Handbag Designer 101: The Stories Behind Handbag Designers, Brands, and Industry Icons

What makes a handbag truly worth carrying every day? We sit down with Shay Prasad of Bags for Breakfast to explore how years on the retail floor shaped her approach to bags as tools for life—not just status symbols. From writing deep-dive Substack essays to launching a curated vintage shop, Shay explains how storytelling, condition knowledge, and retail anthropology turn casual shoppers into thoughtful collectors. Along the way, she shares how to judge patina versus wear, why function matters as much as heritage, and how understanding the history behind iconic houses helps buyers make smarter, more sustainable choices.
Key Takeaways:
 • Function beats fantasy — A great bag works with your real life.
 • Patina has value — “Loved” pieces often carry more character than pristine ones.
 • Context sharpens taste — Knowing a brand’s history leads to better buying decisions.
🎧 Listen now for a thoughtful look at vintage handbags, collecting, and choosing pieces that truly earn their place in your rotation.
Our Guest:
 Shay Prasad is the founder of Bags for Breakfast, a platform dedicated to thoughtful handbag collecting and vintage discovery. Drawing on years of retail experience and deep research into fashion history, she blends storytelling, education, and curation to help buyers appreciate craftsmanship, condition, and the cultural stories behind the bags they carry.
Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.
Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com. 

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What does it take to turn a spark into a bag you can actually hold? We sit down with founder and designer Lauren Reed, who left corporate life, partnered with generational leather artisans in Guatemala, and launched her brand in just 47 days from idea to first sample. Lauren shares how retail experience shaped her product instincts, why vegetable-tanned leather and upcycled denim linings were non-negotiable, and how clear standards on craft, ethics, and function allowed her to move fast without cutting corners.
Key Takeaways:
 • Speed needs standards — Move quickly, but never at the expense of materials or values.
 • Product first, story second — Narrative only works when the bag performs.
 • Set non-negotiables — Clear brand DNA makes tough decisions easier.
Our Guest:
 Lauren Reed is the founder and designer of a purpose-driven handbag brand produced in partnership with generational leather artisans in Guatemala. Focused on vegetable-tanned leather, thoughtful function, and ethical production practices, she blends retail insight with disciplined execution to build bags designed to age beautifully and perform in everyday life.
Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.
Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com. 

Youtube: / Handbagdesigner101-ihda | Instagram:/ Handbagdesigner
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What makes a bag feel powerful the second someone spots it across the floor—and why does that magic disappear when brands scale? We sit down with Matthew Lafargue of Accessory Think Tank to unpack lessons from the Macy’s sales floor to leading $1.8B in wholesale. Matthew explains how service, presentation, and training shape perceived value more than spreadsheets ever could—and why clarity in assortments, hero products, and tiering protects brands as they grow.
Key Takeaways:
 • Perception drives performance — Store experience shapes value before price does.
 • Protect the halo — Hero styles anchor growth and prevent brand confusion.
 • Test tight, scale smart — Clean buys and strong sell-through beat bloated assortments.
Our Guest:
 Matthew Lafargue is a retail and wholesale strategist at Accessory Think Tank, with experience spanning department stores and billion-dollar accessory portfolios. Known for blending field insight with financial rigor, he helps brands sharpen presentation, strengthen hero products, and scale without losing their edge.
Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.
Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com. 

Youtube: / Handbagdesigner101-ihda | Instagram:/ Handbagdesigner
TikTok: / Handbagdesigner | Twitter: / Handbagdesigner

Retail isn’t dying—it’s recalibrating. We sit down with William Brobston of the Brobston Group,  to explore the shift from oversized, anonymous stores to smaller, neighborhood spaces where teams know your name and brands feel personal. Drawing from experience across luxury fashion, jewelry, beauty, and home, William explains why e-commerce owns convenience but human connection builds loyalty—and how brands that invest in people, not just product, are pulling ahead.
Key Takeaways:
 • Convenience is table stakes — Connection is the moat.
 • Invest in people, not just products — Teams translate brand into loyalty.
 • Local wins — Smaller formats and mono-brand stores are redefining retail growth.
Our Guest:
 William Brobston is a retail leader with experience spanning luxury fashion, jewelry, beauty, and home. Known for building high-performing teams and blending retail anthropology with analytics, he advises brands on how to localize assortments, elevate in-store storytelling, and create community-driven growth in an evolving market.
Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.
Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com. 

Youtube: / Handbagdesigner101-ihda | Instagram:/ Handbagdesigner
TikTok: / Handbagdesigner | Twitter: / Handbagdesigner

What turns a love of making into an accessories brand people stop you on the street to ask about? We sit down with Anyah Sealey, founder of A by Anyah, to trace a path shaped by global training, hard critiques, and real market feedback. From early beading classes in Ghana to design school in Paris and rotations across major fashion houses, Anyah shares how craft, data, and adaptability combine to create bags that photograph beautifully and hold up in real life.
Key Takeaways:
 • Detach ego from product — The customer, not the designer, makes the final call.
 • Craft + commerce win together — Material knowledge and pricing discipline sharpen creativity.
 • Build heroes, cut the rest — Staying power comes from focus, not excess.
Our Guest:
 Anyah Sealey is the founder and creative director of A by Anyah, a handbag brand rooted in global craftsmanship and modern functionality. With training spanning Ghana, Paris, and major fashion houses across menswear, womenswear, and kids, Anyah brings a rare blend of emotional design and market intelligence to accessories built for everyday impact.
Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.
Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com. 
Youtube: / Handbagdesigner101-ihda | Instagram:/ Handbagdesigner
TikTok: / Handbagdesigner | Twitter: / Handbagdesigner