Celebrating our 2nd Anniversary

Celebrating our 2nd Anniversary

Where it all started.

In 2017, the idea of a new handbag concept for women on the go was born. Helga and Ine discovered that they were not the only ones frustrated by the chaos in their fashionable but often impractical handbags while getting bored with the appearance of their "masculine" work bags. On 4 October 2018, the first Kaai bag collection arrived at the studio store in Antwerp.

"Kaai " (quays in Dutch) takes its name from the river in Antwerp, a connection between city and the ever-moving water, symbolizing the life of women on the go. 

What happened in the 2nd year of Kaai.

1. Kaai all over the world.

In 2019, Kaai took its first international steps. By attending several international fairs in Paris and Berlin, we found new retail partners. In this way, the first Kaai women were born in Germany, Switzerland, Dublin, the Netherlands…

 

2. Kaai nominated as one of the top designer work bags.

The year of 2020 started off promising; Kaai was among the top 15 best work bags selected by a well-known luxury online magazine. Suddenly our web shop was visited by women all over the world and the first orders from US, Japan, Australia, Singapore came in... Our community was expanding globally. It seems that the need for a stylish workbag was universal. 

https://luxe.digital/lifestyle/style/kaai-bags/

 

3. The Virus.

But then the Virus came. March 2020, just when our new collection arrived, we had to close our store. The lockdown predicted a fearful period. How can a start-up survive this?
The first week was very stressful. There were hardly any online orders. This caused us many sleepless nights. But as an entrepreneur you can't afford to waste any time, you need to react fast and agile.
And with every closed door, a new one opens. So, we took this opportunity and reshuffled our plans and budgets, focused on digital and personal communication.
We started recording videos in-house, optimizing live chats, taking orders via mail/ social media/ phone you name it. This led to an explosion of online orders within 2 weeks only. Further we have increased our efficiency by implementing a new software, this way we can spend more time with our customers.
This period was also of great use for our creative minds. We started designing new bags and lines which you will discover in the upcoming months.

           

 

4. 2nd edition of the Pop-up in Knokke.

This year, we were again very excited to welcome our customers in Knokke. We were invited by R&R to present our collection in their beach shop, together with other amazing Belgian brands.   

 

5. Launch of the Mini Pyramid.

After receiving many requests for a mini version of the Pyramid, we had to make one. So, in September 2020 we launched the mini Pyramid in 3 colors. It has been available for pre order and is already a big hit.

 

  

Time to celebrate!

So, now it’s time to celebrate our 2nd anniversary together! You really don’t want to miss this. During this week we offer you a surprise bag full of local made products and an iconic Kaai keychain. We can’t wait to welcome you in our studio store or in our web shop.

Last but not least, we want to thank our customers for making our dream come through.

Unfortunately we can not raise a glass together this year, bu we hope to see you in our store this week! 

Helga & Ine  

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