Tiffany & Co. now has bags to match its little blue boxes.
The jeweler is launching an expansive collection of handbags, ranging from clutches to totes to satchels, in a dozen of its U.S. stores on Sept. 1. Every piece bears an element of Tiffany's signature robin's egg blue, whether on a clasp, in a lining or all over a dyed-crocodile purse. Prices for women's handbags start at $395 for a small suede tote and rocket up to $17,500 for a large crocodile handbag.
Handbags have enjoyed sparkling sales in recent years and are in some ways easier for a retailer to move: Women are more likely to splurge on bags for themselves than on jewelry. "Unlike jewelry, which sometimes feels extravagant, handbags always serve a purpose," says John Long, a retail strategist with consultancy Kurt Salmon Associates.
Tiffany also markets itself as a place where men can buy gifts for the women in their lives. Purses offer luxury cachet without the symbolic weight of the little blue box.
But Tiffany is joining a crowded field of retailers in the handbag arena. Several apparel makers have recently added upscale bags at a time when luxury sales in general are struggling to recover. And Tiffany continues to walk a thin line as it tries to drive sales through accessibly priced goods while maintaining its uptown image.
The designers of Tiffany's new bags, Richard Lambertson and John Truex, say the biggest challenge in designing handbags for Tiffany was coming up with a way to identify the product. "We wanted to have something recognizable about the bags so that people would say 'Oh! That must be a Tiffany bag,' " Mr. Lambertson says. "It's really hard to do that."
The two men are well-known among handbag enthusiasts, having designed leather goods and sold them at luxury department stores for a decade under the Lambertson Truex label. After the recession drove their company into bankruptcy court in spring 2009, Tiffany bought the trademark and hired the designers.
The pair eschewed the heavy use of logos in their Lambertson Truex work and didn't want to go that route with Tiffany. Instead, they decided to play with Tiffany's eye-catching blue. The strap on the black leather Blake tote (which costs $995) includes a Tiffany blue stripe. The clasp and rivets of many bags also include a bit of Tiffany blue enamel, along with the words, "Tiffany & Co."
