April 15, 2025 • 34 mins
What started with plastic grocery bags and Ziplocs sparked a travel accessory empire. Eram Siddiqui turned personal frustration into the polished, fashion-forward brand Hudson+Bleecker—now carried by Nordstrom, Revolve, and QVC. Her journey from sewing with her mom to sourcing manufacturers in China is a testament to grit, adaptability, and style-first problem solving.
Takeaway Points
1. Persistence Meets Purpose: Eram’s story shows how trial, error, and handmade beginnings can lead to premium retail partnerships.
2. Pause to Pivot: Learn how a pandemic-driven business break turned into a breakthrough team expansion and strategic clarity.
3. Form + Function: Discover how Eram balanced trend and utility to build a line that fits the real needs of modern women on the go.
Our Guest, Eram Siddiqui, is the founder of Hudson+Bleecker, a travel accessories brand born from the desire for chic, functional organization. From local Brooklyn markets to national platforms, Eram shares how boutique retail, bootstrapping, and bold choices built her brand. Her story is a blueprint for entrepreneurs ready to create with intention and scale with purpose.
Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.
Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com.
Buy Emily’s Books: “Handbag Designer 101” & “Savvy Suzanna’s Amazing Adventures in Handbags”
Youtube: / Handbagdesigner101-ihda | Instagram:/ Handbagdesigner
TikTok: / Handbagdesigner | Twitter: / Handbagdesigner
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And so that's always been my purpose is like making
women like organized when theytravel and feeling good about it
when you open your luggage andexperiencing that these products
are designed for like myeveryday function.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Hi and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the
podcast, with your host, emilyBlumenthal, handbag industry
expert and the handbag fairygodmother.
Each week, we uncover thestories behind the handbags we
love.
And the handbag fairy godmother.
Each week, we uncover thestories behind the handbags we
love, from the iconic brands andtop designers to the creativity
, craftsmanship and culture thatdefine the handbag world.
Whether you're a designer,collector or simply passionate
(00:36):
about handbags, this is yourfront row seat to it all.
Welcome Aram Siddiqui of HudsonBleecker Handbags to Handbag
Designer 101, the podcast.
Aram, thank you for joining ustoday.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Thank you so much for having me, Emily.
I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
I know you found me, which was cool.
I mean, I think people don'trealize the power of outreach
and I think not enough peopletake advantage of this idea that
you can actually reach out topeople you want to talk to and
maybe you think they won'trespond, but I think nine times
out of 10, they will.
I think that's a bizarre thingthat most people don't even
(01:20):
think about, so it's worthtaking that jump.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
So fun fact.
I've been on your newsletterfor probably like a good 10
years and I read it dailybecause I love it and it's so
informative, so yeah, I'm happyto be here.
Yeah, I'm honored to be herewith you.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Well, you're the target, so this works out even
better.
It's working and I know yourbrand is Hudson Bleecker and
I've had this platform since2007.
And it's been through, you know, iterations like everything.
When I launched HandbagDesigner 101, like, we had a
(01:56):
designer of the day, we had astreet style, we had a bag trend
, we had a celebrity bag watch,we had all this jazz.
So over the span of, I thinklet's see up until 2015, I think
I was still doing a designer ofthe day every single day.
So I have communicated withthousands of designers.
(02:16):
So a lot of times people say,oh, you featured me and I just
said just tell me your name andI'll know who you are.
I have a memory, so I'm gladwe're finally connected.
So you started this brand, muchlike a lot of people with an
idea.
What was that about?
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Gosh.
Okay, so I'm going to turnthings back 20 years.
The year was 2005 and I wasworking in politics and
traveling a lot and I didn'thave accessories, like I didn't
have bags to pack or organize.
I love being organized andeverything kind of lived in
(02:54):
Ziploc bags and my shoes livedin plastic grocery bags and I
was like, wait a second, I don'tlike traveling like this.
It doesn't feel elevated, itdoesn't make me feel happy, like
are there products out therefor me?
So, as a consumer, I was lookingin the marketplace for what I
ended up creating and designingand I started out sewing my own
(03:18):
bags.
And so Did you know how to sew?
No, my mom taught me and it wasreally for my own use.
I was like mom, I need a shoebag, I need a really cute makeup
bag and I don't like what's outthere and I don't want to run
to CVS and buy a one-time use,you know, like disposable
product.
