A stylist’s take on handbags

MANILA, Philippines - I never use a handbag,” said no woman ever, except maybe for Carine Roitfeld. Even though you’re not one of the many women who stare adoringly at the next season’s "It" bags, chances are, you still need something to hold your wallet, phone, keys and, depending on what time of the month it is, a feminine accessory or two. And while it would be nice to conceal the mundanity of your personal belongings in a chic Céline satchel, the truth is no one needs a Céline satchel. Or perhaps a better argument would be: Not everyone can cough up upwards of P86,000 for a Céline satchel. But that doesn’t mean a woman still doesn’t want a beautifully designed handbag, even though it isn’t designed by Phoebe Philo.

Stylist Luis Espiritu fills this necessity perfectly with his second Espiritu for TRU collection. In his campaign, various individuals who each had a hand in his every career milestone are featured clutching supple carryalls, ladylike tophandles and clutch bags in exotic skins, each characterized by three understated studs at the top. “These people who I have chosen to represent the bags go beyond the boundaries of acquaintances and have, either at one point or consistently, created an impact and meaning to my reality,” he says. Without these models, editors, designers and entreprenuers, the Luis Espiritu we know today probably wouldn’t even be around to design a handbag collection in the first place. As Espiritu puts it himself, “Its core lies in authenticity: real leather, real fashion and real people.” Take that, Roitfeld.

YSTYLE: What made you want to design handbags in the first place?

LUIS ESPIRITU: I’m  not really a bag designer but more of a creative artist. One of my closest and dearest friends Katrina Holigores introduced me to both Cristina and Lisa Tuason years ago and thus brought about this amazing partnership in bag-making.

What was the inspiration behind this current collection?

The Surface collection is inspired by the idea of leather in modern textures. Classic shapes made contemporary through up-to-date hues, detailing and materials in order to create a timeless collective of forever pieces that go beyond forecasts and trends. The challenge was to come up with something simple, classic but modern. Void of all the trend trappings, the idea is to create something lasting. Yves Saint Laurent once said, “Fashions fade, style is eternal.”

Considering you’ve worked with so many people over your long career as a stylist, was it difficult to choose the people who figure in the campaign?

In any process of creation, as an artist, I always believe in the concept of relevance. These people who I have chosen to represent the bags go beyond the boundaries of acquaintances and have, either at one point or consistently, created an impact and meaning to my reality. Thus, the selective process was easy since they are close to my heart.

Considering there are so many handbag brands out there, how do you make yours stand out? What makes an Espiritu by TRU handbag different?

Real leather, real fashion and real people. The classics have this innate and outstanding quality of timelessness distinctively defined by both function and form. The simplicity of design and the good quality of materials make each piece surpass all the flash. Furthermore, one must always remember that the bag is the best accessory. The fundamental and most basic quality is to complement a personality and not the other way around. I believe that the personality comes first in choosing or purchasing these elements of style. “Fashion is what one wears oneself. What is unfashionable is what other people wear,” said Oscar Wilde.

What is your design process?

Rethinking ideas where nothing is constant, from the simple to the most mundane, the progressive concept of now aspiring to be forever — a narrative of thoughts from everything coalesces in a vision where a tapestry is formed.

How have your handbag collections evolved since the first one in 2007?

Through the years, maturity in the creative process has made my fashion perspective change and I have realized the big difference between style pieces that are now and forever.

Who is the woman who carries an Espiritu by TRU handbag?

Anyone who believes personal style is timeless and whose personality carries the bag, not the bag creating a personality.