Envy Bags: When It All Began

Some of you may have clicked on this wondering what Envy bags are or you’re curious to find out more. Others will know that I created the brand at university.

 I want to educate those of you who are unfamiliar with Envy and update those who have been supporting me over the years.

Let’s go back to September 2015 – the start of my third and final year at university. I remember going into one of my classes and my tutor saying we needed to get work experience to pass a particular unit – gulp! I immediately thought that I had to take 3-6 months out from my studies to gain this experience and it filled me with dread. After much thought, why couldn’t I challenge and push the boundaries of this unit – make it my own?

From that day, I toyed with the fact that I had sewing skills, marketing abilities and creative flare. I asked myself, how could I learn and better these skills? How could I turn this into work experience?

As the idea bounced around in my mind, I remember living in our little dingy basement flat in Southampton and I used to write to my Mum telling her what I used to get up to. Despite the fact my Mum was available on the other end of the phone, there was something about receiving a card on our doormat knowing that she had written back to me – it gave me a buzz.

One weekend in September, I woke up remembering that I needed to get a stamp to post my Mum a card and as I sealed the envelope I had an epiphany! It really was a eureka moment. A light bulb moment and so many ideas came flooding to my mind. I remember having the biggest smile on my face and telling Tom that I was going to buy a sewing machine.

The envelope that I put my Mum’s card into triggered ideas of a simple bag design and I just went with it; envelope shaped clutch bags made from faux leather or fur, embellished with studs and silver chains.

Envy developed it's name from the word ‘envelope,' that being the shape of the bag. Don't get me wrong, I toyed with other names and asked the opinions of peers, family and tutors to get feedback.

Envy was born! The first Envy bag was created c. September 2015 and it’s grown from there.

  

Graduating university in 2016 and getting a job a few weeks after that didn’t give me a lot of time to think about how I’d keep Envy going… until now. Watch this space as Envy is finding its feet again.

Follow Envy on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter... and soon to be on Etsy – coming soon! You heard it here first.