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Handbag Designer 101: The Stories Behind Handbag Designers, Brands, and Industry Icons

From Recycled Plastic to a Global Bag Brand: How Got Bag Found Product-Market Fit | Emily Blumenthal & Kathrin Melchior

July 7 · 30 min · Season 1 · 21.9 MB
0:00-30:16

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Can a backpack made from ocean-bound plastic become a global accessories brand? In this episode, Kathrin Melchior of Got Bag shares how thoughtful product development, customer insights, and sustainable innovation transformed a crowdfunding idea into one of the most recognizable bag brands on the street. From designing inside a fast-moving global retailer to helping scale a purpose-driven startup, Katrine explains why great products come from constant testing—not just great taste. She also reveals how one surprising customer insight led Got Bag from backpacks into handbags, and why understanding who actually buys your product is often the biggest breakthrough.

Key Takeaways:

  • Design with data — Customer feedback beats assumptions every time.
  • Stay open to surprises — Your real customer may not be who you expected.
  • Purpose needs a great product — Sustainability succeeds when design and function come first.

🎧 Listen now to learn how sustainable innovation, smart product strategy, and customer insights can build a brand that people proudly carry every day.

Our Guest:

Kathrin Melchior is the Lead of Product and designer at Got Bag, the sustainable accessories brand known for transforming ocean-bound plastic into durable, everyday bags. With experience spanning global fashion retail and purpose-driven product development, she combines design thinking, consumer insights, and sustainability to create products that are both functional and commercially successful.

Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.

Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com. 

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