How This Minimalist Bag Achieved The Ever-Elusive It-bag Status

When you step out of Sloane Square tube and onto the well-heeled King’s Road, you will be met with the expected line-up of designer stores, upmarket restaurants and bouji coffee joints. But, as of this Saturday, you will also see shopfront signage that reveals a new kid on the block: DeMellier. The British handbag brand, which was all but unknown 10 years ago, has risen (or we should say, skyrocketed) through the ranks of a notoriously hard-to-please fashion industry, and now finds itself opening its first permanent flagship store in one of London’s most premium retail locations. No mean feat.

Despite its relative youth, DeMellier’s streamlined designs – including the top-handled Hudson and the origami-proportioned New York – have already been snapped on the arms of A-list royalty (alongside actual royalty – Kate Middleton has been photographed with two different DeMellier bags), such as Reece Witherspoon and Kristen Bell, alongside becoming a mainstay in the wardrobes of Instagram’s content creator community. However the Stockholm is arguably the style that has allowed the brand to secure that ever-elusive “It-bag” status.

“We wanted to create a modern interpretation of the classic bowling bag, one where the leather would be the real protagonist, working with texture and fluid shape,” explains Mireia Llusia-Lindh, creative director and founder of DeMellier. “What makes it distinct from the rest of the collection is the minimal hardware, its softly curved silhouette and its subtle details. It’s a piece that sits very much in line with the spirit of Stockholm itself.”

Coming in three sizes – the largest is ideal for work and travelling; the Midi more of a grab-and-go size; while the compact Mini is the ultimate nighttime companion – and a concise edit of colourways and fabrications, the design leans into the increasing consumer demand for timeless design and practical appeal. And like many of the brand’s other bags, it hasn’t taken long for the Stockholm to be co-opted by style-savvy celebs, with model and It-girl Romee Strijd, and everyone’s favourite quiet luxury stalwart, Rosie Huntington-Whitely, spotted with the bag in in fine-grain black and hazel suede, respectively.

In an increasingly saturated market where social hype and spectacle is presented as the only way to win over audiences, how did the brand determine the format of its 10th handbag release? “There has been a clear evolution where today’s consumers have access to a lot more information and can make more informed decisions. They expect exceptional design and craftsmanship, but also transparency, responsible production and brands that stand for something meaningful – these are the values I was missing myself in the industry and that have shaped DeMellier since the very beginning,” Llusia-Lindh explains.

“This is a bag that beautifully balances form and function, and I’m particularly proud of the craftsmanship and attention to detail that went into it. It is entirely handcrafted by our artisans in Italy, and every element, from the leather selection to the secret pocket and the craftsmanship of the handles, reflects the level of care and purpose that sits at the heart of everything we do at DeMellier.”

The DeMellier strategy is to design a core silhouette and then offer tweaks and updates, instead of having a marketing calendar filled with constant new handbag launches. The Stockholm debuted in December 2025, however in May the following year the brand introduced the Stockholm Shoulder which has an east-west silhouette that is more structured than the curved original, but has the signature elongated straps.

Earlier in the year I went on a trip with DeMellier (to Stockholm, no less) with the Stockholm bag by my side, and I can attest to its form-meets-function kudos. It was the dream travel companion when I was lugging around a work laptop and water bottle, among various other detritus, around the airport, plus the “secret pocket” that Llusia-Lindh refers to was ideal for stowing my passport. I also road-tested the Mini Stockholm for a dinner in the gilded halls of the city’s Royal Opera House, and its saturated berry hue provided the perfect pop of colour against my monochrome separates.

DeMellier as a brand challenges the idea that It-bags have an expiration date, as all of its handbags are designed to be hard-wearing future classics, resistant to the fickle trend cycle. Its latest launch, the Icons Collection, plays on this idea, as the brand asked five stylish women to rework its hero designs with small updates to the textures and colours. Influencer and It-girl collaborations can often focus on newness and virality, however this collections reiterates the message that DeMellier’s core designs are all focused on longevity and a timeless aesthetic, rather than a conveyer belt of flash-in-the-pan It-bags.

As part of the project Rebecca Donaldson and Romee Strijd both put their own twist on the Stockholm bag, with the former finishing the shoulder style with a dark green sage leather. “It feels very true to my style because it’s understated and neutral but still has a little something unexpected about it,” Donaldson shared with Vogue. “I also added the white stitching as a subtle contrast, which gives the bag a soft point of difference without taking away from its simplicity.” “An iconic handbag is one that feels instantly recognisable without having to try too hard,” Donaldson shares. “It has a strong, distinctive silhouette, but also a sense of ease.”

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