I Started a Handbag Company Instead of Going to Therapy for HDP!

--> Many people know I am hard at work designing the "perfect" handbag for professional women.   As a result several of my friends recently sent me a link to an article from the Wall Street Journal with the title, " The nerve-racking, soul-searching, exhilarating process of Shopping for a Handbag"  by Rachel Dodes. It was in the off-duty section of the February 9-10 issue. Here is a video of an interview with Dodes as she explains the condition she calls Handbag Decision Paralysis, HDP  for short. Dodes describes the difficulty with choosing your everyday handbag, including debating all the pros and cons of the different options available. In the article Dodes describes how sometimes we have a hard time choosing the right bag when the stakes are high. The handbags that she mentions range anywhere from "The Madison Doctor" by Mark Cross for $1,795.00 to "The Warton" by Myriam Schaefer for $9,390.00. Several years ago, I spent three years trying to find the ideal handbag for me for my work/personal lifestyle. I must have seen several handbags like these during the three years I searched for my ideal handbag. I not only shopped in the US, but some major cities all over the world for this handbag, including Dubai, London, Berlin, Amsterdam, etc. but I did not find it!!!Who knew ... I was just suffering from a condition called HDP! Maybe a little therapy would have nipped it in the bud.

Now I admit, my all encompassing requirements made it nearly impossible to find the right bag for me. I needed a place to put my computer, work documents and personal items, while still looking modern and stylish. I needed my bag to be functional for work but also glamorous for the evening. Since I could not find that “perfect” handbag, I assumed I had discovered a gap in the market and decided to leave my technical world of global optical communications research to start a handbag company. However, after reading this article I realize I may have been suffering from HDP and could have just gone for some therapy! Thankfully I didn't and I did start Uvo Designs  (the name is changing to Gigi Karmous shortly), a handbag company for professional women.

But the reality is, I don’t regret one second of this journey at all!  By starting my own business, I have learned a great deal about the world of product design (other than datacom products), manufacturing as well as sales and marketing. Our handbag designs are constantly evolving and getting closer to solving the problems that I am constantly hearing about from professional women all over the world. Please send me your requirements ( we do listen!). Our next design is a collaborative effort with Triangle Dress for Success charity; it is a three component system that is aimed at solving many of the handbag problems that professional women struggle with. I am hoping that my handbags may offer an actual cure for others suffering from HDP. Stay tuned...

xoxo,
Gigi