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" Sophie Hulme is one of those charming, quintessentially English names, but the designer is taking her moniker global at lightening speed thanks to her sleek bags that are quickly becoming fashion girl mainstays. Hulme graduated from Kingston University in 2007 and launched her ready to wear brand right out of the gate. Within just five years she counts collaborations with Nike and Absolute and, most recently, with chic luggage brand Globe-trotter. Here at BAZAAR, we&amp;#039;re all clamoring for a version of Buckle Tote (pictured above). Get to know this Brit It girl in the interview below, and shop her covetable collection of bags at barneys.com. Harper&amp;#039;s Bazaar: What were your expectations when you launched your brand?  Sophie Hulme: I didn&amp;#039;t really have any expectations \u2014 I just wanted to try it and see if I got a positive response. I had absolutely no expectation that I&amp;#039;d be working with such amazing stores and publications, it&amp;#039;s a real surprise to be honest! HB: What is your overall design philosophy?  SH: None of my designs are inspired by trends. I prefer the idea of designing pieces that are timeless so quality is really important to me. I like the idea of reinventing classics, so I take a lot of inspiration from practical menswear pieces. HB: Your handbags are really making the street style rounds, tell me what your inspiration was for the bags?  SH: I started the bags alongside a clothing collection based on the idea of &amp;#039;armoring womenswear.&amp;#039; This idea of armory is where the metal plates come from. I also loved the longevity and simplicity of saddle leather, so I started with that \u2014 keeping the shapes clean and unfussy. HB: Do you think the awareness from the street style shots has helped your business?  SH: I think any awareness helps in the fashion business. The nice thing about street style shots is that people can see things being worn in so many different ways which I&amp;#039;m sure helps with sales. HB: How would you describe your personal style? Do you design for yourself? SH: My personal style is quite simple and menswear inspired, so similar to the way I design. I don&amp;#039;t design for myself specifically but it&amp;#039;s always a good reference point to question &amp;#039;would i really want to wear this?&amp;#039; HB: What girls would you love to see in Sophie Hulme?  SH: Recently the British actress Vicky McClure has started to wear my things, that&amp;#039;s really exciting because I&amp;#039;m a huge fan of her work and she has an amazing androgynous style. HB: What are your goals for the brand moving forward?  SH: I want to expand the knitwear and grow my ready to wear and hopefully keep working with the amazing stores I work with now. Eventually I&amp;#039;d also love to expand into shoes. That&amp;#039;d be my dream next step! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/trends/a8303/sophie-hulme-interview-082812/>