Bagging celebrities and princesses

Whenever we hear of Tod’s or pass by their Greenbelt 4 boutique, two things come to mind: First is the late Princess Diana who loved the brand, and second is the signature driving shoes they are known for.

The Princess was so much associated with Tod’s that there is actually a bag named in her honor.

Just as Hermés has its iconic Kelly and Birkin bags, Tod’s has the D bag – a handbag that has evolved into different materials and permutations.

The driving shoes, on the other hand, were an idea of Tod’s president and CEO Diego Della Valle, who took over the family business in 1978.

Diego said he wanted to create light casual shoes that combined good taste with free time.

He then came up with leather shoes with rubber soles and driving moccasins with soft-pebble soles that put them on the map. Soon, royalty and celebrities were buying the products.

Tod’s takes pride in the fact that more than 100 steps are used to create a shoe that will utilize up to 35 pieces of leather, and the whole process can take anywhere from one week to six months to finish.

Each pair is handmade and cut from a single hide so that the shoe’s grain is consistent.

What differentiates Tod’s from other luxury brands is that it aims to combine high-quality materials and comfort without splashing on the logos. You could say it is for people who appreciate luxury that is both classic and subtle.

Last week, members of the Asian press were flown in to Hong Kong to preview Tod’s latest collection launching this January 2007. It was luxury all the way with business-class tickets on Cathay Pacific and accommodations at the Ritz-Carlton.

One of our first stops was a visit to the two-level Tod’s store at The Landmark, where we spotted Diego Della Valle checking out the site. Diego is a frequent visitor to Asia, where he plans to open 25 stores in China within the next two years.

That night we attended cocktails at the Lyric Theater of the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts and saw celebrities like Karen Mok, Daniel Henney and Zhou Xun. Dinner followed at Cipriani’s.

The following day, back at the Lyric Theater, we saw the new collection up close and were encouraged to feel the leather, look inside and try on the bags.

"Our company is all about luxury," said Flora Lee of Tod’s Hong Kong, who briefed us on the products.

"It’s not just a big brand name. It’s about high-quality products that are absolutely classic and timeless, and, of course, functional. The bags are not so heavy that you can’t put anything in it. It has all the functions you need – the strong shoulder strap, the light body and some compartments inside and out."

Tod’s bags are both fashionable and practical, with soft leather than can be crumpled and thrown about and still retain its form, even if you have so much stuff.

For women, some of the key pieces we saw were the soft ballerina flats with bows and buckles, the Boomerang bag (which is the bag of the season), new versions of the D Bag, and the Unique 001 collection of one-of-a-kind handbags.

We also previewed a few pieces from the new line of Tod’s clothing, which is a collaboration with designer Derek Lam.

For men there is the New O shoe of the season, which is soft and lightweight, while the driving shoe is reinvented into sporty and elegant styles. The men’s bags are sporty and modern, using the softest leather. And an iPod Nano case is ingeniously designed into a wallet and card case.

At the end of the briefing we spoke briefly with Diego Della Valle. I was curious about whether they had problems with counterfeiting, as do most luxury brands.

It didn’t seem to bother him at all.

"The most important thing for us is the high level of quality, and that quality is our police," he said. "It’s not a big problem because if you want to make these bags, the materials are very expensive. If you don’t have that, then the bag is nothing."

Oh, I love that.