AUPEN

Beyoncé “borrowed” one from Blue Ivy. Taylor Swift carried one while on a date night with Travis Kelce. And Olivia Rodrigo toted one while hanging out with rising pop star Tate McRae. We’re talking about Aupen, the minimalist-chic accessories line seen on music queens, Oscar winners and practically everyone on the “It” girl list.

The formerly secretive brand is releasing its best-selling Nirvana handbag, a slouchy asymmetrical carryall with a braided handle and sculptural gold bag charm, in a new chocolate suede colorway on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 7:59 a.m. PT/10:59 a.m. ET online at Aupen.com. (The bag will also soon be available in brown shearling, a gold-tone chained version and a silver metallic style.)

In July, the brand announced a new partnership with LVMH Métiers d’Art that would include “exclusive access to the finest French production facilities and unparalleled expertise.” Aupen says its first collection produced in collaboration with the LVMH-owned manufacturer will arrive in spring 2025.

Aupen Nirvana Bag in Chocolate Suede

$420 AT AUPEN

Last year, the company decided to move from vegan materials to Leather Working Group-certified calfskin leather and began using repurposed croc leather accents — sourced from the cutting room floor of the factory that manufactures for Hermès — on the handles of its Nirvana Kiss bag, which came with authentication cards for the genuine materials.

Aupen launched in October 2022 with vegan leather bags. The label seemed to arise out of nowhere, as Glamour reported, and its explosion of celebrity placements within a year of its debut undoubtedly raised eyebrows among fashion industry insiders wondering about the company’s anonymous A-list hookup. (A celebrity power stylist co-founder? A starry investor? The architect of a brand-building case study?) as

When THR met with Aupen commercial director Nicholas Tan face-to-face earlier this year, he had explained that the brand’s designers preferred to remain as an anonymous collective (at the time, they were based in San Francisco, Brooklyn and Singapore) to allow their creations to speak for themselves. Aupen later announced on Instagram that its “design team [was] on a break.”

After keeping the identity of its founder shrouded in mystery, Aupen finally revealed to WWD that it was none other than Tan. Per WWD, the Harvard grad-turned-model previously owned a fashion showroom that introduced Dries Van Noten, Joseph Altuzzara and David Koma to the Asian market. Before that, he was a champion swimmer who represented Singapore in the 2007 Southeast Asia Games.

Charli XCX recently sported the Nirvana bag in black leather on her way to make her Saturday Night Live hosting debut in New York on Nov. 12; Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Emily Blunt also carried the style. Queen Bey, Blue Ivy and Hailey Bieber have all been seen with the Purpose bag ($180), a sleek leather shoulder bag with an angular shape; while Gal Gadot carried it in a white colorway and Selena Gomez sported a crystal fringe-embellished version.

Meanwhile, Rodrigo’s Joy bag is a rounded leather piece with gold hardware and a simple strap. Kylie Jenner, Jessica Biel, Gabrielle Union and Fan Bing Bing are among the stars who have toted the Fearless purse. (The Purpose, Fearless, Joy and other styles are currently unavailable on Aupen’s website.)

The brand’s jewelry is an A-list favorite, too. The gold Splash earrings were recently worn by Oscar winner Emma Stone, while Dakota Johnson donned the silver Wave earrings last year.

At the moment, Aupen’s website only offers the Nirvana bag in leather and a new crochet option ($340). Snag the famed Nirvana bag when it’s restocked this Saturday and mark your iCal for Nov. 16 at 7:59 a.m. PT/10:59 a.m. ET.

Aupen Nirvana Bag in Rouge

$420 AT AUPEN

Aupen Nirvana Bag in Earth

$420 AT AUPEN

Aupen Nirvana Crochet Bag

$340 AT AUPEN

Aupen Nirvana Bag in Snow

$420 AT AUPEN

This article was sincerely referred from The Hollywood Reporter
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