Pibiones by Antonello

Great product! I start posting on my favorite bag. In fact I own this black day bag and it is great. It really makes me feel special. I normally prefer to buy from companies which products and services are made to minimize harm to the environment or society. This is truly an exclusive "luxury eco" line of accessories. ECO-LUXURY HANDBAGS, this is my real tag for the designer. "Antonello developed a range of luxury handbags with Sardinian handwoven fabrics creating new meanings and usages for traditional Sardinian textiles. Antonello's personal story and attachment to his native Sardina are made explicit and integral to the luxury handbags he designs. This interest is reinforced by a desire to preserve as well as advance craft skills that are at risk of disappearing due to globalisation & mass-produced designs.

[source: http://www.pibiones.com]

TING

If you like belts, this is the perfect collection for your eco- luxury wardrobe. This great black bag is very desirable, made with recycling old leather and linings. Each piece is personally designed in London and hand made in England and Spain by specially trained craftsmen. Vintage, recycled leather belts are personally selected from the designer and used to create the bag. Even buckles and loops are recycled. This bag was also exhibited at the Well Fashioned: Eco Style in the UK (check web site).

“Ting is a small company, even so we make every effort to do business with a mind to environmental issues, ethical practices and ecological thinking. Whilst we don't claim (just yet!) to be fully eco-friendly, we do work hard to recycle, cut down on waste and follow good practice. We are always conscious of changes that can be made.”

[source: http://www.tinglondon.com]

Suitcase-London

This inexpensive suit bag, which is ideal if you want to look “cool” on every occasion, is intricately detailed with both lapel and front pocket of a recycled tailored suit, yet still looks understated and elegant. The bag is fastened with a recycled suit button.

“This bag is fashioned from the two lapel sections from a recycled suit jacketApproximate size : 25 x 30 cmThe bag is newly lined and has an inner zipped pocket.The bags are of course all different coming from different jackets but are of traditional gentleman's suit materials.”

[Source: http://www.suitcase-london.com]

Olga Abadi

This simple handbag is hand-made by folding and weaving recycled candy wrappers together, on their website is advertised as durable and great for almost anything. They exhibited in Paris at the ETHICAL FASHION SHOW , great place to find eco-luxury items. It comes in many colours, I adore this multicolour bag.

“A frequenter of the cultural festivals near her local hometown in Mexico, it was here that designer Olga Abadi discovered the ancient Mayan technique of binding everyday materials into handbags. The result is Nahui Ollin, a specialty line of handbags inspired by age-old techniques with a modern look and feel.“ [source: http://nahuiollin.com]

Enter / Do not enter

I do feel intimidated by the sales people in luxury fashion stores. Don't you? I keep telling myself: walk in with confidence, ask the older assistants for help and don’t be shy to try on those fabulous handbags. Do ask for prices, it is natural, price tags are normally concealed in the internal zip pocket.
Some shoppers may get dressed up to shop, trying to show that they have money to spend. No matters what you wearing, you should be helped - most people who are very wealthy do not dress up to shop.

Let’s not forget, in Europe most of the sales associates regard their career as demanding and badly paid. Could this be the reason for not paying much attention to customer service?

Training the front-line employees who represent the company is essential. The frontline employee is where the company meets the customer. The organization depends on their service quality, productivity and passion to meet the needs of the luxury customers. How can this be true if most of the sales associates regard their career as demanding and badly paid.

Here few examples found on the internet:
Sales Assistant - London Knightsbridge Luxury Shop - £18,000PA
Assistant Manager - Luxury Retailer - Central London - £ 21,000PA
Store Manager - Luxury fashion brand – Central London - To £23,000 + BONUS

Average salaries, in the capital, are £30,000 PA. Clearly, front-line employee are paid less than the national average. When you are a Retail Operation Director for a Luxury Company, earning way above the average, it is easy to forget that your salary comes from the effort, passion, and love for the brand of those people there in the shop.