Darlings I have sinned. I have broken my self imposed financial constraints and it’s all Lulu Guinness’s fault. I (genuinely) had to pop into Kildare Village. This is one of the Villages by Value Retail. Founded in 1992, Value Retail is the creator and operator of Chic Outlet Shopping villages that I am fortunate – or unfortunate enough depending on your viewpoint – to live near. It was all in aid of a public relations mission.
I was so good darlings, I managed to creep past all the labels with blinkers on, completely focused on the mission in hand and then I turned the corner. There she was, I almost fell out of my pradas. At first I thought my eyes were deceiving me, with all this recession brain bashing, I must be hallucinating. Could that gleam and sparkle really be coming from a brand new shop by Lulu Guinness? Once the fog cleared and my heart rate returned to normal I realised that it was true, that there is a God, as my favourite handbag designer had been so thoughtful as to open a shop near me. Her attention to detail and distinctive branding were unmistakeable.
As I floated into the exquisite interior (having been welcomed profusely by the lovely lady at the door) I was moved to poetry. “I wandered aimlessly as a cloud …… when all at once I saw ……. a host of golden daffodils” …….. or something of that nature. I decided there and then that this week’s #inspirational #entrepreneur had to be the absolutely fabulous Lulu Guinness. By now I’m sure you’ve seen some of her magnificent handbag creations. They’re real statement pieces and what I love about them is that, although I have now reached the age when I should be quite grown up and thinking about reading glasses, they allow the real inner creative me within to burst forth in all her glory. When I held a Lulu Guinness handbag for the first time I had a vision of daisies, happiness, wide open spaces and pure exquisite joy. There are no words in Rogets’ Thesaurus to describe what I felt as I held her work in my hands last week.
As I read the informational piece about Lulu that stood aside her limited edition pieces, I realised that she was indeed truly an inspirational female entrepreneur. Founded in 1989 Lulu Guinness Handbags are now a household name. The intitial concept was of a briefcase for women which morphed into an idea for vintage style rose basket bags. She was never formally trained and despite that (or perhaps because of it) her work has spread around the world becoming one of the most covetable designs. Her unique creations are also sold in department and specialty stores worldwide, including Harrods, Selfridges and Fortnum and Mason in the UK, Brown Thomas in Ireland and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.
Her work has been recognised by her peers and even by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In the 2006 Queens Birthday Honours Lulu Guiness was awarded an OBE for services to the FashionIndustry. In 2009 she was awarded the Handbag Designer Awards ICONOCLAST Award for a “Lifetime Achievement in Handbag Design”. As if that wasn’t enough, this high acheiver has a range that forms a permanent part of the Victoria and Albert Museum‘s “The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion 1947-1997” exhibition in London. It includes selections from her ‘Collectables’ range “The Florist Basket”.
What’s your favourite Lulu Guiness handbag Design?
You can see Lulu Guinness’s delicious designs on her website or follow her on twitter by clicking here @LuluGuinness
