EXCLUSIVE: Tod’s Unveils New Bag Design With Mr. Bags Capsule
LONDON — As the first luxury brand to work with Chinese fashion influencer Tao Liang, professionally known as Mr. Bags, to develop limited-editions bags and sell them through his WeChat mini program “Baoshop,” which has become a solid way for brands to engage with China’s hard-core handbag collectors, Tod’s is introducing a new bag shape, which is still unnamed at this stage. This fourth collaboration will bow on Sept. 9.
Inspired by the brand’s cross-body C-bag that Liang saw on the runway of the brand’s spring 2020 show, the new shape, in pale pistachio, light tan and almond colorways, was redesigned with reference to the Yexia Bao style.
Yexia means armpit in Chinese, and Yexia Bao often refers to the small shoulder bag with a short strap, which can be carried under the curve of one’s armpit, according to Liang.
“The Yexia style is one of the most popular bag styles in China,” Liang said, adding that despite sharing a great resemblance to the C-bag, the design is structured differently inside and out, and the length of the shoulder strap is designed for comfort and to accommodate more clothing styles.
Each bag comes with a limited-edition stamp inside, and special packaging with the Mr. Bags and Tod’s logos. After launching on WeChat, the capsule will be available on Tod’s web site and at selected Tod’s stores worldwide.
Tod’s said the collaboration with Mr. Bags has been “successful in the past seasons, attracting also a new clientele, more used to e-commerce and different retail channels than the usual ones,” and the new color variations can transport the wearer to “an Italian beach on a late summer night,” despite travel restrictions due to COVID-19.
Related:
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