Friday 6th June saw me getting up very early and making my way to Kirkstall in Leeds, to meet Faith and Jenna. We were due at the opening of the new Zatchels store in York at 10:30am and Faith had very kindly offered me a lift there; what a star, eh? It was my birthday that day, and luckily for me it was gloriously sunny - perfect for a little jaunt up the A64 to drool over some handmade leather bags. We arrived fashionably late (we got a little lost), but just in time for the main event to begin. The store was being officially opened by the Mayor and Mayoress of York, which was quite impressive for a company that was completely new to the city. Not only that, but they had managed to secure premises on The Shambles; a famous, exclusive shopping street right in the heart of the city centre, boasting a unique character that no one can help but fall in love with. I have to say that it is the perfect home for the new flagship boutique store - they really do fit right in with the more established businesses surrounding them. After the ribbon was cut, co-director Dean Clarke gave a little speech to us all, stood out in the sunshine and drawing quite the crowd! It was clear from that speech that the team had worked really hard to get their new store not only up and running, but being the very best it can be. I'm happy to say that their hard work has paid off!






Soon enough, we were all trooping inside excitedly to see what the store was like. In a word - wow! It was nothing like I had expected, but much, much better than I had hoped. The designer in me (that term is used very loosely), really loved the elegant simplicity of the store; everything from the neutral colour scheme to the dark metals and woods adorning frames and cabinets fitted so well together. The overwhelming impression that I got was that the design of the shop allowed the satchels to steal the limelight and be at the centre of everyone's attention, and it worked really well. There was hundreds of bags on display - Dean told us how many but truthfully I can't remember - but instead of feeling crowded, they were beautifully merchandised and allowed plenty of space for browsing. The store felt modern, yet true to it's traditional origins, with photographs on the walls showing the bags being handmade. Striking the right balance between modern and traditional I'm sure was a very difficult task for the interior designers, but Zatchels have got it just right. Not only that, the store feels welcoming, with a relaxed atmosphere, unlike many other boutique stores that I have visited in the past!





I noticed throughout the event that the store had a very clear and logical layout, in terms of where the bags and other leather items were arranged. At the back of the store was where the more traditionally finished products were displayed, in classic natural colours and styles. I noticed some leather belts, along with some iPad pouches that I was very much interested in - never mind the fact that I don't own an iPad! There were also what appeared to be laptop sleeves, and briefcases for men; it was certainly an area of the store that my boyfriend would have been right at home in. On the till were some keychains of various designs and colours, along with a wonderful little fox statue that I fell in love with, and there was an interesting explanation as to why he was there. You may have noticed from the images above, that they have had a rebranding of sorts; not only has the pictorial logo been changed, but the typeface has had an uplift as well. I have to say that I have never been a fan of their original branding, with the Union Jack; I feel like that it could have been designed better. I'm much more impressed with their new branding, and feel that it represents Zatchels better as a modern company using traditional methods. The logo, if you hadn't already guessed, is actually a fox; a symbol used widely throughout Leicestershire, where Zatchels was born. I love that this new logo ties in with this history of the brand and has been given a modern twist - I hope that they start to implement it across their range in the future to replace the Union Jack.





Around the edge of the store, on each wall at the sides of the shop featured the bulk of their range, and it is an incredibly vast range. Classic colours, soft pastels, metallic printed, you name it - it was there! There is an awful lot to take in, and so much to see; by the time we were done me, Faith and Jenna had picked quite a few favourites. As we walked around the store, we were constantly being blown away by the quality of the bags. The leather was always smooth, the stitching impeccable and they really were perfectly finished in every way. You can tell that they are handmade, by talented craftsmen and women and a labour of love. The variations of bags that are available is also stunning; every size, shape and style is catered for, from tote bags to small barrel bags and of course, the classic satchels in between. Each colour, pattern and print was available in several types of bag and if I was looking to purchase, I would have an incredibly hard time deciding which one to go with! Some particular favourites of mine that caught my eye were the multi-coloured pastel mini satchels; I'm not sure when I would ever wear them, but they were impossibly cute and I couldn't help but try one on for size. They were actually surprisingly roomy!






