We asked our CEO and Founder how she designed the LYRA & LUXE bag.
The concept was the easy part. Having the idea to make an overlay detail removable or interchangeable was a no brainer, but deciding the mechanisms and creating the overall design of a timeless and essential work bag took a lot of thought and few iterations.
I thought about what I wanted the bag to be: sophisticated, minimal, timeless, versatile, functional, stylish, etc. Ultimately, I wanted to redefine the Women's Briefcase.
Obviously the flap or overlay was always part of the design. I knew the LYRA & LUXE bag needed to have a classic briefcase silhouette, but with a modern edge and sleek design. I wanted to keep the structure of a briefcase, without the out-dated or overly masculine style and bulky buckles. The briefcase needed smooth, clean finishes. My original design mechanism of the interchangeable flaps was to use a spring-like hardware to pinch the sides together and slide into the body of the bag. In chatting with a few suppliers, the idea came about to use a hidden zipper.
The first design iteration was based on a briefcase or work bag that I used for my work trips. It's a bit on the bulkier side with excess compartments and space, and also rather heavy. When I received the first prototype, I actually didn't like it at all. The dimensions were just too tall, too wide, and too thick. The handles were not flexible. and equally bulky, a little long for handles, yet too small to put over the shoulder. This first prototype also included the hidden zipper, with a layer of material over the zipper. But there was a lot I didn't like about that either. First, the zipper was plastic. Also, it added to the bulkiness of the briefcase. And lastly, the extra material made it more difficult to match the zippers up without constantly bending the vegan leather, which I knew would create creasing and wear over time.
The second design was slimmed down, the structure became slimmer and sleeker, the material was smoother and the zipper was showing, adding a nice design element to a very minimalistic bag. The second prototype came out great. It was high quality vegan leather, with the gold-finished hardware. It was a huge improvement to the first prototype. While the bag needs to be functional and large enough to hold women's everyday items and work essentials, ie laptop, the second sample was still a tad too big, but also lacked some interior details.
Personally, I have never been one to use all the different compartments in my handbags. I have a wallet to throw into whichever handbag or purse I'm using that day. As a woman always running out the door last minute, I never actually take the time to organize my bag with all the different compartments. Or if I do, I never remember what item I put in which compartment. However, I do recognize the importance of a protective sleeve for a laptop. This addition, along with a small size adjustment, was incorporated into the third and final prototype.
At the end of the day, I wanted to design this bag for the woman going places - whether she's climbing the corporate ladder with her briefcase, hopping on a flight with her personal item, or going to happy hour with her favorite fashion accessory.