Report by Julia Robson

Just when you thought everything that could ever be done to a bag has, along comes Katie Hillier and reinvents the shopper, clutch and attaché case, all in the same day. The only thing more incredible than her bubble-wrap black patent shopper at Luella was the frilly lady-on-the-loo-roll clutch. Or, perhaps the Uptown bag with its tortoiseshell-link strap and contrast trim? Katie’s ‘pompom sweeties’, made from Fimo clay, swung back and forth and instantly kick-started a trend. Hillier also created the patent bow clips in the models’ bird’s-nest updos. The 35-year-old accessories designer later did the bags for Henry Holland. “The starting point was a house, as in House of Holland – Henry wanted more of a proper handbag, so I constructed a strap, which became a giant H on the front with stitching in a contrast colour.” Her lace-covered clutch and safety-pin earrings were other highlights. And look out for Hillier’s snake, suede and nappa bags today, on the Jonathan Saunders catwalk.

Photography by Marcus Dawes

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