{"id":162639,"date":"2019-12-04T22:35:44","date_gmt":"2019-12-04T22:35:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theindustry.fashion\/the-interview-david-hodgson-creative-director-lulu-guinness\/"},"modified":"2021-08-12T14:05:44","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T14:05:44","slug":"the-interview-david-hodgson-creative-director-lulu-guinness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theindustry.fashion\/the-interview-david-hodgson-creative-director-lulu-guinness\/","title":{"rendered":"The Interview: David Hodgson, creative director, Lulu Guinness"},"content":{"rendered":"
If, by chance, you don't know the name David Hodgson, you will certainly be familiar with his handbags<\/strong> \u2013 you may even own one.\u00a0Hodgson is one of the foremost bag designers in the market and, via his own consultancy, has created designs for a string of big names including Roland Mouret, Smythson, Liberty London, Coach, Proenza Schouler, Joseph and Strathberry, as well as Loewe (where he served his bag creating apprenticeship).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now he is turning his hand and dedicating his attention full-time to that most quintessential of British brands, Lulu Guinness, which has just announced his appointment as creative director.\u00a0<\/strong>While this news has just been broken, he has, in fact, been working at the brand (which was founded by the designer of the same name 30 years ago) for a year now.<\/p>\n However he has been kept under wraps while he got to grips with the brand (with the help of the founder) and until he was ready to show his first designs, which have already been seen on a string of celebrities from Minnie Driver to Josephine de la Baume and Helena Bonham Carter<\/strong>. It feels safe to say that the brand is about to have another \"moment\" as it celebrates three decades in the business.<\/p>\n \"It's a dream and an honour,\" he says of his appointment as the first creative director of the brand other than Guinness herself<\/strong>. In fact it was Guinness who spotted a bag he'd designed for Strathberry \u2013 which sent the under-the-radar brand into the stratosphere when it was sported by Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex \u2013 and sought him out as she felt ready to hand over the brand's creative reins.<\/p>\n \"The heritage and the DNA codes are so rich, you can't buy that<\/strong>,\" he says of what attracted him to take on the role, while for her part Guinness says of Hodgson:\u00a0\u201cFinding David was my lucky day. He is a wonderful designer and understands the heritage and humour\u00a0of LG perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n As part of his due diligence at the start of his role, Hodgson went and spoke to women about what the brand, best known for its quirky designs and in particular its Dali-esque Lips clutch, meant to them.<\/p>\n \"They all remembered their first Lulu Guinness bag and they'd say 'oh, I wore it to a wedding' or 'I got it for my 21st birthday'. Often it was their first designer bag and it kind of showed you how much the brand means to people<\/strong>, and to be honest I didn't really expect that. Brands spend millions and years trying to get that,\" he says.<\/p>\n So, armed with that brand love and the information he has gleaned from his weekly meetings with Guinness \u2013 where the pair talk about everything and anything and he always leaves with a \"nugget\" of inspiration \u2013 Hodgson has unveiled his first three designs for the brand: the Bibi, Queenie and Ruby ranges.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Bibi is the range that is most reminiscent of the Lulu Guinness heritage with is witty bingo, domino and crossword designs<\/strong> applied to a surprisingly roomy boucle tote and, indeed, this is the style that appears to have been a hit with the celebrities.<\/p>\n