Brian Atwood Launches First Handbag Collection Exclusively On Gilt Groupe

They're harder to design than shoes, Atwood says

Brian Atwood is in expansion mode. The stiletto guru, known for outfitting the feet of celebrities like Victoria Beckham and Jennifer Lawrence launched a lower priced shoe line B by Brian Atwood last year. Now the designer has debuted a capsule collection of handbags, exclusively available on Gilt Groupe.

The collection includes four styles -- the Carla, Theodora, Kate and Iside -- including a blue and green snakeskin clutch, a minaudière made of inlayed enamel and a leopard pony print clutch. The clutches, which take their cues from vintage handbags, the 1970s and Halston show off Atwood’s talent for making interesting and lux accessories that are never too trendy.

The collection is priced from $1,050 to $1,795., “Yes, they are expensive, but they are special,” Atwood said at his launch party at the Standard earlier this week. The bags were displayed around the event in glass cases elevating them to pieces of art. And given Atwood’s Hollywood fan base, expect these clutches on a red carpet in the near future.

Atwood revealed the capsule collection came about after meeting with the Gilt Groupe team in Milan, discussing possible ways to collaborate. “When I told them I was going to launch handbags soon, they were really excited about the possibility of doing the launch on Gilt,” Atwood said. “It came together really quickly.”

As for the difference between designing handbags versus shoes Atwood said, “It can be even more complicated with handbags because there are so many details to think about. All of these details like zipper pulls, inside pockets, make such a big difference with handbags.”

This launch opens a new chapter for Gilt Groupe, which made its name selling discount designer merchandise for a limited amount of time online, imitating the sample sale format. There is nothing discount about these Brian Atwood handbags, and the company hints that there will be similar designer collaborations to follow. Gilt Groupe has been aggressive about looking for new revenue streams as it weighs plans for an IPO.

The Brian Atwood handbag collection is now on sale and can be accessed via Gilt.com/brianatwood.

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