When Mireia Llusia-Lindh launched handbag label DeMellier in 2010, she wasn’t trying to disrupt luxury so much as rebalance it. The former consultant and Harvard Business School graduate saw an industry where price and value were drifting apart, so set out to build a handbag brand rooted in accessibility. Fifteen years on, that positioning is resonating with a new generation of discerning luxury shoppers. DeMellier is scaling fast, building serious sales momentum ahead of opening its first flagship in London’s Sloane Square later this year.
DeMellier sales grew over 60% last year, and the brand is targeting around 50% growth in 2026, though it declined to share revenues. The bags — seen on Catherine, Princess of Wales, Emily Ratajkowski, Selena Gomez, Beyoncé, and more — retail from £265 for a basket bag and £395 for a mini shoulder bag, to £525 for a leather tote bag and £625 for a croc-effect tote.
The best-selling New York bag has been part of DeMellier’s collection for around five years.Photo: Courtesy of DeMellier
“Today’s customer is very savvy,” says DeMellier founder and director Llusia-Lindh at the brand’s studio in Hammersmith, West London. “New luxury, to me, is about values and integrity, and that also extends to pricing.”
Its momentum reflects a broader shift in the market. As top luxury brands raise prices and remove entry-level offerings, accessible luxury brands like DeMellier are grabbing market share. According to research from management consultancy Bain & Company, the accessible luxury segment outperformed the wider luxury market in 2025, with 50% of brands in this category growing, compared to 35% of ultra-luxury brands (the likes of Loro Piana and Hermès) and 25% of classic luxury labels (such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci).
Vogue commerce director Naomi Smart, who leads Vogue Shopping at British Vogue, says DeMellier is one of the platform’s “new growth brands”. “We’ve noticed an uptick in popularity,” she says. “DeMellier’s sleeker designs with cleaner silhouettes are ideal for professional life, and combined with that sweet-spot price point, I think has led to conversion.”
The DeMellier customer ranges from 18 to 65 years old, but its core client is a woman aged 35 to 55, who is educated, well-traveled and drawn to niche brands rather than logos. Some are luxury clients trading down from the £3,000-plus price points of major houses; others are aspirational shoppers saving for their first investment piece, Llusia-Lindh says. Roughly three-quarters of sales are split across the UK, the US and Europe, with the Middle East growing “very fast” as well as early traction in Japan and South Korea.
Building without the luxury playbook
Llusia-Lindh has a background in business strategy rather than design. Raised in Spain, the founder moved to London to join consultancy Bain & Company before completing an MBA at Harvard Business School and launching DeMellier in 2010. “[As a consultant] I saw the industry from the outside, and felt there were a lot of compromises and shortcuts. I felt the bags were overpriced for the quality, and there was a monopoly in terms of who had access to the industry,” she says.