The design process was and is my favourite part of the process.
When designing the Royal Collection as the name says I went straight to the source. Scrolling through many many decades of Royals, reading up on the history and heritage of the Royals. The research phase is a must.
Diana was my favourite Royal, for her heart, her values, her outspokenness and her outfits, and Kate's outfits do not miss - the colours are always great.
The Diana handbag was inspired by her sons. It felt fitting to name it the Diana, after all her sons were her most precious in life. The pants Harry and William wore for their wedding days with the stripe down the outer legs were the inspiration for this bag. We designed a classic silhouette with one stripe down the middle of the bag. But gave it a modern twist with the colours chosen, not straying too far from the red stripe.
The Cameo handbag was inspired from the jewellery of the times. the cameo is a classic. It was actually inspired by my own royalty - my grandmother olive. Her walnut jewellery box with spinning carousel, glass door and draws holds many memories of school holidays staying at her house, looking at her jewellery, fur coats and shoes, everything was a little girls dream. She had a cameo brooch. I don't know what happened to it, but I won't ever forget it. The Cameo bag was designed in a classic shape with a modern feel, making the cameo the feature centre front and framed by leather to add extra special detail and boldness, but in a subtle way.
The Balmoral handbag was named after Balmoral Castle. The plaid embossing on the handbag is a nod to the Scottish Heritage of the Royals and often seen throughout the years in many forms. I loved the simplicity of doing the embossing and having texture on one colour. The colour is a classic colour worn by many of the royals throughout the years and gives a heritage feel.
The Kensington is a customer favourite. It nearly didn't make it to production. Her simple yet elegant silhouette with an embroidered trim is a nod to QE1, she practiced embroidery from an early age. Embroidery was also a big part of the fashion worn by the Royals over the years. It again is a texture and special addition to change the look of a piece. Done in a modern style for our Kensington, It just made sense.