from the Telegraph:
It's cocktail time at Queen's bag maker
(Filed: 29/03/2004)
Launer have been supplying the Queen with bags for over thirty years. Now they hope their new range will appeal to the younger royals, reports Hilary Alexander
The Queen is never seen without her handbag. What she keeps in it is a mystery. But it is always visible, invariably of a similar style and carefully colour co-ordinated to match her shoes.
Contemporary: Launer's Royale bag
Many of the Queen's favourite handbags - the "Peggy" and the "Kelly" styles, for example - come from Launer, which has been supplying the Royal Household since 1968, receiving the Royal Warrant in 1981.
Launer's bags are traditional, discreet and impeccably made by hand in a small factory, staffed by 25, in Walsall in the West Midlands, with the skill and dedication that has been the hallmark of the brand since it was established in Greek Street, Soho, in 1941.
The Launer heritage has so far been immune from the seismic upheaval caused by the wacky-bag fad and the entire fashion-bag revolution. But all that is about to change. Launer is launching a range of contemporary bags, inspired by English roses, named after champagne cocktails and designed to appeal to younger royals, such as Zara Phillips.
The new bags are designed by Sam Cook, 29, a graduate of Central St Martins fashion school in London, who has worked at Hardy Amies and Jaeger. The four designs, named Royale, Bellini, Mimosa and French, are in beige, with aqua, lilac or pink trim and a matching leather-trimmed mirror inside. They are available from Fortnum and Mason, Picketts and Concrete, at £395 each.
"I'm passionate about handmade products," says Cook. "I want to see traditional skills retained, but applied in a more contemporary manner."
The classic Launer bags, sought after by Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith and the Crown Princess of Japan, as well as the Queen herself, will continue to be available, priced between £450 and £650.
http://www.launer.com/
It's cocktail time at Queen's bag maker
(Filed: 29/03/2004)
Launer have been supplying the Queen with bags for over thirty years. Now they hope their new range will appeal to the younger royals, reports Hilary Alexander
The Queen is never seen without her handbag. What she keeps in it is a mystery. But it is always visible, invariably of a similar style and carefully colour co-ordinated to match her shoes.
Contemporary: Launer's Royale bag
Many of the Queen's favourite handbags - the "Peggy" and the "Kelly" styles, for example - come from Launer, which has been supplying the Royal Household since 1968, receiving the Royal Warrant in 1981.
Launer's bags are traditional, discreet and impeccably made by hand in a small factory, staffed by 25, in Walsall in the West Midlands, with the skill and dedication that has been the hallmark of the brand since it was established in Greek Street, Soho, in 1941.
The Launer heritage has so far been immune from the seismic upheaval caused by the wacky-bag fad and the entire fashion-bag revolution. But all that is about to change. Launer is launching a range of contemporary bags, inspired by English roses, named after champagne cocktails and designed to appeal to younger royals, such as Zara Phillips.
The new bags are designed by Sam Cook, 29, a graduate of Central St Martins fashion school in London, who has worked at Hardy Amies and Jaeger. The four designs, named Royale, Bellini, Mimosa and French, are in beige, with aqua, lilac or pink trim and a matching leather-trimmed mirror inside. They are available from Fortnum and Mason, Picketts and Concrete, at £395 each.
"I'm passionate about handmade products," says Cook. "I want to see traditional skills retained, but applied in a more contemporary manner."
The classic Launer bags, sought after by Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith and the Crown Princess of Japan, as well as the Queen herself, will continue to be available, priced between £450 and £650.
http://www.launer.com/
I wonder what other "contemporary" styles they have.
