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The Rise Of Monogrammed Accessories To The Masses

The Rise Of Monogrammed Accessories To The Masses
The Daily Edited

All you have to do is scroll Instagram for a minute or two to learn that having your initials on your phone case, tote or wallet is a major trend right now.

Monogrammed accessories, namely leathergoods, was a luxury reserved for the rich and famous a mere few years ago (personalised Louis Vuitton Speedy to the tune of $3,000, anyone?).

Though you can thank The Daily Edited for changing all that.

In 2011, friends and corporate lawyers Alyce Tran and Tania Liu founded a customisable accessory brand after the success of their blog which shared lifestyle and fashion insights for professional women.

Fast forward to 2016 and the brand boasts a successful e-commerce platform, huge fanbase on social media and most recently, and extension into David Jones.

The Huffington Post Australia chatted to one half of the duo, Alyce Tran, about the brand's evolution.

How did the business idea come about?

"Honestly, we just wanted the product for ourselves really! I was looking for some things to spruce up my desk and after only discovering tired accessories I thought 'we can make our own line, I am sure of it!'. I figured that the worst case scenario if it doesn't sell, we would just give the products to all of our friends and family as Christmas presents," Tran said.

Why is monogram is such a big trend?

"I think customisation is a huge trend generally, across a range of different products -- from Nutella jars to furniture. Part of it is customers wanting to have something differentiated from the next person's item, and creating something that is truly theirs," Tran said.

Can you talk us though the design process?

"We create mood boards of ideas constantly. This will then develop into an item or theme with a colour palette for new products. We then have patterns cut for the item, samples produced and once we are happy (after making a few adjustments) the product goes into production," Tran said.

How much monogram is too much?

"I'm not sure if you can have too much monogram! I walk around with a tote, diary, phone case, and a wallet - all personalised with my initials. Our products are quite minimalists in design so initials here and there is absolutely OK," Tran said.

What does being stocked in David Jones mean for the brand?

This is huge for us. We are a business borne out of social media, so it is amazing to have the tap on the shoulder to go into such a huge retailer with the feedback from all of the buyers being that our product is high quality, on trend and well presented," Tran said.

The The Daily Edited counter at David Jones, where your purchase will be monogrammed while you wait.

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