IN THE BAG

Danish brand ECCO may be best known for footwear, but with the appointment of Swedish accessories designer Jonas Olsson in 2013, it’s beginning to play a directional role in the leather-handbag market. Here, Olsson deconstructs the brand’s It bag for spring. BARE IT ALL “Often, my design process starts with the leather—as you play with it, ideas start to

come,” says Olsson. Rather than using heavily treated leathers embossed with glaring logos, he focuses on highlighting natural textures. IN GOOD COMPANY In addition to the leather for its own accessories collections, ECCO’s factory in Dongen, Netherlands, produces the raw materials for luxury brands such as Alexander Wang, Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs. “It’s very important to use the right materials, and we have every possibility at the tannery,” he says. SHAPE- SHIFTER The “Sculptured” bag is deceptively minimal: “It looks square when you see it on display, but when you lift it, it becomes

a soft pyramid shape. Its personality becomes more defined.” FASHION- FORWARD Once a year, ECCO hosts the Open Circle lab in Dongen, where designers and leather technicians get to experi

ment. “In the past, everyone was following a trend, but now it’s all about individuality,” he says.