Introducing Demellier SS14
“I see all these magazine articles aimed at business women proposing clutch bags for the office,” laughs Mireia Llusia-Lindh, “and it’s like, are you crazy! My customers need more than a clutch for their office bag, but it needs to look good.” Llusia-Lindh started life as a management consultant before bringing her business and creative brains together to launch her handbag line, Demellier (formerly Milli Millu – not to be confused with Meli Melo). A few seasons ago, I spotted one of her structured totes across a crowded networking event and discovered its designer was sitting right next to it. Then, months later when I carried my Zurich tote to a store event, the store owner admired it and sent her buyers to investigate.
The main appeal is a sleek aesthetic married with practicality and a fair price point. The design is intuitive – bags are a sensible size and weight, and they’re device-friendly for today’s flexi-worker. Crucially for Llusia-Lindh’s clients who work in law and finance, the bags are designed to fit a combo of laptops, tablets and phones in their many pockets. “My customers multi-task, so they want a stylish bag that does it all, not a laptop bag,” says Llusia-Lindh.
For SS14, Demellier’s signature understated colour palette has expanded to include pops of citrus orange and yellow (“they’re the editorial bags really, but we do sell a few!”). The Montreal is an excellent all-season bag in citrus calf-hair or two-tone neutral leather, although my favourite is the snake-print version (top and below)…
The Helsinki is a great off-duty bag in understated neutrals or orange accents…
The expandable Bilbao is popular with fashion editors, including me. I carried my calf leather and lamb hair Bilbao throughout London and Paris Fashion Weeks and happily toted my camera, iPad and phones for 12+ hours a day scooping up strokes and compliments along the way…
And the best bit about all this is DeMellier’s latest pledge. For every bag bought, a lifesaving kit is donated to a child in need as part of its A Bag A Life scheme. Working with the charity SOS Children’s Villages, kits of of vaccines and treatments are supplied to save the lives of vulnerable children. Shop the collection here.
[UPDATED to reflect the name change from Milli Millu to Demellier.]
17 March, 2014 @ 9:18 pm
These bags are fab – I like the white and the grey styles and also the Bag a Life pledge. Excellent.
18 March, 2014 @ 8:13 am
The first bag looks a bit like Chloe, anyway great collection!
21 March, 2014 @ 9:36 am
@Francine A little bit Chloe-esque but far more affordable!