Janine is a lover of new handbags (who isn’t?), and the occasional designer bag is always welcome too. As we know, not all handbags are made to be practical. Some of the best are made to be stared at lovingly and used sparingly. However this isn’t so helpful for a handbag lover dwelling in the rainy UK.
“It was a horrid, blustery rainy day, and I had been using my new white cotton handbag, I didn’t want it to get ruined and so I had to find a plastic bag to put it in to keep it clean and dry. That got me thinking about creating an ‘umbrella’ for your bag.”
Enter the idea: Brelli Bag
Janine strived to make her fabulous handbags everyday-use friendly.
“I’ve always enjoyed learning and working on various/different projects, when I came up with the Brelli Bag idea I thought it would be something that I would enjoy exploring, allowing myself to be creative and work on something that is purely mine. I decided to take a one year career break to bring the Brelli Bag idea to life”
But where to start?
Working with Innovate
Janine approached Innovate when the Brelli Bag was just an idea. Armed with a sketch and willing intent, she came to meet with our design team.
Our specialised Fabrics department worked with Janine to development the concept and work on a prototype. After this they provided her with a ‘Request for Quotation’ pack to send straight to manufacturers to get the products made.
Our Business Development team also provided her with a report to make a start on building contacts for her business.
“I had a very positive experience with Innovate, working with very helpful individuals who were as keen on the idea as I was and inspired me to see the project through to the end.”
Janine has a registered design and trademark.
Next step.. manufacture!
Not everything goes like clockwork when you bring an idea to market, sometimes quite the opposite! However, even if you have no prior experience of the industry like Janine, the journey is still very possible to navigate with the right help and determination!
“Originally I had hoped to get the idea simply licensed but I happened to be ready to launch my product just when Covid hit in March of 2020, it wasn’t the best time to be approaching companies with new products or ideas, and so I decided to self-manufacture because my first goal was to see the product exist and I would then take it from there.”
Janine decided to get in touch with the contacts that Innovate provided, and using the RFQ pack the fabrics team supplied, she received quotes to be able to choose from.
The Brelli bag is now in production and available to buy from Amazon.
Not everything goes like clockwork when you bring an idea to market, sometimes quite the opposite! However, even if you have no prior experience of the industry like Janine, the journey is still very possible to navigate with the right help and determination!
“Originally I had hoped to get the idea simply licensed but I happened to be ready to launch my product just when Covid hit in March of 2020, it wasn’t the best time to be approaching companies with new products or ideas, and so I decided to self-manufacture because my first goal was to see the product exist and I would then take it from there.”
Janine decided to get in touch with the contacts that Innovate provided, and using the RFQ pack the fabrics team supplied, she received quotes to be able to choose from.
The Brelli bag is now in production and available to buy from Amazon.
Thoughts from a successful new inventor
Most challenging aspects:
“Setting up a limited company and setting up a shop on Amazon!”
Biggest highlight:
“Achieving each step of the process is a highlight, be it getting your logo and brand name trademarked, receiving the first sample of your product, creating a webpage for your product, marketing it and finally seeing someone actually use your product!”
Golden tips for new inventors:
“Do your homework. If like me, you have no experience in this world, it is a steep learning curve.
make sure you are committed to seeing your idea through
If possible, find a mentor who can help you and offer advice.
Take inspiration from companies or individuals doing something similar. (At this stage in the process, I am taking inspiration from products such as the Tangle Teezer and the Invisibobble.)
Have plan B’s in place and be adaptable as things don’t often go to plan.”
Future plans
“I have two other print ideas for manufacture, and I am currently manufacturing a second product, the Brelli Bag Beach Tote and will shortly also be manufacturing the Brelli Bag back-pack rain cover. I am very much at the initial stage of launching my product, but hope to contact more retailers shortly to expand on point of sales.”
“It was a pleasure working with Innovate, with their support along each step of the way and their advice, I got to bring my product concept to life. They believed in the idea as much as I did and this made me even more determined to see it through to the end.”
Get hold of one for yourself here: www.brellibag.com
If, like Brelli Bag, you have an idea and need the first push, send your idea in today for a free review.
