In the Studio
Grow Your Own Joy Campaign: Part Two Of Our Discussion With The Radley London Design Team
09 May 2024
Have you been loving our joyful spring collection? There’s so much more still to come, we know you’ll find some new favourites in our colourful March Edit. Discover more behind-the-scenes info about our Grow Your Own Joy campaign as we continue our discussion with the Radley London Design Team.
In case you missed part one, we recommend reading that first for a bit of background on this talented team.
What is your favourite style from the collection and why does it bring you joy?
Lucy: I adore the smocked Forest Way, knowing the handcrafted detailing that goes into it is really special. And the shape is so on-trend.
Sally: I love Loaf Lane Crafted for the same reason - some incredible handcrafting went into it. It reminds me of a beautiful vintage bag.
Alice: I adore the ‘A Guide to Life on Earth’ Book Street bag. The detailing of the waves makes me feel like I’m there on the beach. I also love the positive message we’ve included on our Amazing Things purses. Everyone can use a reminder to be kind to themselves. Especially in February when the days are still short and cold.
Liz: I love the Knox Gardens vegetable bag. I’ll be carrying that to the shops for sure.
Sophie: Joy Street has to be my favourite. I love the daisy-shaped fob, such a lovely extra detail.
Zizi: I’m so happy that our little gnome friend is making an appearance this season. Look out for him on gorgeous little purses, complete with mirror detail on the pond he’s standing beside.
How do you think Radley London champions the idea of finding moments of joy?
Lucy: Our picture bags and dog designs always feel the most joyful to me. I think we’re not afraid to have fun with design and our customers respond to that. Not many brands can add the detailing that we do because of the hours of handcrafting it takes.
Sally: I think there’s a unique quality to our designs also. We might start off with a must-have fashion trend but then we make it our own with special details and our artisan craftsmanship. It’s the combination that brings joy.
Alice: There’s something very joyful about standing out from the crowd, which is what we design bags to do. I try to bring a sense of humour to the picture bags and purses I design, with the aim of bringing a smile to someone’s face.
Something that always brings a smile to our customers' faces is a new picture bag. Alice, you designed The Allotment bag, can you tell us a bit about it?
Alice: During the various lockdowns last year, everyone on the Design Team developed a keen interest in the outdoors. With walks, gardening, and more specifically growing our own fruit and vegetables. The Allotment picture bag naturally fitted so well with our theme and the joy we were all having growing our produce. There are many things I love about this season’s picture bag, but if I had to choose one detail, it would be Radley’s little dungarees. They’re so cute.
Can you all share with us some of your highlights from this season’s Radley Responsible sustainable range?
Sally: Southwood Lane is very cool. It’s our new puffy, multi-functional group and we’ve made it in shapes you can take anywhere, like a backpack and a large tote.
Liz: It’s so easy to wear, and would be perfect for commuting. It’s hard to imagine that all of these styles are made from plastic bottles.
Lucy: As a team, we’re very conscious of trying to be as eco-friendly as possible. With every style we design - not just Radley Responsible - and in our lives in general. Buy well to buy less is definitely our motto.
Sophie: We want all of our bags to last for life and there’s certain techniques we use to give them the best chance. Such as adding feet at the bottom to protect leather, adding reinforcements to the corners, or choosing handles that we know will be stronger.
Before we head home, we’d love to hear what brings you joy about working in the Radley London Design Team?
Lucy: It makes me proud to look back at our archive of past styles. We truly create timeless bags that are meant to be loved forever, so we might bring back something that was first designed in the ‘90s and it’s still as relevant today. Our bag library is a wonder to look through.
Sally: I love that we’re so collaborative and communicate really well.
Liz: Communication is great for sure. Every idea, no matter how bonkers, is appreciated.
Zizi: We’re really appreciative of what we get to design. When we bring everyone’s individual work together and start seeing how we can build it into a collection, it’s so exciting. We get carried away completely and have meetings that go on for hours.
Lucy: Exactly, we’re lucky that we get to push the boundaries of our creativity.
Alice: Our recurring practical joke involving a giant plastic spider brings me endless joy. We bought him for an office Halloween party and have been slipping it into each other’s bags ever since.
We see what you mean about getting caught up in the creativity, Zizi. Thank you to the team for spending the morning with us.
We’re thrilled to show you the joy behind every design in our new collection. And share even more joyful moments with you daily on our social media.
