Hello to all my Chic Chocolate followers! As you know, Chic Chocolate celebrated it's one year anniversary recently and as promised, there will be some new features on this blog. One of my favorite things is discovering new and upcoming fashion talent. I love seeing how independent designers interpret style and design and finding out what fuels their creativity. With that, I'd like to introduce the new The "Underground Designer" series on Chic Chocolate.
Meet an amazing handbag designer from New York, Elizabeth Phillips of
Elspeth New York!
CC: Hi Elizabeth! We know that in the “world of fashion” there are shoe girls and there are handbag girls. I’m definitely a handbag girl! I’m very happy that you decided to do an interview for my fashionably astute readers!
I read a little blurb on your bio and I was impressed to see that you designed bags for Coach, Michael Kors, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. Tell me a little more about how you got started as a handbag designer?
E: It all started with my love for the fashion industry. In college I had a wonderful opportunity interning in NYC with Calvin Klein, I worked in the Design department of Ready to Wear Women’s & Men’s collection for New York, Italy, & Japan markets. This experience gave me the motivation to move out to NYC 2 days after graduation and find the perfect job. 
West VillageMy 1st job out of college was with Coach working with a wonderful designer named Rebecca Heigley in the accessories design department. She guided me through the whole design and development stages of leather accessories, my new passion of working with leather had begun. There were so many ways to work with leather and so many concepts that could be created with leather; I wanted to learn all I could about the industry. That is when I had the opportunity to work with a Licensee who designed accessories for Michael Kors and Calvin Klein. 
Royalton ToteI was able to not only be on the forefront of the designs; I learned every other aspect of the labor from Production to Sales. More and more I came to realize that I wanted to do more then just design for a company, I wanted to create beautiful products for everyone. After starting a handbag/accessory department at another job and not getting the promotion I deserved, I decided to take the leap of faith and get into what I was born to do. Handbags was the easiest thing that came to me, I love handbags as much as the next girl that is why I have started creating handbags for the everyday girl. I take the material in my hand and draw right to proportion on paper exactly how I want the bag to look, the outcome of my samples are not too far off from my idea I started off with.CC: Elspeth New York has been getting a lot of blog buzz and media attention lately, can you describe the general process you go through to design and realize a great handbag? What or who inspires your designs?
E: Living in New York City has always been my biggest inspiration; where else do you get to see so many people from so many backgrounds with their own sense of style? New York is real, down to the core and I love it for that. Everyday living also inspires me, having practical uses for my designs is very important along with quality to last for years. For example, I found a screw on the subway stairs and it set my mind off to make a custom piece of hardware for our Fall/Winter 09 collection. I am a visual designer, what I see in my head is usually what will turn up after I have created it. As I mentioned before my passion for leather, this material really gets my creative juices flowing. I love going to Italy to the leather shows and feeling all the luscious skins and textures that are offered. Just looking at a blank skin and I can envision what it will look like with the right cut and stitch.
Richfield HoboCC: As I stated early on that I’m a “handbag-kinda” girl! Lately, I’ve been so into clutches. Clutches are so chic to me. What is your favorite handbag to carry?
E: Of course I only carry an Elspeth New York handbag. This current season we have the Jackson Fold Clutch and Charlotte Clutch, I tend to use both of these girls equally. The Jackson, I use when traveling, it is thin with a lot of pockets which is great for holding any IDs or important documents. It is great as an everyday clutch. The Charlotte is a cute flirty clutch with a little hardness to it. The inverted pleats give it a fun clutch to carry around to events, not to mention all the space inside to carry what you need for the night.
Charlotte ClutchCC: Where will we see Elspeth New York next? What are your plans for the future?
E: Elspeth New York has set a goal to become a Lifetime Brand, with quality and stylish products that you can count on for a durable lifetime. Next year we will be starting on the Tradeshow scene, to help get our brand out to as many states and local boutiques as possible. I would love to see Elspeth expand in to all other avenues of the accessory world, such as Shoes, Belts, Wallets, Outerwear. The list keeps growing.
CC: Thank you, Elizabeth for a great interview and I wish you all the best.
E: Thank you for your interview! All the best to you!
Chic-ly Yours!
