Small Designer’s Luxury Handbags Turn Viral

To buy one of his insanely popular bags and you log on to Pierre Laborde's website, you will be greeted with a message that says, we are truly grateful for the incredible response to our collection due to high demand. We have currently reached our capacity for new orders. Look. We've talked a lot about luxury retail and how high end designers are suffering from kind of this onslaught of sameness. Customers are increasingly looking for something unique and, well, real. So we are happy to have the real human being behind these really popular bags, works of art here with us today, designer Pierre Laborde. Pierre, it's so nice to meet you. Oh, thanks for having me. It's such a pleasure. I have seen these bags. I don't know, Lisa, if you've seen them. They have been absolutely everywhere. They have been all over Instagram. Every fashion girly wants one. They're really hard to get. Yeah. But there's this saying that it takes twenty years to be an overnight success, and that's kind of your story. You've been making these for how long? How did we get Yeah. It's been quite a while. Actually, I studied fashion at FIT, then I used to make clothes. So it was not fun for me anymore. Then... So I went back to school and took classes on making handbags. Okay. Then... So I found out that was what I really loved. And you're kinda good at it. Yeah. Then so I started, like, one, two, three bags. You know, it was selling in my place. My friends were supporting me, and people were pushing me all the time to go out. And I always thought I was not good enough. People wouldn't... Never liked my stuff except my friends. So... Yeah. And then one and one and one word-of-mouth, then... So this is... Then I started going to the market. And Yeah. Yeah. Were selling them at the Grand Bazaar for how many? For a couple... And so for people who don't know, the Grand Bazaar is, like, this very cool eclectic flea market on the Upper West Side. It's outdoors. It's pretty casual. Yes. How many years were you doing that? Actually, it's been over eight eight, nine years, though. Wow. Yeah. But when I started, I... It was really rough for me. I was not selling anything at all. So Really? Yeah. Yes. There there were days, you know, go home with zero. No. And you're making them in your apartment. Right? Yeah. Yeah. It's like Now when have you made it? Because I'm looking right here. Is it cow hide? This is cowhide mixed with leatherhide, and I I I... It's a mixture of different kind of leather stuff. When did it really take off? Was there one person in particular posted about your bags, or was it, like, a word-of-mouth thing? I see. It's... I think it's about, like, two and a half years ago, some... Someone bought a bag for me, and I I never thought... I mean, like, two, three days after my Instagram and my website was going crazy, I I didn't understand what's going on. Then she texted me, she said, oh, I posted your... The bag that I purchased from you on TikTok, and it went viral. Then... So it was just, like, over... Almost, like, a million, like, views and stuff. So have to ask you. You said you're making these by hand. Right? Yes. Are you still... Because you have all these. They're sold out. Like, do you have calluses on your fingers? Like, how are you keeping up with all of I'm still working from home. Wow. You just got out your apartment, right? Yeah. Apartment is a little big. Then I have a studio. So we work there. So now I cannot make everything on my own. So I just hire some... A few people. Like, it's, like, five, 16, you know, people, and somebody will help me with email and all that kind of stuff. So I'm still very small. The thing that I find so interesting about about your bags is they really don't look like anything else. And as we talk about, you know, luxury fashion is having a bit of a moment where I was just on the operating side a couple days ago and going into all the stores, and frankly, it all looks the same. It's the same color palette because they're trying to reach such a large swath of people. That can be hard when you have shareholders, when you have all these parties who need and want to have opinions. Is there... I mean, I know it's so hard being an independent designer, but is there freedom there, and is that how you've been able to establish this kind of signature style? I mean, freedom in a way, design in my own way. Yeah. Like, you can do whatever you... No one else is telling you how to make your back. That's what the joy that I have because, you know, I can do whatever I want. I can... Because I I love colors. I get to mix all the colors that I want. You know, that's, know you know, all the design that I wanna do. And, you know, most of the time when I'm designing and work, I don't think about money. I just think about the art, you know, because my art comes first after money. Know? Do what you love and the money will come. Right? Well, art does come at a price. I mean, what's the the price point for for winning backs? What's the range? It's like, how many of that sale went up? Know. Run through, like, $3.60 to, like, 2,000 for now. Yeah. Okay. And how long does it take you to make one bag? Actually, one bag, I can make one bag in a day, but, like, in a week, we can make, like, 40, 50 bag. Yeah. But now with the high demand, so I cannot do the market, like, every week. Yeah. So we do, like, every six weeks and... Because we have a big follow-up of people. Now in order to get a bag, you need to have a ticket. So because we don't want chaos, people just come in, travel, and not being able to get a break. So what are plans for the future? Are you going to scale? Are you going to license? Are you talking to bigger stores, bigger distributors? What do you want to do with this? Actually, I've been contacted by stores then. I I... For now, I don't think I'm interested. Really? No. Yeah. I I think I like the idea that that uniqueness, being unique, and just still making things by hand because I don't want ever to do mass production because that's the reason why I went into this at first place. You know? I know it's gonna take time for some some people to get a bag, but it's better to have something unique, something different so it's not out. You know, everyone has the same same... That was my idea. But do you think that's why people connect to them because they can tell that you put... I'm sorry, Lisa. I don't know. But, yeah, you effort. Put your your heart into them. Yes. Yes. Yes. That's... As for me, even though, like, sometimes, you know, I spend all night designing, working, and it's just, like, I find joy in doing it. Because I feel like whenever you do something you like, it doesn't matter how hard, you know, all the problem that's coming. And it's just think about your work, and probably that's why... And, also, like, everything that's happening, it wouldn't happen if it was, like, for the supporters. People will support my work, and I think it's a fifty fifty thing. So I do the work. They support support me financially and emotionally. So if you work and people don't care about what you do, so what else? Would you ever expand, like, to something at, like, belts or, like, anything? Are you thinking of of doing something like that? Making belt to us. Oh, you do make... Oh, see. You're already on top of it. Lisa wants a belt. Yes, ma'am. I'm telling you. I want all of the bags. Yeah. Yeah. Unfortunately, once you bring them into the studio, we, by law, I think, have to keep all of them now. Right? Because you just all are. So You're you're allowed to keep everything now.