Alexa Has Designed Her First Handbag

Alexa Chung is launching her first handbag in collaboration with American Express and Small Business Saturday.

The limited-edition gingham canvas bag marks the fifth anniversary of the initiative designed to promote independent business and encourage people to "shop small", a sentiment that Chung, who launched her eponymous fashion line earlier this year, holds dear.

“Supporting small independent businesses has always been important to me because it was how I was brought up - shopping at the local Hampshire butcher or the village shop,” the designer said of her decision to collaborate with Amex. "Now that I’m an adult with a business of my own I am acutely aware of how hard it can be to get something up and running."Alexa's Non-Festive Party Dressing Notes

The £25 shopper has all the trademarks of a Chung product: her signature “A” logo, and a knowing nod that neither the shape or the print will go out of style. "This is the first bag we have created as a brand and I wanted it to reflect our goals as a company: to make things that are fun, timeless, quirky but easy and cool," Chung explained. "The gingham is a colourway we had applied to one of my favourite dresses in our second collection and I love it because it’s classic but fresh and the mini sizing is an interesting play with proportion."

You can shop her everyday arm candy from November 15 on Alexachung.com/amex and support local businesses on 2017’s official Small Business Saturday on December 2. You'll find Chung at her favourite independent retailer, which she described as "a bit of a curveball", Fin and Flounder on Broadway Market. "On a Saturday I head down to the market, hang out, get some flowers and a coffee, and then pop into the fishmonger, where I not only admire the fish but also their outfits. These dudes that work there have head-to-toe sick outfits – welly boots and an apron."