University of Rhode Island  
Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design

Cara Landy describes one of her creations
Photo by Michael Salerno, URI News Bureau

TMD 402K The Art and Science of Fashion - Speaker Summaries

Cara Landy: Starting a Business in Handbags,
 by Kate Seavey 

            If I had ever wanted to go into a career in designing handbags, Cara Landy might have been my inspiration.  Only two years out of college, Landy is well on her way to becoming a well known handbag designer.  Landy, a graduate from the University of Rhode Island’s TMD program, began designing handbags at the age of 14.  She was able to sell her bags in a boutique in her hometown of West Hartford, Connecticut.  Landy continued to make bags by hand throughout high school, and upon graduating from URI, turned to a production factory in New York City called Manolucci in October of 2003 to produce her designs.  Her website, www.caralandy.com, currently displays almost 30 designs from her spring and winter collections.  

            Landy began her presentation with the very first step of production:  an idea for a handbag is brainstormed, along with its shape, size, dimensions, materials and colors.  The first step Landy takes is to sketch out the design and compile all these factors.  She then personally creates a pattern out of oak tag paper, and brings it to her factory to begin the design.  The factory then transforms the paper pattern into a tangible sample bag by producing “dies;” cookie cutter like devices that are capable of stamping out all the pattern pieces for each bag.  Each pattern piece of the bag has its own die, and can cost between $500 and $1,000 a piece.  Including materials and all the dies, each sample bag can cost thousands of dollars to make!  Landy brought with her a variety of sample bags, which she lined up on stage to show to the class.  

            Once a sample bag is produced, Landy can then show the bag to buyers from stores.  Buyers then place their orders, having a six month “pre-season” ordering period in which to do so.  After orders are placed, they are tallied and sent to the factory for production.  Now in her third season of production, Landy usually produces about 15 styles a season in three to five color combinations.  

            Landy also discussed some of the legal aspects she dealt with in starting her company.  From a legal search with the government to determine if her name was similar to any other businesses, to trademarking her own font, a lot of legal aspects go into protecting the company.  

            Landy says that her favorite part of the job is sourcing the materials she uses in her bags.  She has fun browsing stores for fabrics and notions for her handbags.  In order to price a bag, a chart has to be made that includes all the materials that go into each bag: the price of each shell, zipper, and snap.  All the costs are then totaled, and that number is multiplied by 2.2—this is the price at which Landy sells her bags to buyers.  That price is then marked up again, usually by the same factor, to get the retail price of a Cara Landy handbag.  Her bags range in price from $175 to $565.  

            Landy went on to talk about her decision to produce with the factory she chose, and the importance of such a decision.  She also spoke about the importance of press and her product in the media, especially in magazines where she can cite a place where her bags can be purchased. Public Relations is a vital part of getting Landy’s name “out there,” she says.  Landy shows her bags primarily at trade shows where buyers can browse through her designs. 

            Landy concluded her presentation with a few pieces of advice for the class, the first being “listen to advice from others.”  She also advised us that, if we were going to venture into the handbag business, test them on our family and friends, keep track of where your invested money goes, start small, and do the dirty work yourself.  

            Cara Landy gave a great presentation that was very well organized and filled with useful information.  I am inspired that someone so young had the initiative and the drive to start up her own business.  I am glad that I had the opportunity to listen to Landy speak, and look forward to seeing where her company goes from here!