There was a time when I owned the right handbag, and it meant that I was trotting up the stairway to heaven with the finest luxury item money can buy. The one all my friends and colleagues recognised. The one carried by celebrities, the one splashed across magazines, and suddenly impossible to get hold of.
You knew the one. You’d seen it everywhere. You’d probably spent an unreasonable amount of time looking at it, wondering whether you could justify the price. And if you were lucky enough to get your hands on one, there was a certain satisfaction in knowing that you had it. It was a status symbol, and it was yours.
I completely get that feeling, because I’ve been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.
If you had it, you were in. If you didn’t, well, there was always next season. But I’m starting to wonder now if we’re making a conscious effort to move away from all that nonsense. Times are changing. And things are getting personal, in a good way.
Luxury With More Meaning
Fashion still loves a big moment, of course. There’s always another must-have pair of heels. There’s always another waiting list, another bag from a luxury heritage brand we’re apparently supposed to want and wait seven months to arrive. But right now, something feels different. Increasingly, the interesting bags aren’t necessarily the ones everybody knows. They’re the ones that tell you something about the person carrying them.
And that’s a much more interesting proposition. A bag with a bit of personality. A bag nobody else owns. A bag that you own for life, not just for your best friend’s wedding.
Think about the bags you remember. Not necessarily the most expensive ones, or the ones with the biggest logos. Perhaps it’s a bag you bought on holiday, one in a colour you couldn’t resist, or something you’ve carried for years because it just feels like you.
More often than not, there’s a story attached. Maybe it was an impulse purchase. Maybe somebody you love bought it for you. Maybe you spotted it in a shop window and couldn’t stop thinking about it. Whatever the reason, it became yours in a way that goes beyond simply owning yet another handbag.
That’s what gets lost when everything becomes about the next big thing. The excitement of choosing something for yourself, rather than buying into someone else’s idea of what looks good.
And perhaps that’s why we’re seeing a growing appetite for individuality and personalisation. People still love beautiful things. They still appreciate craftsmanship, design and the pleasure of owning something special. But increasingly, they want those things to have more meaning.
Not just another recognisable label. Not something everyone else owns.
Something with personality. A little more purple. A little more red.
One of the nicest and most uplifting things happening in fashion at the moment is our renewed enthusiasm for colour.
For a while, it felt as though everybody was playing it safe. Beige, black, grey, white, another shade of something that could politely be described as understated. Lovely and charming, certainly, but sometimes you just want something with a bit more life. A bit more zest. A bit more you.
Long Live Purple, Red and Pink
Purple and red are two colours I am particularly fond of. And not necessarily because they’re the easiest colours to wear. Purple (my favourite colour, so yes, I’m somewhat biased!) has a wonderful character. Depending on the shade, it can be playful, mysterious, rich and dramatic, or even surprisingly elegant. There’s something rather individual about choosing purple. It doesn’t always shout for attention, but it certainly doesn’t disappear into the background either. That’s why I love it. And I’m not alone: Purple is being called fashion’s new neutral.
Red is a different proposition altogether. Confident, energetic and absolutely impossible to ignore. From deep cherry and burgundy tones to brighter, more adventurous shades, red is the perfect colour to bring any outfit to life. Mix it with pink, and see where it takes you.
Photo: Powder Pink and Aurora Red. Milan.
Pink and red might not be the most obvious pairing, but they’re certainly not the colours you’d choose if your only ambition is to blend in. But that’s precisely what makes them so appealing. There’s a certain confidence in putting two strong colours together and not worrying too much about whether somebody else approves.
At New York Fashion Week this September, colour combinations got more adventurous, too. Purple and red turned out to be the season’s big surprise pairing, on the runways and on the street, alongside grape purple with grapefruit orange.
It’s fun. It’s expressive. And frankly, it’s about time.
But you really don’t need to wait for a glitzy fashion week, a famous designer or a blog, podcast or magazine to tell you which colours work best together. If you love purple and red, wear purple and red! If yellow brings you joy and puts a spring in your step, go for it. Embrace it.
Embrace Your Own Style
Fashion should be a source of inspiration, not a set of instructions. Not everybody wants the same bag, and at LUC8K, we’ve always been more interested in the person carrying the bag than the trend surrounding it.
Our approach is simple: we want you to have a say in what you carry. The colour, the details, the little personal touches that make it yours.
Perhaps there’s a particular shade you’ve loved for years. Perhaps you’ve always been drawn to bold colours but never quite found the right bag. That’s the beauty of creating something bespoke with LUC8K. It doesn’t have to make sense to everybody. It only has to mean something to you. Maybe it’s a lucky number, an airport code or a combination of details that means absolutely nothing to anybody else, but it means the world to you.
Each LUC8K piece is made to order in our French atelier, with a choice of colours and personal details that allow you to create something with its own identity. Your four lucky numbers, a meaningful airport code, or a personal detail finished in our distinctive gold-thread details.
Pirate Black and Aurora Red, both ways round.
It’s a rather different experience from walking into a shop and buying the same bag that thousands of other people already own.
And that’s intentional.
Luxury Without the Waiting List
There’s something else worth thinking about when it comes to the way we buy things.
We’re constantly encouraged to want more. The latest collection, the newest release, the bag that’s suddenly everywhere. Sometimes it feels as though the excitement of buying something has become more important than actually enjoying owning it.
But a beautiful bag shouldn’t need a celebrity endorsement or a queue outside a boutique to make it desirable.
What Is Intentional Luxury?
For us, luxury is as much about the decisions behind an object as the object itself. Where it comes from. Who makes it. The materials, the craftsmanship, and the thought and passion that go into creating it.
It’s also about taking your time. Choosing a colour because you genuinely love it, rather than because somebody has decided it’s the colour of the season.
That’s what we mean by intentional luxury. It’s about making considered choices. Understanding what you’re buying and why. Finding pleasure in something that’s been created with care, rather than simply following the crowd.
And perhaps most importantly, buying something you actually want to keep.
Your Bag. Your Colours. Your Story.
We have a rather lovely range of colours to play with at LUC8K. Some are bold, some are understated, and some are perhaps a little unexpected.
There are beautiful purples, confident reds, bright yellows and plenty of other shades to make your own. There are no seasonal rules to follow and no particular combination we’re going to tell you is right or wrong.
You might be somebody who loves a classic, understated look. Or you might be the person who walks into a room carrying a pink and red tote and makes everybody else wonder why they hadn’t thought of it.
Either way, it’s entirely your choice.
Is the It Bag Really Dead?
I could be wrong. Perhaps the days of the ‘It’ bag aren’t quite over just yet.
Fashion will always have its icons, and there’s nothing wrong with admiring a beautifully designed handbag. But we’re rather more interested in what comes next.
A move away from owning what everybody else wants, towards owning something that feels a little more like you.
Something made with care. Something chosen with thought. Something with a story that doesn’t belong to a fashion house, a celebrity or a waiting list.
It is intentional luxury, and it belongs to you.
I personally think the ‘It’ bag had its moment. Long live the personal bag.
Live your colours.
And always be you.
With love,
Denice Faye Hough
Head of Colour and Love at LUC8K
To see what our colours could do for you, take a moment to explore luc8k.com.