I’m pretty sure that one of my dearest friends has had her hand on more designer handbags than any other woman on earth, over the course of her career thus far. Boyarde is an artist I was introduced to a few years ago now, and a woman that I instantly fell head over heels for. Her energy is contagious and her creativity unmatched. She’s the woman responsible for putting Robert Redford into my arms, at last. That should say it all, really. She also happens to be one of the most popular pop-ups in Selfridges, in London, at the moment. I dropped by just before Christmas to give her a big squeeze and check out the holiday digs. I could barely find a space to park myself. Everyone was arriving with their freshly bought Valentinos, Birkins, Chanels and more, ready to hand over their splurge for an additional ounce of exclusivity.
When I first met Boyarde, she was doing large scale bag transformations. She worked much like a traditional artist, only her commissions were from patrons of the handbag world. These patrons had expensive tastes, but required something even more exclusive than one of the world’s most expensive handbags on their arm. They wanted something original, and Boyarde was stepping up to the plate. My first commission was, as mentioned before, an oversized grey pebbled Bally bag that I pictured as the perfect canvas for one Robert Redford. Over the course of a few months, Boyarde and I worked together on the final sketch and when we were both happy she went away and came back with my dream man, to carry in my arms forever. A few years have passed, Boyarde has positively blown up, and she now offers her services in everything from large paintings to smaller touches like personalised initials and bag tags. This is all just to say that while the sky’s the limit, Boyarde can also create smaller personlisations that turn any bag into an exclusive bag just to you.
If you’re in Selfridges, pop into the accessories hall to see the display currently in store. Or, if you’re further afield, head over to Boyarde’s website for more info on commissioning your own project!
Watch this space as I’ll be sharing my latest Boyarde piece herewith soon!
