Launer in the Press

The Queen And The Duke Of Edinburgh in Ankara for a four day state visit to Turkey, the Queen's first visit to Turkey for 37 years.

Here Her Majesty can be seen sporting one of Launer's patent leather handbags.

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New Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his wife Svetlana after Medvedev's inauguration as Russia’s third president in Moscow.

Mrs Svetlana Medvedev is carrying an ivory leather clutch bag by Launer, the royal bag makers.

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From hats to handbags, the Royals buy only the best - and now you can to
Daily Mail, 5th May 2008

The Royal Family is having a fashion moment. Prince Harry was close to the top of GQ's Best Dressed List (just ahead of Clive Owen if you please). Zara Phillips is not only the cover girl of this month's GQ Sport but the new face of Rolex. And the Queen was the inspiration for Dolce & Gabbana's latest collection - models stepped out on to the Milan catwalk with head scarves, sensible handbags and neat twin-sets (right).

"The Royal Warrant people are strict: there is a whole book on what you can and cannot do," says Anthony Stanbury, CEO of country outfitters Swaine Adeney Brigg.
"Both here and overseas it is seen as a mark of quality. We got the Royal Warrant from George III for our umbrellas and have supplied virtually every sovereign for the past 200 years."
It is reviewed every five years. "If you haven't supplied one of the Royal Family who give Royal Warrants - The Queen, Prince Philip and Prince Charles - in that time, you can have it taken from you," says Smythson's CEO Paddy Byng.
"Being a warrant holder underpins our reputation for producing the highest quality."

So what style tips should we take from HM & co? We rounded up some of the best fashion gems from the Royal Warrant Holders Association and gave them our very own 'corgi' rating from one to five to test how royal they are.

Read the full article here.

Japan's Crown Princess Masako with Crown Prince Naruhito and their daughter Princess Aiko.

The Crown Princess is another longstanding fan of Launer products.

Britain's Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, and his new bride, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, link arms as they leave the Guildhall in Windsor, England, after their civil wedding ceremony, April 9, 2005. The Duchess is seen here carrying the Launer Lulu handbag

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Internationally acclaimed and respected British actresses Dame Judi Dench & Dame Maggie Smith are both longstanding custommers of Launer of London.

Milan wowed by Queen's handbag from Walsall
The Daily Telegraph, 19th June 2001

OVER the years, the fashion harpies have not always had kind words for the Queen's taste in clothes.

And few cities pay more attention to what one wears than the Italian fashion capital of Milan, where a formidable array of brand names had turned out to greet the state visitor at a civic reception yesterday. The guest list read like a Vogue index - Prada, Krizia, Fendi, Missoni, Ferre and others. But if this presented something of a challenge to the Queen and her dresser, Angela Kelly, there was little cause for concern.
The shower of superlatives which followed would have made the vainest supermodel blush. And capping it all was a handbag from Walsall. "She is so perfect in the clothes she wears," declared Gianfranco Ferre as he studied the royal ensemble for this occasion - a silver-blue dress and jacket by Karl Rehse at John Anderson, a matching straw hat by Philip Somerville and a Launer bag.

"She's wearing a beautiful colour. I like the mix of wool and cashmere and the straw of the hat," Mr Ferre purred. "Her bag is a perfect style, well-built, not casual, very high quality."
Miuccia Prada of that ilk said that she had not even looked at what the Queen was wearing. "She is, simply, one of the most elegant women in the world." And were the Queen ever to look beyond the Launer factory in Walsall, she would have no shortage of offers.
"She has such a personal style," said Carla Fendi, high priestess of handbags. "I would love to prepare a very special bag only for her." Italy's love of handbags rivals its passion for fast cars and the Queen's model has been a source of extraordinary fascination throughout this state visit. "The Mystery Is Solved!" declared yesterday's front page of Il Messagero which had deployed a crack reporting team to find out what lurks inside the royal borsetta. The shocking truth: lipstick.

Tuesday's la Repubblica also carried a front page piece entitled "Ode to the Queen's handbag". "There it is. That disturbing object, firmly attached to her left forearm," the article began. "The secret of her regality is in that little royal but so ordinary accessory." Few are aware that this national icon actually hails from the West Midlands. To the fashion mantra of New York, London, Paris and Milan should now be added Walsall.

Read the full article here.

Old English company teaches hosts a thing or two about goat
The Daily Telegraph, 19th June 2001

AFTER being served goat for dinner with the Italian prime minister, it was the Queen's turn to impress the Italians with a beautiful piece of kid, fashioned into a handbag.
Her two "box bag" designs for day in brown and dark navy kid were made especially for the Italian visit by Launer of London, a luxury leathergoods maker which can trace its roots back almost a century. For evening, the Queen has been favouring Launer's signature "barrel" clutch bags. All were made by hand in the company's factory in the humble surrounds of Walsall.

Launer has held royal warrants since the Sixties ... its bags have ... managed to become a quiet cult, with their modern classicism the envy of designers such as Miuccia Prada. Apart from the Queen, other notable Launer-ites include Lady Thatcher, Dame Judi Dench, the Crown Princess of Japan, Princess Margaret and the Countess of Wessex. Diana, Princess of Wales also owned several Launers.

Read the full article here.