Radley Handbags

Lowell Harder founded Radley handbags in 1998. Ms. Harder who was born in Australia, but had moved to live in the United Kingdom was an architect.

When she became uninspired by her work, she began to pursue other ideas. Harder wanted to design handbags that were fun and colorful different from the dull, boring bags that were currently on the market. After experimenting with many different handbag designs made from leather, she began by selling her bags at the Camden Market in London.

Her new business venture wasn't an immediate success though. Retailers were turned off by her colorful designs and requested that she designed her bags with more subdued colors. However, Harder was determined to continue her love of designing creative and colorful bags the way she wanted. Her love of dogs inspired her to begin adding a small Scottie dog on some of her designs. These bags were adored by the public and outsold her other designs by a huge margin. The Scottie dog became the logo of the Radley brand and now appears on all Radley handbags and accessories. The lovable mascot has become the focus of the Radley Signature Bags, released twice each year. 

Her bags first caught the attention of the John Lewis retail chain, but without any financial backing, she knew she could never fund her new venture. Then she was approached by Tula (a large bag manufacturer) to design her handbags for them under the Radley name. She agreed Radley became part of the Tula family of brands. This gave Ms. Harder the freedom to concentrate on designing her bags.

Today, Radley continues to make beautiful handbags and accessories that are created with exceptional attention to detail and hand crafted skill. Their bags are well known for their vibrant colors and use color to bring fun into their customers’ lives through their products. Radley handbags are also made from the finest leather, which can breathe and shape itself over time, leaving natural markings and giving each bag its own individual characteristics. All of these aspects come together to create truly unique and original bags.

Radley is devoted to "making beautiful things that women can fall in love with". Their bags are full of color and originality and they see each handbag as a work of art. Each bag is carefully thought out to be practical as well and a pleasure to own. Their designers observe and respond to the changes in the way that women use and carry their bags, seeking to bring innovation to their designs. This keeps the love for their products alive as well as interesting. Radley handbags are always designed to stress originality and surprise, as they prefer "to fail in originality rather than succeed in imitation".