So, yeah, my mom and I it wasso fun We'd go to Joann Fabrics
(03:39):
buy fabric, and every time I wasin California I'm born and
raised in California my mom andI would stay up late at night
and she'd teach me how to sew,like how to do trim and how to
do lining, and that's really howthe idea started.
And I started making bags shoebags for friends and family, and
(03:59):
like I would get their likealumni or their college printer
from Joanna Fabrics.
And they were like, oh you know, can we get some for gifts?
And I was like no, guys, Idon't have time for that, like
I'm working full time.
You were still heavily dayjobbing.
I was heavily nine to five dayjobbing in politics in DC and it
was just like a side fun thing,Right.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
And I ask what the material these shoe bags, makeup
bags were made out of, and howdid your mom know how to sew?
Speaker 1 (04:27):
So okay, so they were made out of cotton and there
there was fuse.
Like I was able to purchasefuse and like make them durable,
I used to actually Scotchgardthem so that they wouldn't, you
know, get scuffed up.
And then I bought trim, I think, from like just local markets
(04:47):
at the time.
I'd go to Michael's right and Iran because that's all that was
available.
And my mom, my mom and my aunt,so growing up, so I'm Indian,
like my ethnic background, Igrew up my first generation and
when we were kids, my mom and myaunts used to sew all of our
clothes, like all of our partydresses.
(05:09):
It was like I still have themfor my own daughter.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Did you at that age love them, appreciate them or
were embarrassed by them?
Because it's usually one of thethree, so it's a little bit of
actually liked and embarrassed,right.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
But now that I'm an adult, oh my gosh, there's
nothing better than passingthose on to my children, isn't
that wild?
It is this deep love where I amlike, okay, they grew out of
these clothes that I bought fromwhatever store and let's donate
them, but I will never, everdonate those clothes that I wore
as a child and I pass down tomy daughter predominantly
(06:06):
negative or derogatory for womento be doing, whether it was
cooking, whether it was sewing,whether it was making.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
All had this perceived.
Ugh.
You know this diminishes whoyou are as a woman and your role
and what you know.
We've worked so hard to goagainst that.
And now, because of the creatoreconomy, watch me cook, watch
me make, watch me sew.
Here's my backstory.
Be inspired by me.
So I think the optics of wherewe are on the spectrum of what
(06:29):
this means is night and day,like now.
If my mom was making my clothes, I'd be like my mom made this.
Look at that.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
That might not be the same for everybody, but it
would be for me, as opposed to,it probably wouldn't have been
like my mom made my Halloweencostume and it was a bunny and I
was mortified because everyonehad these really cool costumes
and my mom physically sewed abunny like my Halloween bag was
a carrot and I was soembarrassed and I couldn't.
(06:59):
I felt so guilty.
I didn't ever want her to knowthat, Right.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
No, it's so.
You know what growing up, itwas also resources and like the
lack of having access toresources.
So my parents, because theywere immigrants, like they
really kept on the tradition ofour culture and it was like,
look, we can't get clothes,Indian clothes but we we know
how to sew them, because that'swhat they learned, Right.
(07:23):
And so, yeah, these clotheshave been passed on.
I mean, I grew up in a familywith a lot of girls and we all
have daughters.
Most of us, I think, have atleast one daughter and it's so
fun to see our kids re-rearingthose right.
Like it's absolutely delightful, and to know that it can be
passed on to another cousin,it's really special.
(07:45):
Like I'm so grateful for that.
I can't even tell you, yeah,I'm sure now you're like
yearning for that bunny costume.
You're like, where is thatthing?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Right, my God, it's definitely something, and you
know, like someone once told me,that you end up repeating who
your parents are or what they doin some shape or form.
No matter how far you want totry and get away from it, it
ends up being something you doin one way or another.
So you know, maybe this conceptof you needing to preserve your
(08:15):
shoes may have had an impact onwhat you were doing, to create
something, saying I need to,because I know everybody else.
Growing up, we always took careof things so they'd last longer
.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Right, no, exactly, it was, yeah, this concept of
like you really appreciated whatyou had and, like in my 20s,
pre-kids, I mean, I had a reallysolid shoe collection, like
those three and a half inchheels that I would not part with
.
