English text by Angela Feng
Pictures courtesy of Senreve
In 2016, Coral Chung and Wendy Wen revolutionized the luxury handbag industry with the launch of their brand, Senreve. Unlike traditional luxury brands that typically target the leisurely gentlewoman of a bygone era, Senreve handbags are designed precisely for the modern career woman. Functional, versatile, yet still exceedingly elegant, Senreve has become an emblem of the globetrotting female professional.
The Senreve Maestra convertible bag is available in three sizes, three leather finishes, and nearly 20 colors.
Among Senreve’s loyal clientele is former Snapchat and Instagram executive Emily White, NYX founder Toni Ko, Charlotte Russe’s CEO Jenny Ming, and actress Priyanka Chopra. Through harmonizing dichotomies—tradition with modernity, beauty with performance, and modern innovation with old-world craftsmanship—Senreve has captivated professional women.
Senreve started as an online-only and direct-to-consumer brand; however, as the brand’s popularity surged, more consumers began demanding to see the products in person first. Nordstrom reached out, and soon Senreve bags could be found at stores in Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Vancouver. This year, Senreve also launched with Neiman Marcus at its pioneering Hudson Yards, New York location, as well as with the iconic Fred Segal in Los Angeles.
The Senreve Maestra convertible bag is available in three sizes, three leather finishes, and nearly 20 colors.
The process of creating a new product is a combination of “art meets science.” Coral works very closely with the Senreve team in Italy to bring her visions and inspirations to life. “The company is very technology-enabled, meaning that we use a lot of data in the entire product development process,” she says. This involves extensive interviews and surveys of hundreds of women, as well as feedback from Senreve’s ever-increasing customer base.
Belt bags have arisen as a major trend in recent years, and Senreve was prompt to respond to customer demand by coming out with not only one, but two different styles—the Aria and Coda. While these chic bags make great trend pieces, they remain—true to Senreve’s nature—classic and easily convertible.
The Senreve Coda Belt Bag comes with a leather strap to maximize wearability in many different combinations: Try it as a belt bag, a sling bag, a crossbody, and a clutch.
Both the Aria and Coda can be worn four different ways: as a belt bag, a sling, a crossbody, and a clutch. Fling it over your shoulder and wear it with jeans and a blouse to brunch, or take off the strap and use it as a clutch on a night out—this versatility is part of the essence of all Senreve products.
Senreve handbags are handcrafted out of genuine Italian leather; however, the brand is currently developing a vegan line, which it hopes to launch by the end of the year. The products will use polyurethane and have a bamboo backing, giving them the same supple texture and luxurious construction as Senreve’s regular handbags. Both sourcing and craftsmanship will take place in Italy as usual. “We don’t want to sacrifice the look and feel, but we want to constantly push the edge and find innovative new materials,” Coral says.
Over the past two years, Senreve’s rapid growth has exceeded Coral’s expectations. While the experience has been exciting and rewarding, she feels in equal parts cautious. “One thing I constantly think about is, how do we keep the brand authentic, and continue to communicate our story and stick to our values,” she explains.
The Midi Maestra is a medium-sized version of the Senreve Maestra Bag. It is the perfect size to hold an iPad or Surface Pro. Like its big sister the Maestra, the Midi has eight interior compartments, including an iPad sleeve, and can be worn as a satchel, tote, crossbody, or backpack.
In an effort to maintain the brand’s authenticity, Coral has been committed to keeping the company culture tight-knit and robust, even as the Senreve team expanded from its initial six to now over twenty-five members. She believes that culture translates into the brand and products, and subsequently, is perceived by their audience.
“The difference between us and big traditional luxury brands is that with them, there’s not that storytelling anymore,” Coral says. “They’re just a big commercial entity. Whereas, there’s a reason we created this company—it’s really to empower women and complement their modern, busy lifestyles. So we need to constantly focus on who we’re serving and what we’re doing.”
On May 6, Coral Chung was in attendance at the 2019 Met Gala celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Her look was complete with a stunning Senreve Bracelet Pouch from their Red Carpet Collection.
