Over the summer of 2025, I interned at Simone, a company that samples handbag designs for luxury houses like Versace, Coach and Burberry. I worked with Simone's team for Tory Burch on outlet concepts for the upcoming season. Trend research pointed to two directions that became the north star for two of my designs: Polarization, a rebellious contrast in color, texture and feeling; and Heritage, a nod to old British fashion, craft and nostalgia.

Saddler, named after the leather craftsmen who made riding equipment, takes its cues from British travel trunks and equestrian tack. Cognac leather is left matte so it reads as worn-in and inherited, not new, and chocolate corner panels frame the front like the reinforced edges of an old steamer trunk. I kept the branding quiet to match: a wordmark set in The Youngest Serif, a right-angle triangle drawn from the corner panels, and a cream leather hang tag with the mark debossed into it instead of printed.

Lacquer, named for the high-gloss leather finish, uses the same silhouette but pushes it the opposite way. A high-shine espresso body meets oxblood corner panels, so gloss plays against depth and dark plays against red. The branding keeps the same style: the wordmark is also set in The Youngest Serif, its triangle comes from the opposite corner of the bag, and its hang tag is cut from oxblood-dyed leather.

The two triangles come together, first forming the signature “V” of the corner panels, then stacking to echo how the bag closes into a box. Each bag keeps its own half, and the campaign brings them back together. I designed the motion pieces to show the triangles meeting, and carried the line “One Silhouette, Two Opposite Stories” from the logo through to the split-screen mall billboard.

From spec sketches and measurements to hardware and leather choices and prototyping, this was a fulfilling experience where I learned a lot about fashion and branding.