The ‘it’ bag has arrived.
By Lauren Jones, Photos courtesy of Neely & Chloe
Headed west on a five-city tour, sisters Neely and Chloe Burch are equipped with an impossibly stylish Airstream trailer stockpiled with their name-brand collection of timeless totes, chic clutches and accessories. Austin Woman caught up with Neely Burch to talk inspiration, the future of the brand and how being a Burch has prepared her for the world of fashion.
Since launching Neely & Chloe in September 2016, the sisters have welcomed the highs and lows of owning a business as they’ve come.
Just shy of the company’s first birthday, the pair has already been featured on the coveted pages of Vogue, Allure and Elle, but running a business isn’t always glamorous.
“Some days, you think, ‘Wow, how has it only been nine or 10 months? This is great,’ while other days you’re like, ‘This is exactly what we were doing at the beginning.’ Things aren’t always perfect and that’s OK, and we share that through our social media,” Burch says.
In addition to creating a genuine and visually stunning digital presence, the sisters are dedicated to their customers and keeping prices reasonable. Two of their most popular items, the weekender bag and the travel wallet, retail for less than $300. With most luxury brands’ bags priced upwards of $2,000, the pair has created a brand that not only knows its audience, but also provides what they call “the perfect travel bag, the perfect tote and the perfect clutch.”
Fast fashion is a cycle. There is always a new handbag, always a new pair of heels and always a new “it” piece, but the Burch sisters hope to transcend the trends and create a timeless brand. In addition to their classic designs, each item in their collection lacks overt branding. Gone are the days of handbags plastered with logos; the Burch sisters have arrived.
“Around 70 percent of our inventory ends up getting customized,” Burch says. “We wanted to move away from obvious branding so that when someone leaves with one of our bags, the bag feels more like them than like us.”
Their summer collection, which is currently for sale on the Neely & Chloe website and by appointment at the New York showroom, was inspired by the South of France, with each of the pieces ideal for the beach, the office or a night on the town.
No matter what the future holds for this dynamic duo, one thing is for sure: These entrepreneurial sisters won’t be slowing down any time soon.