South Korean luxury leather bag brand Joseph and Stacey is taking the fashion world by storm. We spoke to Nicole Shin, the firm’s global marketing manager, to find out more.
Tell us about Joseph and Stacey
Joseph and Stacey is a Seoul-based Korean leather design and manufacturing company specialising in luxury leather bags and knit bags. Carrying a line of handcrafted bags that are both fashionable and functional, Joseph and Stacey is known for creating modern, yet, vintage handmade leather bags that never get old, shared from generation to generation. Joseph and Stacey is committed to practical design and a vintage-inspired modern style, proving that convenience and trendiness can exist together.
Where did the name of the brand come from?
The brand name originated from the founders’ names, Josephine and Stacey
What was the inspiration for starting the company?
The two founders met in the US and realised that many hard working women wanted to afford luxury bags, but most of the luxury bags come with harsh price tag. They believe that creating an ‘affordable luxury’ with high quality design and carefully engineered bags would be beneficial to many consumers without financial burden. They returned to their home country of Korea to start making their very first bag with kip leather, which is the same material used to manufacture baseball gloves and is known for being light and resistant.
Who is your customer?
Our customer is someone who loves and cares for themselves and who doesn’t compromise when it comes to fashion. Our customers are open minded women who aren’t afraid to express themselves.
What do the goals for Joseph and Stacey look like moving into the new decade?
Being a brand that is irreplaceable and unique through continuous pioneering.
Where do your bag design ideas come from?
Most of our design ideas are inspired from travelling through different cities and understanding unique culture. For instance, one of our bags is inspired by ‘Bokjumuhni’ (lucky bag) which Korean people believe that carrying it around brings them luck. We then turned ‘lucky bag,’ which is originally a tiny pouch, to a functional and modern style that is eye-catching.
What is the most important part of the bag design?
The most important part of our bag design is the functionality of the bag. We also thrive to find a way that one bag can be worn in multiple ways through carefully crafted design.
Do you have plans to expand to the US?
We have launched the US office in 2019 and are hoping to expand to the broader US market in coming years.
What has been a major milestone for the brand?
One of our major milestones has been finding a unique design and developing it to a product. One of our signature designs is the pleats leather bag. We went through ten different leather manufacturers over a one year period to find a perfect way to crisp the pleats in leather. It took us a while, but it was all worth it!
Who would you love to see wearing the brand?
We would love to see all women that love themselves wearing our bags! Better yet, we would love to see mums and daughters wearing our timeless pieces together, and even hand them down to generations.
