I, myself, have carried a Vera Bradley for nearly two decades…and it’s not a stretch that I’ve gifted or owned 100 pieces in my lifetime. Even my family before me has carried it far longer.
As a minimalist, I have still always had a Vera Bradley staple among my wardrobe or travel bag.
It was a classic staple to have a duffel bag or a travel item with their darling cotton prints. You could always tell the wannabes vs. the real deal. The crisp, sweet signature style tag that was on every zipper. It used to mean something to have a Vera Bradley.
It was a legacy item.
In all honesty, some of their pieces were probably heirlooms that could be passed from generation to generation.
Now, it’s a joke.
Their recent new brand change as of July 2024 (that has supposedly been studied by marketing experts and trendsetters) have completely botched the idea of what Vera Bradley was founded upon.
It was classic.
It was timeless.
It was charming and darling.
It was sweet.
It was a signature piece.
These experts started smearing the brand ten years (give or take) when the outlet created less than quality items than those that had originally been designed.
Then they started getting hideous patterns that matched no one’s desire. Focus was too much on fast fashion and trends instead of sticking with the basics.
Now, they’ve hired a celebrity ambassador to try and keep this brand afloat.
In my honest opinion, if Vera Bradley doesn’t pull in the reigns– this brand will diffuse within the next decade or file bankruptcy.
I’d fire the person who was in charge of trying to reboot. What a failure.
Steering so far away from the very foundations that made the company have a name among the quality brands in the first place.
No one goes to Vera Bradley, except to have an original Vera Bradley.
According to CEO Jackie Ardrey,
“We conducted a really comprehensive analysis of the business looking at sales data, customer demographics, and competitors, as well as looking at kind of macro-economic trends,” she said. “And it really resulted in this conscious pivot to reposition and refresh the line to ensure long-term health of the brand for years to come.”
She went on to explain her opinion that just makes one’s head shake.
“It is unmistakably Vera Bradley but just with a new, modern aesthetic that just feels fresh,” said CEO Jackie Ardrey. “But the brand is still there. A lot of times, people make the mistake of, during a rebrand, trying to become something else, and that’s not what we’ve done here. This is still Vera Bradley.”
They kept the duffel style.
Congratulations.
That was the one similarity; but if they were really going for a classic—wouldn’t you consider bringing back the nostalgia that launched the original company?
The patterns are okay. Not grab worthy, but not hideous…anymore (so, I’ll give them credit for that).
Did they take time to research the market of those bringing back what they loved in their childhood to the next? The very study of nostalgia blooms on the happy hormonal release when something from the past is brought up in the present moment.
They are trying too hard to look like other brands—appealing to a market they were never designed to enter. If I wanted a leather bag, I’d buy it from an ethical and fair-trade company first, or if it needed to be a tier above with scale– Marc Jacobs.
The designers in the leather market have had years to establish their branding.
Trades of Hope (DSC and Fair-Trade company) supports women in business and those in places who specifically grow women in the workplace in other nations ethically.
There are instances where other businesses have broken into markets that they were not expected to succeed —but fashion is nearly impossible. Tech is a constant change; but fashion—fashion isn’t as revolutionary. You can only make clothes and accessories in so many ways.
The Netflix, Apple, and Blockbuster saga has been a great learning lesson to many.
But this isn’t the movies or a tech advancement.
This is fashion and textiles trying to launch in a market that is now more concerned about fair wages, environmental impact, nostalgia, and quality.
People still want the original Vera Bradley.
I think the consumer will allow their wallets to speak over time.
They should have stayed in their lane.
They took away the signature label.
They took away the signature design and zippers.
They took away the quality of the material.
They tried to pretend to be something that they were not.
I am telling you—this is going to blow up in their faces.
And I do not dare ask the cost of the mistake.
I question the life of the company at this point.
If no improvements manifest, Vera Bradley will be in the grave like some of our most beloved favorite Ben and Jerry ice cream favorites.
At least they can keep each other company.
I’d vouch for Vera Bradley up until mid 2010s… but after that, it’s fashion house has slowly fallen downhill.
Simply Blooming Grace 