Gabriele Frantzen, the designer behind the raffia bags adored by it girls.

It all started in 2009 with a necklace you couldn’t find anywhere. Did you expect such success when you first started out?

Honestly, yes! I started out in New York with my showroom on the High Line. One day on the Upper East Side, the wonderful founder of New York Fashion Week, Fern Mallis, stopped me in the street to ask about my necklace… The rest is history: not long after, my jewelry was displayed in the windows along Fifth Avenue. Our very first partner was Saks Fifth Avenue! I was lucky enough to appear on the Oscars red carpet, it was incredible to experience such success so quickly.
Actually, I think the key to that success is that I designed what I personally felt was missing, and therefore what was missing altogether. I fulfilled a desire. I’ve never followed trends. I loved vintage before it was considered “cool,” and I’ve always enjoyed mixing pieces in my looks, pairing designer clothing with more accessible fashion. I’m still exactly the same today…

Before launching your brand, you ran the multi-brand store Frantzen&Frantzen. You’ve had a thousand lives in fashion! How has that shaped your perspective as a designer today?

My inspiration is everywhere, all the time. Everything inspires me, actually! Girls in the street, museums, markets… it never really stops, sometimes it’s exhausting (laughs). My mother ran a couture workshop, so I think I carry that within me too. It’s in my genes.
I believe it’s important to wear things you truly love. Back in 2012, statement necklaces, as they were called at the time, were everywhere… and I started feeling the need for something different. That’s when the era of the “it bag” began. I was looking for a crossbody bag, but I simply couldn’t find one I liked, and that’s how the handbag adventure started.

Was it with that same desire to stay ahead of the curve that you began designing raffia bags?

My very first raffia bags date back to 2021, before Prada released theirs! And before raffia became such a huge trend and started appearing everywhere… I could sense it was coming, actually. My goal was simply to fulfill a desire, as always.
And then I did what I love most: lots of vibrant colors, but always in a sophisticated way. They’re easy to style and allow people to express their personality! Some people even call me the “queen of color”!

Your raffia bags are entirely handmade — a rare form of craftsmanship, almost a militant stance in an industry that has become industrialized at lightning speed. How did you find your artisans in Madagascar?

It took time, and I did a great deal of research before finding the right artisans. They, too, worked for a long time before reaching this level of quality. We went through countless trials to achieve such precision, it was essential.
For example, the bags have no lining, no zippers, and no buttons, thanks to the exceptional quality of the weaving itself. There’s no need for embellishment; the bag speaks for itself. It’s craftsmanship of extraordinary purity and quality.

Leandra Medine, Olivia Palermo, Giovanna Battaglia… women with incredibly distinctive styles have embraced your pieces. Do you have a muse — or an imaginary “Gabriele Frantzen woman” — in mind when you create?

I don’t have one specific muse, but if I had to name a few, I’d say I really admire the charisma of women like Julia Roberts or Julianne Moore, for example.
More generally, I think I design with all women in mind, from 25 to 80 years old, without distinction. I’m inspired by women who are confident, who know who they are and what suits them, and who appreciate the idea of owning a discreet kind of luxury handbag.

Raffia is often associated with summer and has something very casual about it. How did you work to give this material a more elevated, luxurious feel without betraying its essence?

It’s the quality of the craftsmanship that places us on the same level as luxury brands. And since I don’t have the same marketing budgets, with the very same level of standards, my bags are actually more affordable… These aren’t baskets or simple woven totes, they are truly bags crafted with an extremely sophisticated weaving technique.

Your raffia bags come in bold colorways, with striking stripes and strong contrasts. Is color a starting point in your creative process, or does it come at the end — almost like a signature added to something that already exists?

My nickname is the “queen of color” (Editor’s note). Every color combination, shade, and even the names I choose are connected to personal stories. Color is truly inherent to my work.
The “Denim Day” model, for example, is a beautiful blue with a touch of red, like a pair of jeans elevated by a red accessory. “Chocolate Mousse” is a rich brown shade that I love wearing when the weather is a little gloomier outside, and so on.
Colors also reflect moods and desires, which can change from one day to the next. And I love the idea that every single day, you can reinvent yourself and find joy simply through color.

If you had to choose just one of your creations to represent you, which one would it be, and why?

My bags are like my babies, so it’s difficult, almost impossible, to choose just one and say it’s my favorite! As I was saying earlier, they’re deeply connected to the moment, to a mood, to what you feel like wearing, and sometimes even to the weather.

I love the “Nomad” model because it goes with absolutely everything. And I also adore the “Lido”, its multicolored design instantly evokes the height of summer, and I really love that feeling.