Grandala is the result of passion, hard work and a little bit of fate – a nice potion we think! Back in 2005 when we met, I was still training as lawyer, but all it took was 2 weeks of travelling to entice me into the entrepreneurial world…. The entrepreneur bit remained Gerard’s forte, whereas it reignited my passion for design. So as our romance blossomed, so did a business. The tongue and cheek
name of Blondie Mania was born… me, the ‘Blondie’ (my nickname from Gerard), Gerard, the slightly crazy one (in my mind, and a women is always right!), so the ‘Mania’. The concept was to build a brand of luxury leather accessories, bridging the gap between the high street and the luxury market, creating leather bags that offer practicality with an edge. The focus has always been on the leather, it has to feel good, and that’s exactly what they do. The decadent touch of each piece exudes quality and then the hand stitched quirky detailing and our eclectic array of colours, provide the ‘icing on the cake’. We have never wanted to create anything way out there, but have always wanted to have a unique edge, something that sets us apart and allows women of all ages to express their own personality and individuality. As the brand grew and evolved we listened increasingly to the comments of customers that our ‘tongue and cheek’ name of Blondie Mania, didn’t quite fit with the luxurious product we were creating. So years down the line, we decided we had to listen and change it…. Cue Grandala (a very pretty, blue bird, we discovered on our travels and fell in love with). Changing a brand name is no easy task, but the saying ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ is too true. We haven’t run away into the sunset, although sometimes, it would be nice! Gerard and I are still here with the same passion as the day we started, just a few years older, not necessarily wiser! I think that puts us up to date in a Blondie style convoluted way (so Gerard would say). Grandala fuses everything that Blondie Mania represented, high quality, buttery soft leathers, classic designs, with a quirky edge. We have just grown up a bit and evolved, so you can now find other accessories with a difference, such as our range of shoes and jewellery and much more… so take a peek
Life’s to short to stand still, so lets keep moving.
