I’m a big fan of the Cambridge Satchel Company, if you know me you’ll know I’m in possession of a classic in bright yellow…
The Cambridge Satchel Company was set up in 2008 by Julie Deane and her mother, Freda Thomas and has gone from selling three of the traditionally styled schoolbags a week from their kitchen table to 1,500 a week, in a multitude of colours.
Turnover has increased from £15,000 to £3.3m, and may reach £8m this year.
The bags have become a cult among twenty-something fashion bloggers, who post incessantly, swapping information about styles and colours. They have become a phenomenon that has really taken Julie by surprise.
Julie scoured eBay, stalked traditional school outfitters to find a producer and then sourced leather manufacturers before finding an about-to-retire craftsman in the north-east who agreed to produce her first samples.
The Cambridge Satchel is consistently in the top five online accessories sales every week of Urban Outfitters (Anna Tizard).
The brand can also claim high-end fashion credibility: last year Commes des Garçons, collaborated with the Cambridge company on a range of bag. The resulting four laptop-sized fluorescent bags promptly sold out at Dover Street market; Erdem placed an order earlier this year too.
Julie’s insistence on a “handmade in Britain” label ensures her satchels are imbued with the wistful nostalgia of schooldays, making them as attractive to parents for themselves as for their children.
The current fashion trend for satchels has also fuelled demand. The Céline Classic bag, which carries a £2,000 price tag, has shades of satchel styling, while Mulberry’s Alexa bag (£785) is similar in style to the classic schoolbag. By contrast the price of a Cambridge Satchel is a more modest £79 – £139, making it a relatively affordable, as well as unexpected, fashion success.
