How Mansur Gavriel Beat the ‘It’ Bag Hangover
Clockwise from top left: Circle bag in brandy vegetable-tanned leather, $795; Ballerina in plum suede, $495; Mini Bucket bag in black vegetable-tanned leather, $495; 40mm Ballerina in blush patent leather, $475; Classic Loafer in camello leather, $495; all available at mansurgavriel.com.
Photograph: Chris Maggio for Bloomberg Businessweek
Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel met at a Los Angeles concert by indie pop band the xx in 2010, became fast friends, and launched an accessories collection together in 2013. About half a second later, every woman in the world wanted a Mansur Gavriel bag. “In the handbag business, there have been companies that had success early on,” says boutique magnate Steven Alan, who was one of the first to stock the modestly priced (under $500) bucket bags and totes. “But nothing that I know of in 22 or 23 years that’s been like that. People would put their name on waiting lists. They would sell out before they got to the store.”
A little more than three years later, Mansur Gavriel has managed to keep its bags—and now clutches, backpacks, wallets, and shoes—in a supply-and-demand sweet spot by using time-tested retail strategies and clever social media positioning. “Certain articles of clothing, once they become coveted by everyone, everyone gets over it,” says street-style photographer Tommy Ton, who shot the brand’s spring/summer 2016 presentation. Not Mansur Gavriel’s. “I have friends who’ve had people approach them asking, ‘Do you want to sell it?’ ” he says. “I was like, Wow, this is a crazy phenomenon—to have people want to buy other people’s handbags off their backs.”