LONDON, United Kingdom — Nicholas Kirkwood has designed handbags for the first time in a new collaboration with Italian fine jewellery house Bulgari.

While the footwear designer is no stranger to such partnerships — he has created shoes for Erdem, Roksanda and Peter Pilotto — this is his first collaboration since his brand was acquired in 2013 by luxury conglomerate LVMH, the same parent company as Bulgari.

Nicholas Kirkwood | Source: Courtesy

“We’re a very different company than we were before,” says Kirkwood. “The last couple of years we’ve had a lot of reorganisation, and now I’m at the point where I’d like to work on more collaborations... For me, it was [an opportunity] to work on another product.”

The handbags, which will be priced upwards of £1,990 (around $2,600), is inspired by Bulgari's signature "Serpenti Forever" motif. “Although we’re very different kinds of brands, there are a lot of similarities in the codes that we use," he says. “I wanted there to be this slightly more contemporary London feel about the collection, but still execute it in a very Bulgari way."

Kirkwood added that he hopes to explore the possibility of offering more than footwear in the future from his namesake brand.

“I want to be able to expand into other types of products and I think for now the best way of me doing that is through these collaborations. And it’s so much a part of my DNA," he says. “I won’t be doing bags immediately for myself, but it definitely feels like a natural extension."

The capsule will be available starting September 1 at Net-a-Porter, Printemps and Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as Bulgari stores and Nicholas Kirkwood’s flagship London boutique.

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