Strandbags’ new leather goods brand Evity is on track to deliver sales in excess of $100 million in its first year, according to the business.
Evity focuses on bags and wallets made with responsibly sourced leather and more style-led designs.
It is part of the Leather Working Group (LWG), a not-for-profit organisation promoting responsible leather manufacturing. The products are made in India.
“We wanted to create a leather brand in the market with timeless designs, that’s made for modern life, that’s accessible to all, using high quality materials with a future-conscious lens,” said Strandbags chief executive Felicity McGahan.
Work on Evity started two years ago, as Covid lockdowns and restrictions made their impact on businesses.
Avoiding panic and knee-jerk reactions, Strandbags strategised to not only navigate the pandemic but to build on and evolve the brand. Evity is one of its fruits.
“A lot of people have asked me if we did a lot of market research, but our entire team is made up of women,” McGahan said.
“So the entire range has been designed by women, for women. We understand what the modern woman needs from her handbag, and we’ve executed that with Evity.
”Covid was a challenge, in particular building a product range over Zoom.”
Strandbags worked with with vendors to ensure all their exclusive leathers and tanneries were LWG approved.
“We also worked with our exclusive designers [there are three key leads] to develop beautifully crafted handbags and wallets of the highest quality,” said McGahan.
“Initially, Evity will be exclusive in all SB stores and online but plans of expansion are in progress.”
There will be four seasonal collections per year. The most popular items for the debut collection are Evity’s Unlined Tote Bag, Camera Crossbody Bag, and Illusion Weave Shoulder Bag.
Crossbody bags start from $149, totes from $169, and shoulder bags from $199.
“The brand has already exceeded our expectations and is on its way to deliver sales in excess of $100 million in its first year,” said McGahan.
“SB is focused on moving the business at every touchpoint. This includes, and is not limited to, the rollout of our evolution stores, launching a new website, building and creating brands (we have another brand launching this year - stay tuned!), the relocation of our head office to Pyrmont [Sydney], with the main focus being on our people and culture post the pandemic.”
Ensuring the brand was sustainable from the start was a key metric Strandbags wanted to hit before launch.
“It’s really important to us. We want to create bags that can be handed down to the next generation, and which get better with age,” McGahan said.
Founded in Australia in 1927, Strandbags is a household name as the destination store for bags - men's, women's and kids'; for handbags, luggage, business bags, backpacks, wallets and accessories, with an online store and more than 300 bricks and mortar stores across Australia and New Zealand.