And so I, yeah, it was likelook, I want to preserve them, I
want to enjoy wearing them, Iwant to enjoy traveling with
(08:48):
them.
And that's really how itstarted.
It wasn't really a businessactually in 2005.
It wasn't until I moved to NewYork in 2009 and moved to New
York.
I left politics On purpose.
Well, yeah, so my husband gotinto business school in New York
and he had been living here andI was in DC, and so here we
(09:08):
were.
We're like, you know, we're inNew York for a couple of years
until he finishes businessschool and then we'll see where
we're off to.
So it was purposeful I had toleave my job, right, but I knew
that I'd bounce back on my feetin New York.
There's so much opportunity.
And it was also a time in mycareer where I was like look, I
think I'm done with politics andI think I'm more, I'd be more
useful in nonprofit.
(09:29):
And so I actually did join anonprofit in New York, like
working on affordable housing,and that was like my nine to
five.
But my husband was never home,he was in business school and he
was, like you know, he was theone who really, like, pushed me
towards the idea of taking thiscreative side that I've always
had and saying, hey, why don'tyou see what happens?
(09:52):
Like start a business?
And so, going back, I've alwaysbeen creative, like when I was
16 years old, I used to makehandmade invitations for
everyone, like all, if there wasa graduation, a baby shower,
like they would come to me.
I would print them out onvellum.
Do those you know?
Do you remember those likeearly 2000 cards where you put a
(10:13):
little bow and there'ssomething glittery behind?
Oh my God vellum.
Vellum, that's vintage.
You take out the card and youget like some stars that fall
out.
That was me.
I was the girl in town who madethose invitations and I was in
high school at the time.
So I've always had thisentrepreneurial spirit, but I
always was like, nope, that'snot what I went to school for.
(10:35):
It was kind of I'm like I wentto school for public policy and
international studies, but thatcreative side has always been in
me since a very young age.
So he was like you have nothingto lose, like go for it, right.
So I literally would go to Mood,I'd go to B&J, I would go to
M&J.
(10:56):
I mean, I hit up all of 7th and8th Avenue like just ideating,
right and in the beginning.
So the year was like by thetime I launched it was, I think,
2011.
And I used to sew all of mybags in Brooklyn.
Get them sewed.
There was this market that youprobably remember in Soho.
(11:16):
It was called the YoungDesigners Market, and who didn't
go there?
I shopped there.
It was my favorite place tohang out on the weekends.
So it was on Spring and Mulberryright yeah, that little street
across from the park, yes, andit was in this like church,
gymnasium, yep, and they hadthis pop-up and it was this
(11:37):
place to be on the weekends,right.
And so I started setting up abooth there every Saturday for a
year I would show up with mywork, like my product and my
shoe bags, my little pouches, mydop kits, everything sewn in
Brooklyn, and it was anopportunity for me to like
(11:58):
market research.
It was market research, it wasmy focus group.
It was my focus group to likespeak to either potential
customers or get feedback on,like why this wasn't a product
for them or something they wereinterested in.
And at the time, right, thereweren't women's travel
accessories.
Even as a consumer, I couldn'tfind them.
So it's interesting Like therewere days where I'd make some
sales.
There were consumer, I couldn'tfind them.
So it was interesting Likethere were days where I'd make
(12:19):
some sales.
There were days where Iwouldn't, and then there's days
where I would just wipe out,right.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
How did price point tie into all of this?
Because this kind of product isyou're trying to sell it on
them that it's a need, butrealistically it's a want.
So, and especially at suchsmall quantities, I'm sure it
wasn't cheap for you to makethem and, being business minded
to some degree, you're like Ihave to make a profit.
So doing these shows show youthat maybe they were too
(12:49):
expensive, maybe they weren'texpensive enough, maybe I need
to lower my price point.
So, and the tricky thing that alot of people don't know once
you do this quote unquote betatesting is OK.
I've had some sales.
I've realized I have to lowermy prices.
And then the same person whobought your bag two months ago
comes back and they're like hey,it's $50 cheaper.
What's that about, did you?
Speaker 1 (13:12):
go through that evolution.
I did go through that evolutionbecause so I never worked in
retail, I never worked in design, I never worked in design, I
never worked in fashion, so Iwas learning on the job I'm
still learning on the job right,who isn't?
