Interview by Alison Belamont
ICYMI, Marc Cain unveiled its new collection at Berlin Fashion Week, under the new artis tic and de sign di rec tor Katja Kon radi. For AW19, there is still the sleek tonal tailoring we've come to love from the brand, while cycling shorts, metallic puffa jackets and zebra print dresses added a luxe urban touch we're very much into.
As for the accessories, models went down the runway carrying the ideal bag: a timeless tote in chic autumnal colours, which will literally go with everything in your new-season wardrobe.
They come courtesy of Suits actress Sarah Rafferty, who has collaborated with Marc Cain on a classic handbag collection. We caught up with her at the event.
Your character in Suits wears a lot of tailoring, and very sleek clothing. Did that inspire the collaboration?
Well yes. Marc Cain came to me at first with a bag to benefit Plan Canada, which is the Because I’m a Girl initiative which is close to my heart. So then we decided we would do another one and this bag really is, it’s meant to be classic but modern and totally functional whilst being chic. It's absolutely something Donna (my character) would wear! And a portion of the proceeds is going to go to Plan International.
Amazing- and it’s obviously a charity that’s very close to your heart?
Yes, yes!
So what was your first designer bag purchase? Do you remember?
Ooooh yes well the first, my husband, when he was my boyfriend, or he might have been my fiancé. He gave me my first designer bag and he nailed it. It was this acid green Balenciaga bag and it was rad! And that’s when I realised your bag can be any colour and you can mix them in, and not to be scared of colour. And then I bought myself a bag that’s not that dissimilar to this (the Marc Cain bag) - it’s like a Kelly shape, Miu miu bag and it’s two tones, dark brown and camel and I loved that.
Sounds amazing. And do you still carry them both?
I still have them, I don’t carry them right now. They’re in their like… I have two daughters, so all my bags that are not in rotation right now, are carefully put away!
Otherwise...
Yeah, I have a beautiful Bottega Venetta that I’m like, they’re going to fight over that one for sure!
So what do you carry in your handbag on a day to day basis!
Oh everything! The problem is I don’t like to just switch my bag out because I don’t have time, so there is so much stuff in there! That’s why this bag (Marc Cain bag) is the size it is! My phone happens to be gigantic because I have the iPhone XS.
And then, you need your headphones, and I don’t like the pods, I actually want the thing and you need a charger and sometimes I want a bottle of water in there… And your lipgloss.. And I run out of the house most of the time without any make up on so I bring like my cover up and my blush. So it just gets endless. Something for my kids - there is always something random at the bottom of my bag that one of my kids threw in my bag that I didn’t even realise was in there!
It’s like a Mary Poppins bag- you just go in and don’t know what you’ll find!
Yeah there’s actually no bottom to this bag
Shop now: True bag for £355 from Marc Cain
That’s the design secret!
That’s what I offer in the design process, a bottomless bag!
And do you have a favourite colour way of the bag?
Yes, the aubergine, the oxblood.