Happy First Birthday Bags of Joy!

Tomorrow marks the 1 year anniversary of our Bags of Joy club. And that is no April Fool (like many people suspected when we first launched the complimentary bag promotion on April 1st last year!) 

When lockdown was announced, we had to think overnight (quite literally) about how to keep the brand alive. With no one allowed out of their homes, who would need a handbag? 

But instead of focusing on the bags, we took a different approach. We focused on our community. The opportunity to bring our customers together from all corners, coastlines and cities in the country suddenly presented itself right in front of our eyes. 

So Bags of Joy was formed. A club where our ladies could come together with at least one mutual interest - handbags - and be able to provide companionships for one another as we tried to navigate what was set to be an incredibly challenging year ahead. 

The club started off with under 200 members, and has since grown to almost 2000! We've laughed together, cried together, partied together and SHooped together!

We've developed a language, created handbag combinations beyond our wildest dreams, watched countless Edit videos (morning, ladies!) and shared the most heartwarming of moments. 

We've taken millions of pictures of our handbags at home, put together the most creative of competition entries, gotten to know each others fur babies and celebrated each others joyful moments. 

We've schmoozed with celebs, hid parcels from our other halves, built amazing storage solutions and bought new clothes to match our handbags. 

But most importantly of all, we have come together to support each other through what has without a doubt been one of the toughest years that any of us have ever lived through. 

So as we come to a close on year one, we wanted to share some highlights with you. We have so much planned for the next year, and we couldn't be happier to have you on this journey with us... 

The Complimentary Bags 

Our complimentary bag promotion most certainly shaped our year, and has become an integral part of our brand. The first quarter had the Dahlia Mini, then came Jasmine, closely followed by Violet and most recently Fern. 

Zoom Parties 

Just because we can't party in person, doesn't mean to say we can't take the party online! And that's exactly what we did - plenty Zoom events with cocktails and handbags on tap! 

We were fortunate enough to be joined by a variety of special guests such as Zara Janjua, Grace Fodor, Anna Berkley, Lisa Hague, Anthea Turner and Andrea McLean!

Boxes of Joy 

At the start of the first lockdown, we asked our club to nominate a key worker they thought deserved a Box of Joy, complimentary of us, for their efforts during the pandemic. 

We were all totally moved by the stories of strength that were sent in, and every month we continue to pick a recipient at random from our VIP members nominations to receive a Box of Joy.

Each one of these ladies has an incredible story to share and have been through difficult times, but they have one thing in common - they have held onto hope and remained positive throughout.

We will continue to gift a box every month and ask our VIP club members to keep sharing their nominations.

Bags at Home

One thing is for sure, you have provided us with endless joy during lockdown with the pictures you have posted with your bags. 

Even though we can't show them off in places that we normally would, it's been wonderful to see you all still take such joy from using your bags at home and dressing them up in fabulous ways, even if it's just to accompany you to the supermarket!