Tell us a bit about the story of La Pochette, what inspired you to launch your brand?

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I would often avoid working out during the day, as it meant having to carry a heavy gym bag, as well as a handbag and laptop. Who wants to look like a packhorse on the tube?!? The light bulb moment came was in a changing room after a sweaty spin class. I didn’t need a gym bag!! All I needed was a bag to put my clean or sweaty kit in, and a few post class essentials like moisturiser. Everything else like cleats, towels and toiletries was provided. Most studios and gyms at the time provided a plastic bag for dirty kit, but I knew this wasn’t the solution, (not only from an environmental point of view, but who wants a plastic bag in their Celine handbag?!?). When I spoke to friends, they agreed that it was a great idea, and requested that if I found one, could I buy one for them too! I went on a search to find a suitable bag and realised it didn’t exist! So, I decided to make one myself and La Pochette was born.

We design bags and accessories for the way people live and move today. During a given day, you could be going to the office, meeting a colleague for a coffee, taking a spinning class, flying to New York on a business trip, taking a dip in the pool, or joining friends for dinner. Combining intelligent design with super functionality, every item is carefully considered to be the best fit for your lifestyle.

Wherever your day takes you, there’s a La Pochette to help you transition seamlessly from one activity to the next.

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What has been the most exciting moment for you since you launched?

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There are too many to mention; being featured in Vogue, being sold in places like Selfridges and Third Space. However, nothing can compare to when you see the samples from the factories, and they look amazing. Hours of design work go into creating our products, and it's so exciting to see all the hard work come together into products that I am truly proud of.

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What challenges did you face while establishing and growing La Pochette, and how did you overcome them?

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Every day is a challenge! However, the biggest was the Pandemic. We launched in 2019 and was seeing great traction. However, when Covid hit at the beginning of 2020, sales stopped overnight. Our strap line used to be “Let’s Go Anywhere.” Whether that was to the gym, office, or beach. Unfortunately, during lockdown, nobody was going anywhere!

We made the decision early on during the first wave that although we wouldn’t try and sell products, that we would continue to have a dialogue with our audience. They were used to us talking about the latest studio that had opened, the new class they should try, or ways they could relax. The conversation turned to what online classes to try, podcasts to listen to whilst out on a walk, or meditation apps to help alleviate stress.

For years people spoke about wanting more of a work/life balance with the flexibility to be able to work both from the office and remotely. Of course, successive lockdowns proved that this was possible. La Pochette’s brand ethos has always been about being able to get as much as you can out of your day, and as we have adopted more of a hybrid lifestyle, the ability to “pack up your day” has become even more relevant. Thankfully La Pochette have the products to be able to do this effortlessly.

Although the pandemic was incredibly difficult for La Pochette, I believe we are now in a much stronger position and have solidified what we represent as a brand.

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When Covid hit at the beginning of 2020, sales stopped overnight. Our strap line used to be “Let’s Go Anywhere.” Whether that was to the gym, office, or beach. Unfortunately, during lockdown, nobody was going anywhere!

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What does a day in the life look like for you? How do you incorporate fitness into your routine?

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Every day is different! I guess that’s one of the reasons I love it. However, I like to get up early c.5.30 / 6 (later in the winter.). I split my time between London and my home in Richmond. My days could be spent with the designer reviewing new products, meeting potential wholesalers, working on our marketing strategy, or having to day-to-day operations of managing a business.

Depending on whether I’m commuting or working from home will dictate what I do. If I’m in London, I try to fit in a spin or barre class. If I’m at home, I can use the Peloton, or go to a reformer Pilates class. As I live in Richmond, I will often go for a walk in the park. It’s a great place to get ideas and clear the head.

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La Pochette has gained a strong following among fitness and travel enthusiasts. How do you stay connected with your customers and understand their needs?

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By Listening! We actively engage with customer reviews, conduct focus groups, and communicate with our wholesalers. Their insights and feedback are invaluable to us in shaping our products and improving our services. Additionally, we maintain customer support channels and monitor social media to stay updated on customer preferences and emerging trends. Through these efforts, we ensure that we are responsive to our customers' needs and continually strive to provide exceptional products.

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What kind of impact does sustainability have on your brand?

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I never set out for La Pochette to be a sustainable brand. However, when developing the fabric, it just made sense for it to be made from recycled products. This wasn’t for marketing purposes, but just an obvious choice from a personal perspective.

It was a similar story when developing our “Anywhere Everywhere” pouches. The sweat bag was for gym kit, but you would also need a bag to put some post workout beauty products in. I used to travel a lot for work and was tired and frustrated about having to decant my toiletries into a plastic bag at airport security. Therefore, when developing the Anywhere Everywhere range we not only made it from sustainable materials that looked great, but we also made it cabin approved.

I think that is the key. Products shouldn’t be either stylish or sustainable. They should be both. It should just be a given.

Sustainability is integrated into everything we do. From materials we use, to packaging, to transportation. Soon we will also be launching a very exciting initiative to take our sustainability efforts to the next level. Watch this space!

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What are your future plans for La Pochette? Any exciting projects or product launches we can look forward to?

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Yes, we will be launching some new products at the end of the year that we have been developing for over a year. We received final samples last week, and I can’t wait to see them in our customers hands.

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