This is an episode of The Glossy Fashion Podcast, featuring candid conversations about how today’s trends shape the future of the fashion industry. Series details →
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If you saw the Oscars and the event afterparty on a Sunday night, you may have seen a Métier handbag. The brand’s clutches were seen throughout the red carpet carried by the stars from Kaia Gamer to Amy Poehler to Anna Sawai. And it wasn’t the first time that a star fan from the brand has attracted Metier’s attention. Brand founder and designer Melissa Morris noted that this week’s episode of shiny podcasts, the sightings of Kate Middleton, Nicole Kidman and various “heritable” characters in charge of the brand have “had a major impact” on the business since its 2017 launch.
Also on the podcast, Morris discusses strategies for launching a brand from the gate at a luxurious price range and building a post-Brexit brand in the UK. Additionally, she talks about Métier’s US expansion plan. This includes more recognition through the NYC store and A-listers. The highlights of the episode below have been lightly edited for clarity.
Italian craftsmanship
“The first thing I did was find a partner in crime with regard to all products. The first person to join Metier was Luca Flabi. He is in Italy and oversees everything about our craftsmanship, development, production. …I designed the design (product) and came up with the shapes, ideas, how I want it to look and feel, and how it wants it to work, and then I sketch it all out, then I come to him and see it together. It kind of takes another life (after that). We talk through all the different (possibility) for construction. For example, the thickness of the different panels of leather really becomes important. (We also consider all the ways in which we can inject the artisan details so that every piece is not only as long as possible, but also as lightweight and easy. First, we took six months to an Italian canvas and found a supplier that we could create at the level we wanted. Second, it took three years to redesign how to create a luxurious bag that is functional yet lightweight, leaning forward. Many of the traditionally functional products have large, bulky pockets or are made from more traditionally functional materials. But I was really inspired by vintage luxury cars, especially the vintage 911. It’s a very functional item. … We looked into many ways to bring life to life with the most thorough and luxurious hands. (Gorgeous Artisans) are a dying variety, and that’s a concern. But we are truly proud to be part of the group carrying torches. And the response from the market shows how well our clients are, and how highly they appreciate the truly luxurious and true quality, and we can see through that.”
Quiet luxury remains in demand
“I laugh because (when I hear “quiet luxury”) I’m not quiet. But that’s an analogy for a white shirt. That says a lot when someone wears that perfectly tailored, refreshing white shirt. You turn and you’re looking – it’s easy to impress. So it’s not quiet. It’s not just screaming. There’s no need to scream. And I think that’s the difference. And I think it’s great. I think the client is actually pushing the more obvious tricks and designers not to trade. It’s also a welcoming breath of fresh air for many designers, even for a large home that feels forced to use those tricks. And I don’t think it’s going to go away. So we have the smallest, foilless, embossed logo – I can barely see it in my bag – and then the client came to the store and was like, “I can’t have it there either.” Absolutely (brand signature) is becoming itself, and it is telling something about you in your own way. But what we do is not as minimal as we don’t have a voice or personality. It has a clear brand code and what you recognize. It’s just using the design as a design, not a logo. ”
Launched as a luxury brand
“I knew it was dangerous to choose to open a store with a brand. There are no really new luxury leather goods brands. There are many revitalized heritage brands that are expanding into leather goods, and many amazing ready-made brands, but no one is doing something like what we are doing. And I really admire a lot of gorgeous heritage homes. Why can’t you start doing that today? And I knew it was dangerous, but it felt like a gap in the market that is lacking, so it felt like the right thing.”
