WIN a C.Nicol Bag
Competition is now closed
Handbags may have been a Covid casualty, but, after almost two years, they are back and—if you choose wisely—better than ever. We sat down for a cuppa with one Scotland’s most exciting contemporary bag designers, Cathleen Nicol (39) the creative director of the super chic, C.Nicol.
To be in with a chance to win £600 to spend at cnicol.com read to the end of the interview.
Cathleen Nicol
How long has C.Nicol been going?
Just over five years, so still in theory a fledgling brand.
Where do you live?
I’m originally from just outside Inverness but now live and work in Grantown on Spey, a small town in the Scottish Highlands with my husband and three children.
As we near the end of 2021 how do you look back on the last year?
It’s been better than 2020! We launched our new website and have been busy behind the scenes working on some new styles which will be available exclusively on our site very soon.
From a personal perspective 2021 has its ups and downs but overall I think we’ve escaped COVID pretty much unscathed. We finally managed to have a family holiday in October which was wonderful! Balancing work and family life is always a challenge. The return to school after the on-off lockdown was tricky for one of my children which I know has been the same for so many young people in school but we’re all looking forward to Christmas and the new year – let’s see what 2022 brings!
What are your plans for the festive season?
We’ll be managing all the orders that will come in right up until the 23rd December for Christmas gifts for customers and making sure they are all delivered in time for the big day.
As a family it’ll be time for relaxation and togetherness. We live in the Cairngorms National Park and so we’re hoping for snow and lots of sledging on the local hills.
How has your business changed due to COVID?
I think it made me think carefully about what we’re investing in and our business model. COVID with all it brought and took away made me think more about our customers and what they want from the brand. I was able to use the time to reach out to C.Nicol customers around the world, connect with them and understand the best ways of taking the business forward. I really enjoyed getting to know our supporters and it’s something that we are going to continue to do.
You’ve just collaborated with fashion rental brand, My Wardrobe HQ to provide a platform for C.Nicol Archive, can you tell us more?
It’s a hugely exciting project and one I’m delighted to be a part of. Renting fashion is a great way for people to wear pieces for occasions that they possibly don’t want to or can’t invest in a whole new outfit for. It gives an unlimited number of people the opportunity to wear and return beautiful pieces that have been carefully made by designers and that might otherwise be sitting in a brand’s store or sadly in someone’s cupboard left unworn. It also gives people the chance to rent an item they’ve been thinking about buying, for a relatively low price, to try it out before deciding to buy so they can make sure it’s really what they want and what they’ll use. For these reasons, we wanted to work with My Wardrobe HQ to give new life to our samples and past season collections. I think buying a classic, beautifully made handbag is an investment purchase but I absolutely love the thought of our bags going to all these different events on the arms of many different women, the stories they could tell.
How do you define success?
A feeling of contentment. It’s not always there but when it is, it feels like success.
Did you ever think you should give up on your dream?
Having survived a global pandemic, throwing in the towel just isn’t an option. Give up on my dream? Never.
If you have fallen for C.Nicol handbags, you’re in luck. We are offering one lucky reader the chance to add an iconic C.Nicol bag, or maybe even two, to their collection by winning a gift card worth £600 to spend at CNicol.com. To enter the draw, simply add your details below before the 3rd December 2021.
Winner will be chosen at random and informed on the 4th December.