I worked in advertising for 6 years and I was sick of working long hours without recognition and felt that I could transfer my skills to something more rewarding. I wanted to create a product; something tangible that was also useful. And most importantly I wanted flexibility. So many of my friends were starting to have children and they were desperate to find a bag that was not only fashionable, but practical at the same time so, I decided to try and help them with their quest. There was a lot of research involved…. I spoke to a group of mothers and asked them what their dream bag would be like and the collection kind of grew from there. I really wanted to create a collection that would meet a need rather than creating something and hoping someone would buy it just because it was beautiful. I created my first full collection in May 2006 to resounding success….

My main aim was to make women feel stylish and empowered, even while they lug all their paraphernalia around. When the first collection arrived it wasn’t only the ‘yummy mummy’ generation that loved my bags but also the sophisticated fashionista girls as well. The hidden compartments ensure quick and easy access to all a woman’s daily essentials: blackberry, i-pod, laptop, water bottle, sunglasses and for the girl who won’t be seen dead without her stilettos, the bags are also spacious enough to cater for an extra pair of flats.

All my bags are handcrafted by skilled Italian artisans and I use materials that are versatile and contemporary. There is a real choice from the finest leather, soft canvas and other natural materials and they are available in a variety of colors to suit the needs and lifestyle of any modern woman. It’s a great feeling knowing women of varying ages use and love my bags.  I did believe in my concept and obviously dreamt of the success that would follow, but I think the main reason is that whether you are a Hollywood actress or a City executive, the life of a mum is the same. Most mums want to look stylish and all mums certainly have busy lives, and my bags are there to help make carrying all your paraphernalia that little bit easier.

I offer a bespoke service for clients who value originality and I also produce limited edition bags every season. My bags are not only luxurious but practical and are handcrafted by skilled Italian artisans and carry the ‘Made in Italy’ promise. I am currently designing a bag for the stylish dad. Following on from the celebrity trend of 'hands-on dads' (think Brad Pitt or Ben Affleck), I feel that men too should have the option of looking stylish with a specially designed baby bag.

With my first collection, I decided I wanted to design a stylish backpack. It needed to be practical, wear comfortably and look stylish… I had a wonderful design ready, at least I thought it was wonderful, but as soon as my manufacturer saw it he started shaking his head. ‘It’s going to be a hard one this one’, he said. We made a few prototypes, but they all seemed to take the shape of a tennis bag somehow. The design was not feasible technically. Needless to say, we scrapped it and moved on! The lesson I learned was that no matter how attached you are to your designs sometimes they just don’t translate into a finished product.

One of my greatest achievements was getting the Alexandra Bee bags on distinctive Hollywood names such as Courteney Cox, Angelina Jolie and Charlotte Church. I feel very proud to have such distinctive names carrying an Alexandra Bee bag around. Celebrities get so many gifts and we tried to target busy women who would use an Alexandra Bee bag to help organize their hectic lives. Another major achievement is having my first child, Mia and not having the business suffer. I have still maintained the same attitude to my work but have had to strike a balance between baby and business! What is great is that I can now put into practice the initial theory behind Alexandra Bee and adjust and make changes to the designs where I feel might be necessary.