Harrogate

Preparing for the Harrogate Home and Gift Exhibition, which is a lovely trade show for shop owners that lasts 4 days and has over 900 exhibitors, we used our combined creative flair to create a stand full of colour and texture to help us stand out - hard work but fun!

In the days before the show, back in the office Sarah used colour and texture to inspire her design of the CarrieMe mannequinn. With a corset of CarrieMe brochures and a skirt made up of different colours of soft silk, draped with pearls, she highlighted how stylish yet practical the CarrieMe collection is by literally hanging the products off the mannequinn.

When we got to Harrogate (4.5 hours drive from London) the five of us had to create a unique and eye-catching stand ... it started off slowly with boxes and mess everywhere, and the torrential rain didn't help as we ferried everything from the van to the stand!

Slowly with the bright backdrop and the images going up, we could see the ideas we'd develop in the office finally realised.






Day 2 saw the stand transformed as put up the lighting, built the cabinets, lay down the carpet and then had all the fun of creating the display to highlight our new launches: the Mobile Finder - to help us all avoid missing those important calls; and the Vintage bag hook - a modern twist of colour with delicate white pearls.

The bright backdrop and the mannequin placed as our centrepiece, really caught the eye of passersby (as did the Quality Street bowl of sweets on the side table!) ... and by using lots of lighting and mirrors, not only did we manage to make the stand look bigger and inviting but also reflected all the vibrant colours and products.

Being a London inspired brand, we also took a little bit of London with us - the traditional red bus, London newspapers, oyster card and tube map.

Roberta, Camille and Anya, made some fantastic videos of the CarrieMe photoshoots and product shots which we played on our Plasma screen during the exhibition, but I guess its the products that took centre stage and looked stunning in the counter display stands.

Overall it was great fun and a success for CarrieMe with new stockists around the country adding to our growing roster.  I met some really great people and look forward to going to the Autumn Fair in Birmingham and Top Drawer in London in September - hopefully see you there!

The CarrieMe team from left: Carrie, Sean, Camille, Sarah and Veni (Anya joined us on Monday)

Bring on the faux fur!

English supermodel Erin O'Connor, made her catwalk return this week at Jean-Paul Gaultier's Couture show in Paris. Dressed in theatrical furs and outlandish feathered hats, she stole the runway with her edgy look.

Texture, fashion trends and colours are our inspiration, with this fur/faux fur trend mix getting the CarrieMe design team excited - we're working it into our newest designs - can't say more at the moment as its hush hush, but all will be unveiled in the Autumn, so stay tuned....

Photos from the ES Magazine

Is your handbag safe?

Everybody enjoying the sunshine? Having fun sitting out on the terrace at cafe or bars?  Beware as thieves are about!

How many of us keep our entire lives in our handbags? How many of you or know someone who has had their bag stolen? I for one, had my bag nicked in Barcelona a few years ago, which was just a nightmare as I lost about £600 worth of stuff by the time I added up the phone, iPod, cards, money, make-up, house keys, car keys, travel pass, plus all the sentimental stuff. Thank goodness I didn’t lose my passport too.

But seriously, these statistics that I came across recently are shocking and show how often this can happen:

• 21% of women admit they have had their handbag stolen.
• 52% of women worry about their handbag and the content being stolen.
• With 60% of women in London concerned about handbag theft – rightly as London is the worst region for handbag theft in the UK
• Over two thirds believe the current economic climate will increase the number of bag thefts.
• Most bags are stolen from pubs, nightclubs, workplaces and out shopping.
• 9% of women carry bags worth £250 or more.
• The items mostly stolen are cash, make up, door keys and mobile phones.
• Women are faced with an average bill of £109 to replace all their possessions.
• 25% women admit they do not keep their bag close to them at all times.
• Just 23% check their handbag regular to check it is safe and no possessions have gone missing.
Source: http://www.directline.com/about_us/news_170409.htm
Thankfully, we can do a couple of things to keep our stuff safe such as loop the bag around our foot which apparently 26% of us do, however it’s a bit uncomfortable plus it gets your bag dirty!  
Losing my handbag and getting my bag ruined on the floor were part of the inspiration to set up CarrieMe, as I'm paranoid about security.  All of the CarrieMe products combine style with a security angle, whether its the bag hook to keep your handbag safe or the Finder to keep your mobile or keys to hand - so check out our new colours at http://www.carrieme.co.uk/ and don't let the thieves ruin your day!

CarrieMe Mobile Finder

CarrieMe Vintage Bag Hook