Spoiler alert! Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) shared a sneak peek of the new summer collection from Stella & Dot, in which the fashion brand will be debuting a line of handbags and tote bags! The weekender tote pictured below is the Getaway Multi-Stripe Tote from Stella & Dot, which features a hidden zipper expander.
Stella & Dot will be debuting new jewelry, of course, as well as handbags, tote bags, cosmetic cases, jewelry rolls and travel accessories. Stay tuned! The summer collection from Stella & Dot launches on April 8th!
The article above is from WWD, written by Rachel Strugatz
Stella & Dot, the social commerce-based accessories company, will add to its offerings on April 8 with a full range of handbags. The nine piece collection will range from $22 for a cosmetic cases to $138 for a weekender bag. Founder and CEO Jessica Herrin called this the nearly 10-year-old company’s :launch into a lifestyle brand,” as well as a chance to double its market opportunity.
“In the $30 billion accessories market in the U.S., bags and jewelry each account for approximately $10 billion,” Herrin told WWD. “We see the same opportunity in bags as we did in jewelry — giving women on the go a simple way to be chic.”
Other styles include a $59 technology case that serves double duty as a clutch and a wallet, a $39 jewelry roll, a $89 classic tote, and $128 convertible tote that has zippers up the side to let the wearer decide if she wants a sleeker or more expanded silhouette. A small handbag collection was released in 2011 — containig two crossbody and two crossbody to clutch styles, but this is the first significant push for handbags geared toward daytime use.
With sales expected to pass $200 million this year — business grew from $175 million to $200 million from 2011 to 2012 — Herrin projected that the new category will take in about $25 million through the end of the year. In addition to the brand being carried exclusively online at stelladot.com, the brand is being sold by over 14,000 active stylists around the world.
“We’re really invested in this as a huge growth category. We just opened up a dedicated in-house design studio in Sausalito [Calif.],” Stella & Dot chief creative officer Blythe Harris said. She added that the bags are comprised of a combination coated canvas, waffle poly and Safiano leather and come in ikat, snakeskin and colorful multistripe prints.
Herrin added: “Broadening our accessories line by launching the new and massive category of bags allows us to make the opportunity for stylists bigger than ever before. It’s a ground floor opportunity with a proven company.”
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