The Bag Lady: Interview with Jackie Cawthra of Belen Echandia

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Interview with Jackie Cawthra of Belen Echandia

Here at The Bag Lady, we recently got the chance to speak to one of our all-time greatest handbag heroes: Jackie Cawthra, designer of the beautiful, artisan-made Belen Echandia bags.

We'd been dying to find out more about the work that goes into making the collection as high-quality and desirable as it is, and were delighted that Jackie could take time out of her busy schedule to enlighten us on the process. Read on for the interview.

TBL How long does it take to create one of your popular bag styles from start to finish?

BE: It really depends. Creating a BE bag can be a long process or an incredibly quick one in terms of actual design and production, but the real time is spent over months beforehand sketching ideas and visiting shows to see new colours and materials. In the end, nothing that we do at BE is quick. Everything is carefully considered and thought out, sampled and tweaked for what seems like months, tested out to see what works and what doesn't. And then just when we think we've finished, we catch something else and change yet another detail. The average time overall is about 6 months.

TBL: what are the main difference between bags that have been made in this way and mass-produced ones?

BE: All Belen Echandia bags are produced in tiny quantities, by which I mean around 10-20 pieces of each. 200 pieces is considered a small quantity by most manufacturers. There are few pieces of each style/colour ever made, so you won't see your bag walking down the street on someone else's arm. Each piece is cut by hand and very carefully selected. Mass production is another story entirely. It's very difficult to maintain the same quality level on a piece produced thousands of times and even if the quality is maintained, somehow mass produced items don't have the same feel about them.

TBL: how are you able to keep using traditional methods as demand for more products grows?

BE: There are plenty of artisans out there with the skills required to make them, however they have been threatened by the trend towards producing in the far East and many of them have closed their workshops. The biggest problem is not with finding producers if there are quantities, but in making customers aware of our products so that we have enough work for the producers. Many companies tried to keep a small amount of production in Italy and take the main part elsewhere, but this will never work because the Italian producer can then barely survive. It doesn't help that the law in Italy says that you are allowed to write "Made in Italy" so long as you at least apply a minor part of the production, like adding a button, in Italy. Many companies use this loophole.

TBL: what qualities do customers most appreciate in your bags?

BE: Without a doubt the attention to detail and the well-thought out arrangements. We approach design as a customer and we know how much easier life is when you can find your keys and your mobile phone and have a lot of pockets. They also love the soft but durable pebbled leathers we use, the trademark bright linings and the fact that they won't see their purchase everywhere and on everyone. And of course, the workmanship really is a work of art in itself.