I’ve loved fashion and designers for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I would host fashion shows in our basement for the kids in the neighborhood and dreamed of living in Paris as a fashion designer sketching dresses all day. I’ve had an appreciation for the art that is fashion and clothing and for just as long have wanted the budget to support it.

The 9-year-old fashion show director in me wasn’t pulling in a big-budget yet and my hostess job in high school just covered my gas cost. Balancing the want and appreciation of designer items and the budget that didn’t cut it has always been there, and I wasn’t ever able to purchase something myself until college. Most of the designer pieces I owned were graciously gifted to me from family members and pieces that I wasn’t pulling out all the time because they were special. I remember the first time I purchased a designer piece myself was the summer before junior year of college and I had my eyes on a Lilly Pulitzer dress that I had to have for recruitment. Looking back, it was a silly purchase, but I was so excited and worked hard that summer at my internship to be able to afford it.

Fast forward a few years out of college and a decent paying job and I had some fun money to start putting toward designer goods, but I never really purchased anything until our honeymoon last year. Kollin and I discussed wedding presents and we both agreed that we wanted to get something from Italy during our trip to make it special. I knew my first higher-end designer purchase would be a handbag, but I wasn’t set on a specific one, so we shopped around. On the island of Capri, I fell in love with the YSL Medium LouLou bag. It is classic, a designer I’ve always coveted and something I knew wouldn’t ever go out of style.

It was a dream come true and a memory I’ll cherish forever. But, with it being my first self-purchased designer bag and the sentiment of it being a wedding present, I didn’t want to run the bag into the ground and wear it out. I use it on weekends and date nights, but it isn’t my “everyday” bag. During this time, I was switching out bags that weren’t as expensive for the work week and I received an email like the sender knew I had a gap in my closet.

I was so excited to receive a message from Laudi Vidni, a Chicago-based brand that creates completely customizable handbags and leather goods. The brand was started by two friends (and fellow Harvard Business School grads #BossLadies), Laura Kofoid and Grace Tsao-Wu. What I love about their message and mission was as simple as the reason they chose Laudi Vidni as the name. It is “individual” spelled backward. They strived to bring individuality into the closets of women and give them a platform to express themselves in the way they want and with the same quality as other designers.

Fashion can have a negative side of being “in” or “out” and feeling always aspirational rather than inclusive, especially for those who can’t indulge as much as they would like. I’ve personally felt this way and have even been victim to “wanting” something I didn’t even really like that much because it had a specific designer's name on it. Sometimes we feel great about ourselves because we have something that someone else does too and that’s ok, but it can get negative when the comparison trap takes over. This is what Laudi Vidni wants to be the opposite of. Fashion shouldn’t be divisive or alienating. Individual expression of style should be celebrated and embraced, so why not make a bag that is you?

I went to visit the Laudi Vidni showroom in Chicago and was so grateful to be able to design a bag for myself during the visit. As we were talking and I learned more about the brand, we got on the topic that I think many women can relate to, affording the pieces and life she wants without having to sacrifice too much. Maybe you’re in a similar place that I am where I’m blessed to be able to afford some higher quality items but am not in a place where I’m bopping around Chanel looking for a new friend to add to my closet. Or maybe you’re arriving at a place where higher price points work for you but aren’t sure what designer to start with.

While “designer” “affordable” “expensive” etc. are all relative, there is a common denominator when it comes to fashion and price-quality. If you’re wanting a piece that is handmade or uses high-quality materials, you’re going to pay more. So, with pricing being a relative factor for everyone, I believe that Laudi Vidni is designer that leads their brand with quality and craftsmanship and their pricing reflects that with the fashion-girl’s budget in mind Every Laudi Vidni bag is made with hand-selected leather sourced from the US, Italy, and Spain, ensuring the best quality and is hand-crafted to your order in their Chicago factory. What I also love about this brand is not only is your bag completely made to order, but this also means less waste in the sense of back stock and materials used.

Each bag of their 40+ designs starts as a blank canvas - just the structure of the design. Once you choose the bag you like, you can use their customization tool to hand-craft your design and pick from numerous colors, prints, textures of leather, and the hardware to create the perfect bag for you. I had so much fun using their design tool for my bag and seeing the rendering update as I chose different aspects in real-time.

I chose the Brio Bucket Mini Bag because I loved the shape and it wasn’t like any other bag structure I owned. Going into the designing process I knew I wanted a navy bag. A lover of neutrals and a good pair of jeans I thought the navy was unique enough from my numerous black handbags while still staying true to my inner classic design sense. From there, I knew I wanted this bag to have a fun element to it so I chose the cheetah calf hair for the bottom portion of the bag. I added gold hardware and a gorgeous cadet blue for the lining. I thought it was the perfect mix of me - classic with a fun and fashion-based twist!

I knew this bag would be one I reach for often and be excited about its designer quality for years to come. So, if you’re like me and in a phase in life where you're expanding into the designer world or you're just starting in learning what higher-end quality bags you’d like to purchase, I can’t recommend Laudi Vidni enough. Their approachable price points and custom experience is unlike any other leather goods brand I’ve seen. With items starting from $50 into a few hundred dollars, there truly is something for everyone.

Laudi Vidni was so kind to share a discount code for Creative Brief readers so you can use “Amanda10” for 10% off your order! Thanks so much for reading and to Laudi Vidni for this great experience! xx

Thank you to Laudi Vidni for sponsoring this post. It is brands like yours that make The Creative Brief possible. All opinions are my own.