Image Via : Staud Instagram

Well, if you haven’t let us enlighten you. Staud initially rose to fame on Instagram thanks to their unique handbags which are honestly a real game changer as far as handbag culture goes. Their signature bucket bags and plastic tote bags have probably been filling up your insta feed without you even realizing it! Staud’s plastic tote bag was dubbed the affordable It bag of the year last year and according to the number of people still flaunting their new see-through accessory, they’re showing no signs of disappearing. They’ve also influenced many other designers and brands not to mention their latest venture into shoes.

Staud is part of a new wave of brands who focus getting their cult status through Instagram, asking for lots of feedback to inform their further collections. In this way, the customer feels like they are being listened to, they ask and the brand delivers. From the brand’s point of view, it’s a no-brainer, by simply asking their market which pieces they prefer and what they want to see next is the 2019 version of market research, almost guaranteeing sales. The brains behind the operation are co-founders Sarah Staudinger and George Augusto who wanted to create an LA based brand inspired by the notion that fashion shouldn’t just empower women but should also be accessible to the masses too. It’s Staud’s attention to detail that has really grown their following into a loyal cult, providing designer pieces crafted from high quality materials and all for an affordable price.

Image Via: Staud Instagram

Since the success of their handbag collection, Staud then went on to produce a ready-to-wear line of all your favorite closet staples, exclusive styles and most recently a footwear line. Another reason for Staud’s huge following is their ethos of producing pieces you can actually wear season after season rather than trend-led pieces that go out of fashion in moments. There’s certainly a vintage feel as oversized palazzo pants are styled with retro handbags and 50’s inspired jumpsuits. While we love their ready-to-wear pieces it’s their accessories that really steal the show so we’re expecting big things from their new shoe collection. One of their most popular bags, the Moreau Bucket Bag more than turned heads during Fashion Week last year with every influencer on the planet carrying one in the crook of their arm as they took their place in the shows.

Considering most of the so-called It bags are more than out of the price range for the average fashion lover, Staud’s bags all come with a $500 or less price tag, a refreshing change for the handbag industry. Plus, their pieces are incredibly versatile and they encourage their fans to get playful when it comes to styling their handbags. For some, even spending $500 on a handbag might seem like an investment but considering other It bags from Celine and Hermès can cost far more, $500 feels like a steal in comparison.  The popular Birkin bag from Hermès ranges from $12,000 to $300,000 just to put Staud’s $500 in perspective.

Image Via : Staud Instagram

Sarah believes that finding the perfect shoe evokes an emotional response and we’d have to agree with her. There’s something so beautiful about finding a versatile pair of shoes that you’re so in love with, fit like a glove and also won’t leave you bankrupt! It’s with this idea that her shoe collection was born. Staud actually started off with two shoe styles from the very beginning but never fully developed the concept in order to focus on their bags. Now, four years after their launch, there’s still very little competition in the market for shoes that are reasonably priced and that can be worn day to night and transcend seasons, so it only seems right for the brand to fill up this gap. At present, many of the styles are inspired by the 70’s and the 90’s with just enough of a nod to their inspired time period but not enough to render them dated. Another unique feature of Staud’s shoes is their mismatched style, the Billie Wedge for example, plays with reverse color blocking making the left shoe in the opposite colorway for a subtle yet dramatic difference. It’s Staud’s fearless approach to taking risks that we can’t get enough of.

Image Via : Staud

Staud has major expansion plans in the works also with a belt and sunglasses strap collections coming soon to the brand. It’s rumored that Staud is very invested in the idea of travel for this year so we’re really hoping to see some luggage and loungewear collections too but we’ll have to wait and see. Although the cult brand started on Instagram and at the moment only has online purchases available, it’s confirmed they will be opening a shoe show room in New York where fans can actually try before they buy and get some more interaction face to face with the brand. The showroom will be available to visit by appointment only and exactly how they plan to organize it is still unconfirmed. Since Staud is all about reinventing the way we see retail, we can’t imagine they’ll be playing by the regular rules of a standard shoe shop.

As Staud grows, we can see great potential here, we only hope that they don’t let their affordable prices rise too much with demand as we have seen with so many other brands…