Madia & Matilda interviewed Cathleen Nicol on her luxury
sustainable bags. Find out more below.
Can you tell me a little more about the brand?
C.Nicol is a contemporary,
luxury British accessories brand led by Scotland-born founder and designer,
Cathleen Nicol.
C.Nicol bags offer clean
clean, functional shapes and use colour and textured materials to bring
something unique to the finished look of each bag. Most of the components used
are sourced from the UK and every bag is cut and sewn in London.
2015 is C.Nicol’s first
year in business and we now have stockists in the UK and Middle East. In 2016
we will have a presence in the Far East too.
How do you make your bags?
It starts with a sketch, then
a paper prototype and then we fine-tune the pattern pieces. A leather sample is
produced and when we are happy with it, we go into full production at the
factory in London.
What are the bags made from? Components? Why did
you choose this material?
The first collection of
bags was made from British leather and Scottish salmon skin. I often wondered
what happened to all the skins from the salmon used for the food industry in
Scotland and after some time, I found a supplier that sourced their skins for
dyeing from Scottish and Irish organic salmon farms.
The second collection was made from British leather
and some French goatskin and I source most of my metal fittings from a shop in
London. The goatskin has a beautiful iridescent finish and texture. The British
leather has a lovely grain and is firm but pliable which is what I was really
looking for.
The leather tanneries
where we source our skins all have pretty robust environmental practices and
policies. A large amount of water is used in the tanning process and so using
companies that we environmentally conscious in their day to day practice in
terms of economical water usage and limitation to damage on the environment was
important.
The lining for each
collection is designed by a different British artist or illustrator and is
printed in London on a silky monroe satin fabric.
What inspires you?
I find inspiration in
everything. Inspiration for the theme of my collections comes mostly from
different aspects of nature. In terms of design and functionality of my bags,
inspiration comes from watching how women hold and carry their bags – I love
people watching!
Where do you make the product and what does sustainability
or making a quality British product mean to you?
Every C.Nicol bags are made
in a small factory in Hackney, London. For me, producing in the UK means
quality, reliability and support for the economy of my home country. It also
enables a level of communication throughout the production period that I may
not be able to achieve if I partnered with a factory overseas.
Where you would you wear your bags to?
I wear my bags shopping at
the weekend, to work meetings and also to go out with my girlfriends at night.
I feel the collection has a variety of styles and colours that suit most
occasions.
Favourite place to relax?
At home with my children at
the weekend.
In the future what styles do you plan to make
next?
We have a
large tote bag and another style of clutch bag in the plans for summer 2016.
Sincerely Madia & Matilda
e:: info@madiamatilda.co.uk w:: www.madiamatilda.co.uk/
