Chances are you’ve enviously spied a bedazzled bag at some point in your life by the late Judith Leiber. Though the most recent incarnations of the brand evoke bubbly pop-culture whimsy with clutches shaped like credit cards, gold bars, and half-eaten popsicles, the frenzy over Leiber’s iconic pieces goes back to the 1960s and fans range from Katy Perry to Hillary Clinton (who reportedly ordered a clutch fashioned after her cat, Socks). New creative director Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger has decided to build on that legacy with a brand extension that in retrospect seems all but inevitable-jewelry.
“It’s an ambitious launch, but one could say, ‘Go big or go home,’” Hilfiger says, laughing. “We had a lot of fun with it, using our popular French fry and smiley face designs, but also looking into [Judith Leiber] archives dating back to the 1950s. The brand has such a rich DNA; there was a lot to dig into.”
The Judith Leiber Jewelry collection will be available in May at select retailers and online.
A look at the sprawling debut featuring glittering French fries, emojis, and Art Deco-style jewels.
