What’s In Store: Katherine Kwei SS11
Last night I joined a bunch of fellow fashion bloggers at NY-based handbag designer Katherine Kwei’s studio to preview her SS11 collection.
Katherine’s handbags are all made of luxe leathers, including lambskin, calfskin and exotic watersnake, and all incorporate traditional Chinese knotting, which Katherine learned from her grandmother.
Katherine’s team had set up a station where we could each create our own keychain by using Chinese knotting techniques. I made one using the good luck knot.
Even though I pride myself in my arts & crafts skills, mine didn’t turn out quite like the model. Oops.
I loved that Katherine presented the collection to us herself - it’s so valuable to hear about the designer’s point of view in their own words. This season, her collection was inspired by pivotal periods in music history. From tie dyed leather to represent the Summer of Love to disco era leopard print snakeskin, there’s something for everyone. My favorites included an iridescent watersnake clutch and the bag Katherine is demonstrating at left - the fringe zips off and is reversible, and the handle is removable. This gives you so many options - clutch or hobo, plain, with subdued fringe, or metallic fringe!
Check out Katherine Kwei handbags at Saks Fifth Avenue, at any of these fine boutiques, or on Kwei’s e-commerce site.
Thanks so much to Katherine and her team for having me!