And we're evolving and it's amuch faster pace now, but it was
certainly okay.
You hit like two really crucialpoints of developing a brand
(13:34):
right, a sustainable brand, andit was price and scale, and
producing in New York wasn'tscalable, and I found that out
very quickly, and so I actuallymoved production overseas in
2012 and that was the start,truly, of the brand.
(13:55):
The brand launched in Januaryof 2013.
Did I say it?
Yeah, 2012.
And then I started productionand setting up our operations
overseas, and then it launchedin January 2013 from the Westin
Hotel in Grand Central.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
How did you find your production overseas?
I went there, I went overseas,I went to China, like I,
thankfully, just like, hey, Igot this and then just packed up
and went on a plane, or did youactually know where you were
going?
Speaker 1 (14:26):
I knew where I was going broadly, but I had never
been to China.
It was overwhelming andderisive right.
Because I was like walking intothe unknown, I didn't know what
to expect, but I did havefriends.
I had friends who lived in Asia, particularly in Hong Kong, who
really helped me navigate theprocess.
And you know, I come from anentrepreneurial background.
(14:49):
My parents are entrepreneursand they had experience working
in China and so they were reallyhelpful in making introductions
to people working in China, andso they were really helpful in
making introductions to peoplebut it wasn't people in my line
of work so I kind of had to, youknow, navigate around.
But I, yeah, I looked at 12factories over the course of
(15:14):
like eight days all around Chinaand by the last day I was like,
okay, I think this is a factorI want to go through.
You know, we went through likepossible relationship, like what
your capabilities are, accesspoints, like flying in from New
York, and yeah, it was a reallyinteresting time.
You know how people say, likewhen you get the knots in your
(15:34):
stomach, like you're ontosomething, but it's really
fearful.
That's how I felt about thatexperience.
But once I got into it I waslike, oh my gosh, I've been
living under a rock.
There was no way that I coulddo this domestically at a price
that's attainable, right To yourpoint.
And so Hurricane Sandy hadhappened.
(15:55):
We had to move out of ourapartment.
You asked me where I used tolive, where Hudson and Bleeker
came from, and unfortunately ourhome was damaged during Sandy.
So we moved into the WestinHotel and I launched.
I remember calling like thesalesperson.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
So this was 2000, in October, December 2013.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
It was October 2012 that Sandy happened, Right
Because it was.
Halloween.
It was, yes, yeah, october 29th,and we ended up like having to
move out of our apartment evenbefore Sandy, like we were in
the evacuation zone, and then wenever went back.
And so we were lucky.
We were one of the lucky oneswho were provided housing
through FEMA, wow.
(16:37):
And so they put us up through.
We moved around a lot of hotels, but during market January
market I was staying at theWestern Grand Central, using
their business center to makeeverything happen, my God,
pulling all-nighters, and Iremember I launched my first
market I think it was Coterie,if I'm not mistaken.
Oh, wow, february, yeah, earlyFebruary.
(16:58):
Yeah, I think it was Coterie, ifI'm not, mistaken.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Oh wow, yeah, early February, yeah, wow.
If you ever wanted to start ahandbag brand and didn't know
where to start, this is for you.
If you had dreams of becoming ahandbag designer but aren't
trained in design, this is foryou.
If you have a handbag brand andneed strategy and direction,
this is for you.
I'm Emily Blumenthal, handbagdesigner expert and handbag
(17:21):
fairy godmother, and this is theHandbag Designer 101
Masterclass.
Over the next 10 classes, Iwill break down everything you
need to know to make,manufacture and market a handbag
brand.
Broken down to ensure that youwill not only skip steps in the
handbag building process, butalso to save money to avoid the
learning curve of costlymistakes.
(17:43):
For the past 20 years, I've beenteaching at the top fashion
universities in New York City,wrote the Handbag Designer Bible
, founded the Handbag Awards andcreated the only Handbag
Designer Podcast.
I'm going to show you like Ihave countless brands to create
in this in-depth course, fromsketch to sample to sale.
Whether you're just startingout and don't even know where to
(18:03):
start or begin, or if you had abrand and need some strategic
direction, the Handbag Designer101 Masterclass is just for you.
So let's get started and you'llbe the creator of the next it
Bag.
Join me, emily Blumenthal, inthe Handbag Designer 101
Masterclass.
