The new It bag taking on the fashion giants(And

all) it’s thanks to Meghan

THIS time last year, Leeanne Hundleby had a bright idea. She and husband Guy had recently founded a leather handbag label, Strathberry, in their home city of Edinburgh and were desperate to get their brand on the arms of the A-list.

Their first target? Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s glamorous and ever-so-fashionable then-girlfriend. ‘I’d watched Suits [Meghan’s TV series] obsessively and always thought that she was stylish,’ says Leeanne, 46.

‘I routinely wrote to her agent and stylist and then, on a whim, we sent a few pieces.’

Fast forward 12 months and that turned out to be the best decision Leeanne ever made. For Meghan has carried not one, but three of those bags on major occasions, catapulting the fledgling company onto the world stage.

Not only are Strathberry’s bags, which cost between €258 and €1,140, stocked at Selfridges and global department store Nordstrom, but the brand is launching its first bricks-and-mortar store, which opens its doors today, in London’s illustrious Burlington Arcade.

Joining brands such as Mulberry and Penhaligon’s, and sitting between Chanel and Manolo Blahnik in the Mayfair arcade, there’s no clearer sign that Strathberry — a name still little-known beyond an elite band of fashionistas — has been propelled into the designer handbag league.

‘It’s a huge step for us,’ says Leeanne. ‘It is a bit daunting, but we’re excited. It’s a beautiful spot and an honour to be next door to such well-known brands. It’s beyond anything either of us ever imagined.’

Much has been made of the socalled ‘Meghan effect’, the pull of the duchess when it comes to trends — but Leeanne and Guy were one step ahead of most, approaching her a month before the engagement was revealed.

SINCE then, their experience of ‘princess power’ has been nothing short of a whirlwind and there is no doubt in their minds that Meghan is behind their success.

When she appeared with her first Strathberry bag, the €600 tri-colour Midi Tote (strathberry.

com), which she carried last December in Nottingham on her first outing as Harry’s fiancée, the phones in their Edinburgh HQ didn’t stop ringing.

‘Within 11 minutes of the photos surfacing, the handbag sold out,’ says Leeanne. ‘Visitors to strathberry.com were up by around 5,000%. Over the next few days, 3,500 shoppers signed up for stock updates.’

Meghan’s second outing with a Strathberry was, rather fittingly, on her first trip to Scotland, where she chose the €545 bottle green East/West Mini for a walkabout in Edinburgh in February.

The bag sold out in minutes, while sales of other Strathberry products soared by 300% and the website was inundated by frenzied shoppers. It was the same story in July, when Meghan carried the €545 Midi Tote in tan leather on her first overseas tour to Ireland.

The overnight interest in the brand was ‘scary’, admits Guy, 46. ‘We’re a pretty private family. We suddenly had interview requests from around the world.’ For six months afterwards, the couple refused to have their photo taken, so abashed were they by the media maelstrom.

‘It was a very busy time,’ laughs Leeanne, who, having juggled motherhood — the couple have four children — with the demands of running her own company, is used to multi-tasking.

It is this family story at the heart of the brand that she believes appeals to Meghan, who takes great interest not only in the aesthetics of her fashion items, but the people, families and relationships behind them. Strathberry is a kitchen Style: Meghan Markle with her Strathberry in Dublin table business, having started as an idea on a holiday, where Leeanne and Guy found themselves enthralled by handcrafted leather goods at markets across rural Spain. On their return home, in 2013, they hatched a plan: to combine this craftsmanship with the spirit of Scotland, which didn’t have an internationally-known luxury accessories brand. ‘There are so many brands throwing themselves at Meghan and she could choose any of them,’ says Leeanne. ‘But she is considered in what she wears. ‘To have Strathberry in the mix suggests she knows a little about where we come from and what we do. She’s not the sort of woman to pick up any old bag because it goes with her outfit. She values quality.’ Certainly, quality is key in Strathberry’s bags, which are crafted by artisans — whose skills have been passed down through generations — in the same Spanish workshop where Dior manufactures its small leather goods and Loewe creates its iconic €1,800 Puzzle bags. Each style is sketched by designers in Scotland and then hewn from the softest Spanish leather. Thirty-six pieces are hand-cut and sewn together with 3,500 stitches, before 21 bits of brass hardware are fitted, including the signature bar closure over the handle. With such attention to detail, it’s a wonder the Hundlebys have managed to keep their prices so low.

But, having begun the business with modest savings, then raising €144,000 through crowdfunding, they are all too aware of the importance of ensuring their bags, costing on average around €300, are relatively affordable.

When you compare this to the cost of a handbag at one of its new neighbours in Burlington Arcade, it is here that Strathberry has a clear advantage. A Mulberry Bayswater tote, for example, starts at €1,025, while a Chanel clutch costs €1,545.

Will this plucky Scottish brand otherwise hold its own in the cutthroat world of London fashion? Leeanne is quietly optimistic.

‘We’ve never taken anything for granted and we’re not starting now,’ she says. ‘This may be our only shop or it may be the first of many. Who knows? Shoppers will now be able to touch our bags and try them on in front of a mirror. We’re excited about what that means for the future.’

Meghan may have paved the way for success, but they’re not resting on their laurels just yet. Fresh designs are in the pipeline, with seven new shapes set to launch in the New Year.

Meanwhile, Leeanne is keeping schtum on whether or not there may be yet another Strathberry in the royal wardrobe.

Their new shop is 15 minutes’ drive from Kensington Palace, so she’s hoping to see a special customer.

‘If she did, I’d like to buy her a drink,’ says Leeanne. ‘It’s the least I could do to thank her.’