COMPANY

Name: Petit Blue Goods

Location: Chicago, IL

Founded: 2019

Founder(s): Ying Zhan

Website: https://petitbluegoods.com/

Social Media: 1 subscriber on YouTube, 30 likes on Facebook, 1628 followers on Instagram, 4 followers on Pinterest

INDUSTRY –  Handbag Industry

Size: Sales of $7Bn in 2017 (Source: Forbes)

Introduction

Petit Blue Goods retails durable, lightweight and water-resistant bags that are designed to be functional as well as fashionable. The startup has two distinct product categories: Original Shoulder Bag and Julia Everywhere Tote. The core thought behind their products, according to the company, is to remedy the lifestyle problems of real women.

The Product

Made of thoughtfully sourced nylon and vegan leather, the Petit Blue handbags are sold at its Shopify-powered online store. The fashion label offers free shipping to U.S. addresses and has a 30-day return policy.

Petit Blue bags are also sold offline, at Embellish Boutique, Chicago.

Origin and Founding Team

Ying Zhan, a long-time resident of Chicago, had a career in market research and consulting spanning 20 years. Yet she was always drawn to fashion. And her sister was already in the handbag business, for several years – according to the official website. Eventually, the siblings decided to leverage their individual unique strengths and joint passion to launch the signature fashion label – Petit Blue Goods.

This startup derives its name from Zhan’s favorite colour and her diminutive physical stature.

The duo started by offering test-designs to friends and collected first-hand feedback from them. Based on these insights, they kept iterating to finally arrive at the most optimal design.

Most of the bags from Petit Blue Goods are inspired by the everyday needs of the founders’ friends and family. One of Zhan’s friend’s, Julia, shared her need for a bag that “would work for her anywhere, anytime” – especially while travelling. Thus the Julia Everywhere Tote was born, featuring two separate compartments for work and play gear and a cross-body strap.