Back, join me, emily Blumenthal,in the Handbag Designer 101
Masterclass.
(18:23):
So be sure to sign up atemilyblumenthalcom slash
masterclass and type in the codePODCAST to get 10% off your
masterclass today.
Trade shows are definitely aninteresting point because, in
terms of what the impact is,what they mean, what they matter
, I think there's an interestingevolution of needing to do
(18:46):
trade shows and then wonderingif you should continue doing
them.
Shows about how difficult it isfor independent designers to go
through, because there is aproper booth which can run you
up to 10, 12,000 by 10, oryou'll get a table, the emerging
(19:10):
market table, which is probablyaround five, but you overcreate
merch to fill up the space andreally there's only five bags of
your assortment are really theones that sell that people want
to buy, right?
So I've said to them it's that80-20 rule right, that you
learned over time 80 percent,yeah, 20 percent, but you still
(19:30):
don't have this 20 percent ofyour customer to try and protect
and foster and grow, but it'sreally tough.
And foster and grow, but it'sreally tough.
And I think there's this hugelearning curve to try and really
make success out of a tradeshow, to really allow you to
make that jump.
How is your experience?
Challenging, scary.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
And scary and a huge financial risk.
Right when you're very early tomarket, you're still navigating
.
You're still gosh, you don'tknow what you're doing.
Right, when you're very earlyto market, you're still
navigating, you're still gosh,you don't know what you're doing
.
Right, you're just showing up.
It was definitely, yeah, veryscary financially.
It was hard, but it was almostat that time.
(20:11):
You know it was necessary.
It was necessary and I also hada showroom.
I started with a showroom.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
Oh my God, so many expenses Right.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
And you're also.
I learned very quickly that.
So what my objective was, or mydesign aesthetic was, didn't
align with the showroom.
So showrooms typically aregoing to be trend driven.
Right, they want to see trend,they want to see that, but
(21:01):
that's not what sells becausethere's a delay between trend on
the runways and by the timeit's filtered to the market.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
But I think that's more accelerated in today's
world.
For that opportunity and thatlearning, because it really
brought me back to my point ofview.
I learned that just becausesomeone in the showroom said
make purple bags because someonewants that for a magazine cover
.
And you learn after the fact,after you produce you know a
short run in purple bags thatpurple doesn't sell.
And you're like I don't knowwhy I listened to them when I
(21:29):
knew I shouldn't be.
And you have to go through thatevolution of knowing of when
you're supposed to trust yourgut and if your gut just doesn't
know any better.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
Absolutely, and that that was a turning point for the
brand, when I was like you knowwhat?
I'm going back, I'm trusting mygut, and that's when things
changed and that's when ourproduct design started changing
functionally, aesthetically,Like Hudson and Bleeker has.
My goal with Hudson and Bleekeris three things it's
multitasking for travel qualityright.
(22:01):
I never want to compromise onquality and function.
And fashion.
For, like the modern woman,right, and I say the modern
woman because we I I don't knowif I'm speaking for you- I can't
.
It's very hard for me to travelin a carry-on and if it happens,
right, it's for an overnight ora weekend trip.
(22:21):
But listen, I travel with mymakeup.
I travel with my skincare, myhair products.
I travel with jewelry.
More often than not, I havethree pairs of shoes in my
luggage, right, and I've learnedhow to pack in a carry-on.
But I think that, like we'renot women are one size fits all
in a dock kit like men, and sothat's always been.
My purpose is like making womenlike organized when they travel
(22:46):
and feeling good about it whenyou open your luggage and
experiencing that these productsare designed for like my
everyday function, that theseproducts are designed for like
my everyday function.
So it was like you know youdidn't.
From a buying perspective, didwe fall under like the beauty
category?
Do we fall under accessories?
Do we fall into fashion, or so?
That was also an evolutionaryprocess, right?
Like, where does the brand sit?
Speaker 2 (23:07):
And that is another huge challenge that a lot of new
designers, at a principle,don't want to fall.
I'm none of those, I'm all ofthose.
And then you realize you haveto put yourself in a box, you
have to be in a category If youever want anybody to buy you, if
you want anybody to merchandiseyou, because they need to know
where to put you next to andwhat your purpose is.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Right, exactly.
