Determined to move her bullied daughter to a private school, Julie Deane wrote a list of ten ways to make money and pay for tuition fees. After discovering an old photograph of herself wearing a leather satchel as a little girl, she decided she would recreate a collection of them in the comfort of her own kitchen.
The web is what you make of it
After googling various ideas of how to get the satchels into the public eye, Julie sent every satchel she had made to fashion bloggers across the UK. The Cambridge Satchel Company is now an internationally recognised brand, admired by celebrities and featured in prestigious magazines such as Vogue, Elle and Glamour.
The power of the fashion blogger
The Cambridge Satchel Company clearly demonstrates the power of the fashion blogger. In an interview with Danika Daly for PR Couture, Julie Deane said: “The bloggers were instrumental. They were the one big thing. You get a mention in a magazine now and again, but the bloggers were always there. They were always supporting the brand.
“They developed such a relationship with the brand that they helped me with everything from choosing new colours to what we could do with competitors. It brings the website to a trendy market instead of just school children, so I didn’t get pegged in that hole.
“It’s a tangible show of the power that the bloggers have. They all got behind something, and they made a real difference. It’s wrong to sideline them because they are so influential, important and approachable.”
THE ONLINE JOURNALISM REVOLUTION 