Talking Skinny Bags with Elena Sibiryakova
Creating pieces true to that one person can be real tricky. However, founder and CEO of Skinny Bags Elena Sibiryakova has done just that. Elena has created a small leather bag that women can wear for any occasion. These bags come in different colours and can be customized to add your own personal touch. She founded the leather hand bag company last year and has since seen it grow into the new year. I had the opportunity to ask Elena a few questions about the company and herself.
Can you tell us how you got started with Skinny Bags?
I’ve always had that idea to run my own company. With Skinny Bags it all got started once my husband and I moved to Los Angeles. We fell in love with the Californian creative spirit, and that’s how we got the idea to create our handbag line. My husband and I combined fashion and engineering experience together to create an outstanding product. I am very happy with the results we have! Every Skinny Bag is a bold statement piece, while very durable, reliable and practical. We are very proud that all our handbags are made in the USA.
Why custom leather bags? What intrigues you about a leather bag?
As many other girls, I am obsessed with bags! And I do believe that a high-quality bag is one of the best investments! I mean you can be wearing a simple dress, but once you pair it with a statement, high-end purse, it immediately makes you look more classy and chic! For Skinny Bags we use only genuine leather because the quality is very important for us.
What are some of your interests that have helped in the creation of the brand?
Obviously, reading, fashion and travelling! Plus, as I said I have always been a very business-oriented person. Working as a fashion buyer requires a lot of different skills. You are in charge of the whole process of creation, production and sales, starting from the analysis of the trend for the collection till the actual product in the store. All my previous experience helped me a lot while creating Skinny Bags!
I read in one of your interviews that because of you being a fashion buyer you had the opportunity to travel to many different places. Can you tell us which place impacted you the most in terms of serving as inspiration for Skinny Bags and your own designs?
While traveling a lot, I was thrilled by how many amazing, beautiful and absolutely unique places are out there. Every place has its own attraction and charm. The same thing with fashion. I feel like many people are getting tired of mass market and fast-fashion products, and they are hunting for something new, rare and unique. But as I said, the biggest inspiration behind Skinny Bags was the city of Los Angeles.
What would be on your custom Skinny Bag?
My Diary is a kind of my own custom bag, because it’s very personal for me. Also, I would probably go with my initials or some sweet nicknames that I got from my husband. I love working on custom Skinny Bags because it’s such a wonderful way to express yourself! At the same time, it is so amazing when men contact me asking to create a custom Skinny Bag for their sweethearts! That is the best one of a kind gift ever. It is very stylish and practical! I should probably share this idea with my husband.
What is next for Skinny Bags?
We are currently working on our new collection, which will be all about fresh colors. Also, we are already going worldwide. I am so proud to say that Skinny Bags are is available not only in Los Angeles, but in the very heart of Moscow, Russia. You can find them in the amazing boutique close to Red Square called Podium Market. We are so also excited about our launch with Luevo, which starts on March 13th. We hope this will help us bring Skinny Bags closer to many fashionistas all over the world.
You can find Skinny Bags here at Luevo on March 13th. Make sure to keep up with them from their Twitter, Instagram , Facebook and the company website.
Let us know what your favourite Skinny Bag is @LuevoFashion
Article written by Jonika. You can follow her @JonikaJun