(NEW YORK) A decade ago, Monica Botkier rolled out her namesake label of covetable bags, including the Trigger that shot to popularity among Gotham chicsters. As the brand celebrates 10 years in the biz, your Daily popped by Botkier’s Soho showroom to get the latest! Check out the line’s Spring wares in our Gallery…leather-induced lust may occur.
Since you entered the bag biz a decade ago, how have things shifted?
It’s changed tremendously! The space was wide open when I first came in. I’d like to say I’m one of the independent brands that really pioneered things before many of the larger brands came into the [handbag] space. Before I started, most ready-to-wear companies did not approach handbags, besides a few huge ones like Gucci and Louis Vuitton. But there really wasn’t anything I’d call young designer or contemporary. Now, everyone has a handbag line, clearly.
Who’s carrying your bags nowadays?
The ultimate Botkier girl works hard, is driven and focused, but she also has a feminine side—she wants to be chic and fashionable. I’m surprised by how many young girls are buying their first Botkier bag. Then, there are 40-year-old women with designer bags, who want quality and thought behind a designer product that’s $400, not $4,000, so they can have fun and buy a few bags for the season. Then, there are the aspirational customers that want to have that Celine bag one day, but will still get pleasure out of a Botkier, as a first step to collecting designer bags.
How important is the practical factor when designing?
Our bags are utilitarianism at the same time—there are a million pockets, but they’re well-placed pockets that allow you to find your MetroCard, your phone, and whatever else you need for your daily life.
What’s on the docket for your Spring bags?
It’s a really natural evolution for the brand: a lot of architectural shapes, symmetric lines, and playing around with a masculine/feminine look. There’s a juxtaposition of hard lines and softer bodies.
How have you tweaked your classics over the years?
The Trigger bag is the one that started everything. We had the Trigger running for three years—then the Bianca was a huge hit, so we retired the Trigger for a while. We’ve evolved the Trigger, and now we call it the Legacy. It’s a little more modern. The silhouettes are a little more blown out at the sides.
What’s happening hardware-wise?
There are lots of V shapes, diagonal zippers done in really clever ways. We also wanted to play with hollowing out the hardware, which is very graphic. Some of our new bags have black hardware, which I’m loving. We’ve never done that before.
What kinds of silhouettes are you surprised to see customers flocking to?
People really love a small cross body, so we’ve introduced more of those. We’re also doing more totes. We weren’t a tote brand before. And hobos went out for a while, but they’re definitely coming back.
How do you balance experimenting with new shapes and sticking to the bestsellers?
You want to have classic bags that people love, but also push the envelope and be more innovative. We bring back the classics, after we’ve introduced new bags. People will ask for the classics! They will email or Instagram us about an old bag that they love. We’re proud of our great archive.
Do you often wear “vintage” Botkier?
I wish that I did, I just don’t have the time. I collect and archive the old designs, but generally I wear newer styles. When our new styles get produced and I see them for the first time, I get this yummy feeling, every time.
What would be different if you were launching your line today?
There were factories in New York when I started where you could go hang out and develop great bags. As production gets bigger, it goes overseas; trying to keep things in New York is very difficult. Production just doesn’t exist on the same level, and for a young person starting out there aren’t many resources to create.
Has your competition changed?
We’re still here and have this great following, but our competition is huge brands. Tory Burch is really everyone’s competition. They sort of just came in with a great strategy and have executed it with their handbags, which are an important part of their brand.
Is there a posse of Botkier loyalists?
Yes, there are people that come to our sample sales every time that we’ve seen for years.
What kind of carryalls do you j’adore besides your own?
The best collections handbag collections have a few designer, a few contemporary bags, and some vintage. That doesn’t mean Chanel vintage—it can be some cool, crazy Seventies fringe bag. Leather is one of those things you can always bring back. And, you can pass them onto your kids. I’ve heard lots of stories of young women who got a lot of their first Botkier bags from their moms.
What can we expect from Botkier’s new site, launching next year?
We are beyond excited to be working with King and Partners. Tony King is an amazing guru when it comes to fashion technology. We’ve put a lot of energy into the site relaunch!. I think it will really propel the brand.
What is the oddest thing in your bag?
A lollipop! I don’t know how, but my kids always collect lollipops from, like, Chase bank. I’ll take the lollipops away, say they’ll have it after lunch…and then it ends up staying in my bag.
