No, it’s not Victoria Beckham. My new favourite handbag is by... Radley. Yes, really

Anyone who thinks they know the handbag brand Radley, get ready for a marmalade dropper. The twee brand you once knew and perhaps also once loved for its affordable handbags and Scottie dog mascot… well, it’s gone!

In its place is something you might mistake for Victoria Beckham, The Row or Loewe. A minimalist, considered brand with very modern, crafted, sleek and yes, affordable handbags that instantly invite you to get closer.

I say affordable, because you’re looking at £299 for a high-quality, people-will-stop-you-to-ask-about-it bag; one that’s £291 cheaper than a tiny Prada handbag charm. Precisely the kind of affordable you think about for a week or two before deciding, yes, I can go for that.

Exactly what I did when I first saw the Christina bag, a minimalist rectangle of seamless grained leather that dips over into a bronze zipper, which opens to reveal a smooth, leather-lined interior large enough to accommodate a 13-inch laptop, A5 notebook, makeup bag and more. It has Birkin energy with The Row minimalism; I carry mine every day and love using it, looking at it and even the way it slouches open when not full of my work kit.

Then there’s the striped Hadleigh Place, the reversible Hanbury Row and the forthcoming Romilly, a multi-pocketed winged design in conker brown leather and Italian suede that suggests a nod to Phoebe Philo’s Celine. When we featured Romilly on a full page in Good Housekeeping’s September issue, it inspired readers to fill my email inbox with ‘When will it be on sale?’ requests – 1 September, in case you’re wondering.

So, what’s going on? Fernando Soriano Iglesias is what. Radley’s utterly charming, Spanish-born creative director worked at Loewe, Carolina Herrera and Calvin Klein and before joining Radley in August 2024.

Iglesias has approached Radley like a blank canvas, sidelining the Scottie and putting texture, form and the craft of leather as his starting point. It’s clear from the first collection that everything he designs is proportionally beautiful as an object, considered in its usefulness for everyday, and made with leather and suede that feels as good to touch as it looks.

To my mind, these are the only ingredients that matter for bags that will stay the distance as objects to own for a lifetime. They are, after all, objects we carry with us every day, often for years. They convey our most personal and useful belongings and tell the world a little bit about who we are.

I strongly urge you to look at Radley with fresh eyes as soon as possible and if you’re in the market for one, choose your bag before everyone else catches on.

The first collection by Fernando Soriano Iglesias is one you won’t want to miss knowing about.

The full range is available on 1 September.

The New Radley Edit