There were a couple of tables right in the middle of the store, and these appeared to be their more unique items. Satchels in several block colourways, Union Jack prints and metallic leather finishes were just a few of the ones that I remember seeing. They also had some baskets on the floor showing off some of their mini satchels and barrel bags; it sounds like a bit of an odd placement for them but weirdly enough it worked quite well! However, the bags that we made a beeline for were the quilted patent leather satchels - I had never seen them anywhere else before and I don't think anyone else had either! We were talking to Dean a little later on, and he actually explained the process of how these bags were designed and created. The quilting, as it turns out, is actually done by the same people who also do the quilting for some bags from a very high-end brand - I can't tell you the name but we were all extremely impressed when he told us! The trouble was finding someone who could do the effect through such thick leather; such work is usually reserved for thinner, more supple leather. However, find someone they did and the finished piece is truly amazing in real life. If you look closely, you might be able to tell that it is not actually stitched, but made to appear that way; I'd never spotted it until Dean pointed it out! Seeing as I was wearing a quilted tshirt that day, I was sorely tempted to take one home but my bank balance said no... for now.





Our last stop point around the store actually turned out to be my favourite. These are all part of Zatchels newest "Rose Garden" collection, featuring four colour options of pastel pink, yellow, violet and blue and is split into two ranges. First is the "English Rose", with delicate and detailed linear drawings of roses in the above colours on a background of white leather, which you can see on the barrel bags. Second is the "York Rose", created in celebration of this new store and features a bolder black and white rose design set against the coloured leather. Out of the two ranges, the latter was my favourite and I particularly fell in love with the blue tote bag that you can just see peeping out in the above image. I tried it on and it was the perfect size; the handles fitted really well over my shoulder, it was partly lined and even featured a decent sized pocket on the inside. One day, and if the collection is still available, I would love to own one of those bags as it felt like it was made for me! These were displayed at the front of the store, in the window and were drawing quite a lot of attention from passers by. After I'd been dragged away from the tote bags, we had a chat with Dean's wife, Janet and his daughter, Paige, who also work for the company. They were both lovely to talk to, and are also bloggers themselves! It was good to see that in essence, Zatchels is, at least in part, a family run company. We also spoke to Cristie Herbert, director of CiCi PR and her knowledge and passion about the brand was really clear to see. It was a real pleasure to spend some time with her and talk about all things Zatchels, and then some more besides!



After one last trip around the store to take some photos, it was time to head home. As we were saying our goodbyes, Cristie came up to us clutching several Zatchels goody bags and asked us which Zatchels barrel bag we would prefer. To say that we were gobsmacked is the understatement of the century! I chose the classic tan leather, with Jenna opting for the metallic bronze and Faith taking away an adorable black and floral print. As you can see, our goody bag was extremely generous and I want to say a massive thank you to Zatchels and CiCi PR for our lovely items! I was particularly pleased to find a Rituals Happy Buddha Foaming Shower Gel inside the bag, along with several samples of some of their other products as I've been wanting to try the Happy Buddha range for months! There was also some PopChips that were demolished as soon as I took this photo, and a Ciate nail polish in a lovely classic shade. There was also some information about the strawberries that we managed to try on our way out from Sweet Eve, and no word of a lie - they were some of the best strawberries I have ever tasted! There were also some cupcakes from Crumbs Cupcakery that looked delicious, but unfortunately didn't manage to try.

I had a wonderful time seeing the new Zatchels store, and it was a real privilege for me to be there for their official opening. Thank you to Zatchels and CiCi PR for putting on such a lovely event - I'm really pleased that Zatchels have made their way up north and managed to create such a beautiful store to show off their high quality products. I'm sure that I will be back again soon - hopefully with Martin in tow!