30 Jun Back To The Future with Pippa Toledo
If there’s one thing that is constant in the fashion and design industry, it is that things are never ever constant, in fact, they are always changing. Pippa Toledo who is best known for her long and unrivalled reputation in innovative interior designs, is the epitome of this truism.
Pippa’s artistic roots started off in the fashion industry, then, twenty years ago, she ventured into the interior design industry and never looked back. Now she tells Alison Bezzina how she’s working to go back to the future with her new venture in fashion.
Whilst bagaholics and fashion lovers might be craving for a Chloé, a Marc Jacobs, or perhaps a Miu Miu, Pippa Toledo is busy designing and manufacturing her own designer handbag collection – the first of its kind for the Maltese islands.
As she herself puts it, ‘quite frankly I needed a change!’
“I love the world of interiors,” she clarifies. “It’s my bread and bu
tter, and I love the hunt for new materials. I get totally lost in trying to find new ways of applying colour, creating innovative ways of designing rooms, sourcing different fabrics and using them in the most original way to turn a house into a stylish home. I will always be doing that, but there comes a time for new beginnings, new sources of excitement, and this is the time for me!’
“Some months ago I was hit with a lethal dose of inspiration. By now I know that when this happens, I just have to follow my creative gut feeling and get down to it,” she explains knowingly.
“First I started importing some very stylish jewellery which I displayed in a special section of my Home and Interiors shop in Amery Street, Sliema. Within days it was clear that the collection was going to be a big success. Of course, true to my nature, I could not stop there. So, after toying with the idea of creating a scarves or sarong collection to go with the jewellery, I decided to crack the hardest nut of all my possible options – a designer handmade collection of unique hand bags.”
“It’s not easy to break into a new industry here in Malta, because the market is so small and limited, but I was never one to calculate and weigh the risks before jumping head-first into something. So without thinking much about the money, the investment and all those things that entrepreneurs usually do before going out on a limb, I contacted an old friend of mine and asked her to come on board. We had worked together a long time ago, when I first started my career in the fashion industry, and because we’re both natural perfectionists we always worked brilliantly together. So when she accepted to work for me again I was elated.”
“It’s a great partnership. I design the bags, I think about the colours, the style, and source the materials. I also finish them personally, beading and sequencing them by hand. My partner, the world’s best seamstress, takes care of the bags’ structure and base. I love it because we go into so much detail. Each bag is a work of art, just like one of my paintings. Even the insides of the bags are stylish and practical with materials sourced from all over the world.”
“We’ve been working around the clock for the past couple of months and we’re now up to 50 unique bags. I’d like to launch the first summer collection with about a 100 different bags but I realise that we’re a little late for that. The plan is to launch the summer collection on the 14th June and to start working on the winter collection immediately after.”
“I realise of course that putting my creative impulses ahead of the business case sounds crazy, but that’s the way I work, and it’s been successful so far. I take pride in the fact that there will not be one bag like another, that the styles will vary from casual to wedding type classical bags. Part of the recipe is that I never stick to my own design, instead I always throw in a final dose of impromptu creativity.”
“I wore a couple of my bags to weddings, and I immediately got a positive response from women asking me where I got them from. This is all the market research I needed to keep going.”
“Though I haven’t thought of pricing yet, I will make sure that there will be something for all those who appreciate the value of personally selected materials, handmade workmanship, and the uniqueness of such designer bags. I am also planning to venture into the international market with this project as I honestly feel that there is a niche demand that’s still pining for a supply.”
“At the moment all this is still a dream that’s taking shape with every day that goes by. I work on the bags mostly in the evenings, shattering my fingers in the process, but I can see it becoming a major part of our business, taking off and setting new heights in the fashion industry both locally and overseas.”
First published in Money Magazine May/June 2010 click here to view
