Irina Shayk And Stella Maxwell Turn Handbag Designers

Throughout the years I’ve been working as a model, I’ve gathered lots of information on the process of creating fashion without even trying,” Stella Maxwell tells Vogue. The Kooples must have sensed the inner design talent brimming inside her, and, accordingly, asked Maxwell to create a handbag to accompany the brand’s autumn/winter 2018 collection.

The New Zealand-born model jumped at the chance to take the baton from Emily Ratajkowski, who was the brand’s first celebrity collaborator in 2017. This time round, however, The Kooples was looking for a couple to align with its core concept of photographing pairs of people in its wares. When asked who she would like to share her creative license with, Maxwell could think of only one person: “Obviously Irina Shayk!”

“It was a match made in heaven, because we have very different personalities and styles, so our designs didn’t clash,” Maxwell continues. “There was no limit to the creative possibilities – The Kooples made the whole process so easy.”

The Stella by The Kooples bag taps into the Victoria's Secret Angel's inner rocker and the dark, hard-edged aesthetic of the brand. Created from studded soft-calfskin manufactured in Italy – “the quality was just as important as the look,” she asserts – the shoulder style with metallic clasp and chain strap comes in three sizes and multiple colourways. Maxwell, it appears, is all about options.

The Irina by The Kooples bag, in contrast, was not conceived with the day-to-night outfit conundrum that plagues many and has been manipulated by brand campaigns, but for a girl on the move. Encased in the soft-grained leather bowling bag shape with metallic hardware is a concealed mirror. “Every time you run out of the house you always forget your mirror,” Shayk explains of her multi-use accessory. “My bag is also soft enough that you can put it in your luggage and not worry about damaging it. I travel a lot – and I take a lot with me! – so that was important.”

Aside from the opportunity to imagine a versatile accessory she believed her fellow model community and fans will also find useful – and covetable – Shayk said yes to Maxwell, because, “the campaign is about friendship, love and celebrating life”. What more could you want from your next handbag purchase?

After the roaring success of the Emily bag, The Kooples is onto a winning formula: model mania equates to great sales. The Stella by The Kooples bag, which starts at £318, and Irina by The Kooples bag, which starts at £298, will be available in stores and on the website from September 2018.