Hart Crafts Handbags for Macy's 100th
As part of its 100th birthday celebration, Macy’s Herald Square in New York is promoting merchandise honoring the centennial. Among the designers who’ve created special apparel, accessories, housewares and home furnishings for the store is Los Angeles-based accessories designer Cynthia Hart, who has come up with a line of handbags modeled after vintage Macy’s memorabilia.
Hart said she went to New York to comb through the store’s archives of advertisements and photos prior to starting on the line. Her design inspiration led to three limited-edition handbags crafted from leather, peau de soie and velvet. One bag showcases a montage of photos from the 78- year-old Macy’s Parade, another features a bag with a sublimated ad from the store’s opening day in 1902, and the third uses the canned tomato graphics from an ad touting the food products sold at the store. The three bags retail for $225 each.
It was “a lot of fun” putting the project together, Hart said. A former costume designer for independent films and interior decorator, Hart has specialized in handbag accessories for the past three years. Her more than 100 wholesale accounts include Lord & Taylor, Bloomie’s by Mail, Burdines, Rich’s, Belks and Parisian.
Elina Kazan, director of public relations for Macy’s East, said the store tried to find brand-driven items to highlight.
“Her designs represented a good fit for our store,” Kazan said. —N.S.-M.
