Hat designer Eugenia Kim introduces a new handbag line

Eugenia Kim is extending her reach. The hat designer is launching handbags, with straw styles priced from $365 to $495. There are two silhouettes: Flavia, an upside-down hat design, and a large straw tote called Carlotta, which can come embroidered with the word “rebel.”

The bags are available for sale at Net-a-porter.

Kim said bags represent a new chapter for her label. “The current strategy for growth for my company beyond hats is to increase categories as an accessories brand. After the launch of shoes, bags seemed like a natural next move.

“As straw is our largest category for spring-summer, coordinating straw bags was a logical strategy for me. We have been test-launching new categories with capsule collections on categories like bags and scarves with much success. Launching capsule collections is akin to category pop-ups, wherein sampling costs are not such a heavy commitment, and allow me to test and review which styles perform best.”

Kim said while expansion is in the works, she is being careful to remain aware of her brand’s aesthetics. “The goal is an encapsulation of the Eugenia Kim brand and energy, a specific type of fun minimalism that seems suited for many other categories, and is limited if just hats. The accessories market is saturated with many other bags and scarves, and I just wanted to create fun bags that were niche and specific to the brand,” she said.

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