Nicole Richie' House of Harlow 1960 Launches Handbags

Nicole Richie’s lifestyle collection, House of Harlow 1960, will get a new addition come fall — in the form of clutches, hobos and cross-body bags.

The 14-piece collection, which will range in price from $150 for a red, hard-cased crocodile-printed clutch to $625 for a taupe and ivory burn-out pony hair hobo, has Richie’s personal style all over it.

“Handbags have always been a part of the equation since we first launched the House of Harlow 1960 brand,” she said. “We just needed to make sure all of the components were aligned before setting foot into that category. The collection is quite small in terms of the styles we are launching with. I wanted to make sure that each piece is special and then be able to grow it slowly and organically season after season.”

Ultimately, Richie’s vision for her handbag collection was to create pieces that were a mix of casual and luxe. To achieve this, she took materials like vintage leather and young calf hair and incorporated details such as fringes, toggles, triangle studs, velvet and crystallized jaguar head hardware (one of her favorite animals).

The Bohemian, Seventies-inspired line blends well with the rest of Richie’s offerings, which have grown to include jewelry, footwear, eyewear and contemporary clothing counterpart Winter Kate.

“When I design, I always try to design pieces that are universal, meaning anyone can wear and carry it. At this stage of my design process, I really try to gather direct feedback from my customers, whether through in-store personal appearances, my Web site, Twitter or Facebook. It really helps me when they provide me with their desires, feedback and comments on what they are looking for, so I can try my best to cater to their needs, yet stay true to the brand’s identity,” Richie said.

The handbag collection will be available mid-July at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Shopbop.com.

Via WWD