Harveys: From Classic Cars to Girly Girls
All things pink and girly—that’s the design philosophy of husband-and-wife design team Dana and Melanie Harvey, creators of the Harveys brand of apparel and lingerie and the signature Original Seatbeltbag, a handbag made from woven seatbelt strapping.
Harveys has seen phenomenal success in recent years and is on track to watch sales grow a whopping 75 percent this year, with the Harveys label reaching $1.8 million. The company’s Seatbeltbag division contributes 65 percent of the company’s annual sales. And this year, the Harveys anticipate they will sell more than 60,000 bags, bringing in $2.3 million in sales.
Not bad for a company that excels in serendipitous design decisions.
The couple met in 1995 at a Halloween party. At the time, Dana co-owned a clothing company called Angel Boy. As Melanie puts it, she shortly thereafter “married into the business.” In 1996, using Melanie’s vintagehandbag collection as inspiration, the Harveys started making handbags out of materials found in flea markets. The first season, the Harveys made 10 different styles of handbags, many out of recycled fabrics, including drapes and recycled fur coats. The line was picked up by hip boutiques, including American Rag.
In 1997, while the couple was restoring their 1950 Buick, Melanie suggested Dana make a bag out of the leftover red seatbelt strapping. They dubbed the small tote and following line “Detroit,” in honor of the Motor City.
The handbags were unusual and durable, crafted from automotive-grade seatbelt webbing supplied by GM and Ford. The Seatbeltbags caught on and were picked up at trendy boutiques such as Sharon Segal at Fred Segal Santa Monica and American Rag and at upscale department stores, including Bloomingdale’s.
Four years later, good fortune struck again. Backed by the financial success of the Seatbeltbag, the Harveys decided to create a line of “outerwear”—vintage lingerie–inspired pieces that could be worn inside or outside as clothing. The first season consisted of a slip, a “Days-of-the- Week” tank top and panty, and a cotton voile tunic with lace trim and a matching panty. The next season, an unsuccessful attempt to develop a stretch-sateen bra-and-panty set for a new innerwear collection prompted Melanie to make a dress out of the same fabrication. The dress was a success, and Melanie continued to design a 15-piece collection out of the stretch-sateen fabric. The Harveys took the “outerwear” and “innerwear” collection, called Unmentionables, and the new apparel line to MAGIC International, where they met with rave reviews.
The collection, inspired by the ’40s and ’50s, is updated for today’s consumer. The line is innocent and playful yet sexy and sophisticated—it’s what every girly-girl wants, according to Melanie, who said she sees staying power for feminine styles and details.
“We’re trying to specialize for a very feminine girly customer,” she said. “Our customers will keep coming back. I don’t think the feminine look will ever go out of style— there will always be a customer.”
For Fall, expect to see more feminine looks with shirtdresses, minis, tight pencil skirts and a convertible two-in-one top/skirt. Details include red leather heart appliqueacute;s that run throughout the collection. The Unmentionables line wholesales from $10 for panties to $45 for nightgowns, and the apparel line ranges from $24 for camisoles to $79 for pants.
Today, Dana continues to design the handbag collection that complements the girly-girl style Melanie has created for the Harveys apparel and Unmentionables line. The company, which originally started out of the couple’s home, is now located in a 6,200-square-foot manufacturing facility in Orange, Calif., with over 40 employees. By June, they plan to move the operation into a 20,000-square-foot facility to accommodate the company’s expected growth. The Seatbeltbag line has evolved into 12 classically shaped styles, including makeup bags, backpacks, shoulder bags, baguettes and totes. The line wholesales from $17 to $65 and is available in 12 colors named after classic, sports and luxury cars, including Buick brown, Ferrari red, Lexus gold, Pinto orange and the newest Spring colors, Cadillac pink and Rally green. This Fall, look for the new checkered version. The Original Seatbeltbag line wholesales from $30 to $80, while the current handbag collection in retro-inspired leather and denim and lizard-embossed leather wholesales from $45 for a clutch to $250 for a carry-on.
Consumers can buy the bags and apparel online at www.girlshop.com, which is linked to Harveys’ in-house sites www.seatbeltbags.com and www.harveysboutique.com.
In 2004, the couple plans to focus on increasing international and Internet sales, which currently make up 8 percent of the company’s total sales.
For sales information, visit the Fille Showroom in suite B524 of Los Angeles’ California Market Center, or call (213) 430-9114.
