An Interview with the Managing Director of KeriKit Changing Bags

1. Hi Keri, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed by us. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I am a mother of 3 young children: Jasper, my twins Charlie and Aryella and my new baby - KeriKit! I am very driven, I never sit still, I love a list as I always seem to have one and I can’t sleep if I don’t empty my head before bed but I also love a glass of champagne on a Friday night.

2. What is Kerikit?

KeriKit is my new brand of changing bags that are designed to change with you. The idea behind KeriKit came to me through a genuine frustration with the range of changing bags available during both my pregnancies. I needed a bag big enough for all our things but also stylish and high quality. Having worked as a designer and then buyer of luxury accessories, I like and understand beautiful and well made pieces. This combined with my desire to find a career that could work around my family led me to create my debut range.

3. As a Mum, your designs really appeal to me, because they don't look like changing bags. What sparked the inspiration behind your designs?

Exactly that. I wanted my bags to be desirable to everybody. Not just new mothers but business women and any lady that enjoys a little bit of luxury in their lives and understand the importance of quality. When you become a mother you can often feel like you’ve lost your identity. Everyone knows you by your child’s name and often by the time you have got your little ones up and out of the door you realise you didn’t have time to apply any makeup or put on your earrings! With a KeriKit bag on your arm it can keep you looking a little bit more glamorous and allow you to keep a bit of your personal style. My bags will help you stay super organised and gain you those extra few minutes every day so you can put in your earrings and dry your hair before you leave the house looking gorgeous.

4. What was the journey like from idea to finished product?

The hardest part was limiting myself to the amount of designs I could produce. However it was actually really good thing to limit myself to just 8 designs for my debut range because it forced me to look at each design in great detail to ensure it really was the best it could be, and that each bag was offering something different from the other styles in the range. Each piece is named after a member of my family, and as with all our beloved families, they too have their own personalities. When I meet a new customer I can quickly deduce which bag they will go for. I won’t deny that at times it has been challenging. I did the designs whilst I was on maternity leave and while the twins were very small and sleeping, however it’s also been very rewarding. As with most mothers I seem to be a lot more emotional than before I had children and can easily be reduced to tears when I receive a testimonial from a customer. It’s not just that they have taken the time to write to me, it’s that they then go on to tell me all the benefits of their chosen style and how they love their KeriKit bag more now they have had time to use it than at the time of purchase. This is why I do what I do and it makes me feel really proud of what i have achieved so far.

5. What is your favourite aspect of what you do? Being your own boss has its ups and its downs! I just ‘try’ to get the best out of it. I am able to make it work around my family which is the main reason for launching my own business. In my old career there was a lot of travel and the hours were long. The hours are still long but they are my hours and I can work them around my family and key events so I don’t miss them! I am really passionate about design and i am proud of the range i have created. They have not been made to conform to a price and as such every detail has been carefully thought through to ensure the person who buys a KeriKit bag is getting the very best value for money with the highest quality leathers and workmanship. When I receive a testimonial from one of my customers I am so happy and humbled by their kind words that it fills me with the confidence to carry on knowing my designs are helping someone feel more confident, organised and loved.

6. What plans do you have for KeriKit over the next 12 months?

We will be launching a personalisation service in the spring via our website so your limited edition can be made totally unique by adding your own initials or babies date of birth for example. We will be launching the ‘Lite’ range in June which is a secret for now - follow us on social media for a sneak preview soon, and we will also be introducing purses and little cross body bags for autumn.

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