiful textured leather in a soft colour. They also feature a cross-body handbag with a long strap that goes across the body and over the head so that it is secure and leaves the woman with free movement. Manzoni’s Hobo Shoulder Bag uses crushed lambskin.

Maiden Voyage makes unusual designer bags including one with a magnetic closure and one with a handy cell phone pouch with the bag made of real eel skin.

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About the author:
Anna is a blogger and a freelance writer who takes particular interest in fashion, especially Australian designer bags and clothing accessories. Her articles have been published on various blogs and websites.

Disclosure from Sarah: I was not given any compensation for posting this.