Lulu On Being The Godmother Of Novelty Bags

Lulu Guinness has spent 25 years making her name with amusing and surprising hand-held bags - a tiny cage that holds a singing bird; oversized red lips; a basket of bright red roses; or even Rapunzel's castle - so how does she feel to see every department store teaming with the very same "novelty" bags, by brands as diverse as Chanel, Charlotte Olympia, Anya Hindmarch, Moschino, Kate Spade, Ashley Williams and Sophia Webster?

"There's room for us all," Guinness smiled. "This season in particular, there are more novelty bags around than ever. I'm really flattered that I'm asked about it - but as soon as everyone starts doing something, I just want to do something else! It makes me think, 'How can I move things on?' so this season we're doing a disco ball. And when Apple bought Beats, the headphone brand, it made me think how we could do something as a nod to that, so we have a bag this season that looks like headphones. It's about being of the moment in our own way. We're also having talks about collaborations for wearable technology - it's important to react to what's happening."

Starting with a clever ladylike briefcase, containing convenient pockets for just about everything, Guinness was encouraged by buyers to create some bags that more closely resembled her own style: vintage-inspired and ladylike, with a tongue-in-cheek twist. Her first foray - a basket of red roses, inspired by the notion that when she bought a beautiful bunch of flowers she thought it a shame to leave them at home when she went out, wishing she could accessorise with them instead - was a sell-out success, emboldening her to the possibilities of novelty bags.

Lulu Guinness

"At first I looked at things you could make a bag out of: a house, a shop, a castle," she explained. "Before mobile phones, there was very little that you needed to carry! A lipstick, some money maybe. I liked the idea of creating a bag that made you do a double take - that's what I love - and the narrative behind a piece is very important to me. I wanted to create surprising pieces, like the evening dress bag that when you peek under the skirt it says 'Caught You!' Just something that makes you smile. I've been influenced latterly by the art world - from Elsa Schiaparelli to Jeff Koons - and by objects themselves. When I thought of our lipstick clutch I was almost annoyed I hadn't thought of it sooner; it seems so obvious now!"

Having pioneered a now ubiquitous genre for the past quarter century, Guinness is in a perfect position to tell us where we should be investing over the coming seasons - and it seems we'll find ourselves in one of two main fashion camps.

"Turning 25 has really made me go back to my roots," she revealed. "A landmark anniversary makes you ask, 'What am I best at? Why do I do what I do?' I think customers now either want something very high-end - a real collector's piece - or something very new. We're continuing to do both: pieces that are made in England, hand-embroidered, using jewels and precious metals; as well as pieces that are high-tech, exciting and push the boundaries. My favourite bag is always the next one we do."