And so, you know, present daythere's obviously a lot more
travel accessories brands ortravel brands, and I think
that's helped our brand.
It's helped our brand from apositioning of like this is no
longer a nice to have to whatyou pointed out earlier, but
like this must have right anddoes it align with my needs and
(23:51):
what I'm looking for when Itravel.
And so, yeah, I mean now, likeyou know, it took.
So, as you know, like Ibootstrapped the brand, like I
was a solo founder and it tookme eight years to like really
hit that stride and become, youknow, launch on QVC, get into
(24:13):
Nordstrom, get into Revolve andbe a player in the marketplace
like a brand truly recognizes abrand.
And I'm so grateful for all ofthe like smaller boutiques that
helped us build the brand overthe years because, to be honest
with you, they have the mostloyal engaged customers in my
(24:35):
opinion.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Well, without them, there's no way you could grow,
and I think I know so manydesigners and creators.
It doesn't really matter whatthe market is.
Don't realize that.
It's a necessity to start withthe boutiques.
That's where you get yourfollowers, that's where you get
your audience.
Those boutique owners are theones who will support you, buy
(24:56):
you, talk about you.
It's your PR, it's yourmarketing.
Without them, there's no way.
Realistically, no retailer willever touch you until you have
traction.
And that stickiness comes from,obviously, having an online
presence, but also getting intothese local boutiques, because
they're the ones who are goingto help push your product.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Absolutely.
And back then, when I firstlaunched, you know, it was
overwhelming to establish adirect-to-consumer business and
it almost didn't exist right andit was cost prohibitive.
It was this realm in which,like, I couldn't comprehend, you
know, and so I focused all myenergy on the boutiques, on the
B2B business, and then, as wegrew, I started seeing that
(25:39):
shift, okay, leveling out rightwhen we're like not 80% in
boutiques.
It started becoming this thingwhere we were pretty saturated
in some boutique markets wherewe're like, hey, you know, we
really need to pull back, we'reon every corner of this town.
And then, yeah, then we startedseeing the growth with the
majors and now, like, the brandis positioned very strongly on
(26:04):
direct-to-consumer and workingwith our retail partners.
And that's where I alwayswanted to be right and I hope
that that growth continues inthat same trajectory, want it to
be right and I hope that thatgrowth continues in that same
trajectory.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
So can you just touch upon how you went from solo to
partner to now you have a realtitle, because anytime I've
spoken to designers or creatorsand they say I'm founder CEO,
I'm like it's just you, youdon't, you know you're president
and no one needs that on abusiness card, because no one's
looking for you to see.
So how did you go frombootstrap to partner?
How did that happen?
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Oh gosh, ok.
So whatever you want to call methe Jill of all trades for 13
years, yeah.
And then the pandemic happened.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
The pandemic happened and I gave birth to my second
child on March 11th of 2020.
So I was in the hospital whenthe world shut down and I came
home and you know, you have allthese plans in place.
You're like I'm going to havechild care at home, like grandma
and grandpa are going to comeand help and my older one's
going to be in school.
And that's really not how lifenetted out.
(27:14):
I was home with two kidsovernight and homeschooling one
and newborn with the other, andyou know, we're all human and I
was like this is all I can takeright now.
Right, this is all I can do.
There were supply chain issues,like I don't know if you
remember, but there was likeblank, blank sale dates where
it's like you can load but wedon't know when we're going to
(27:36):
sell.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
And then, but you've got canceled dates on the other
end and you're like, talking toyour, your retail partners,
you're like we don't know whenwe can deliver.
And then you're like, ok, I'mgoing to get penalties and I'm
going to get chargebacks forthis whole world that I can't
control right now, but I do knowthat I can be present with my
(27:57):
newborn Right and, within theconfines of this home, I can
control that Right and bepresent with my children.
So I really made a choice andmade a choice and said, hey,
like this is a challenging timeand I there's not much I can do
from a supply chain standpoint,also, manufacturing in China,
(28:20):
our suppliers and our factorieswere online and offline without
any Right.
So it was tough.
It was tough, but I hit pause.
I said, all right, I've got tohit pause for my own mental
health and really just focus onwhat's important at hand right
now.
And I hit pause for 18 months.
My kids went back to school.
After 18 months, new York Cityschools were closed.
(28:42):
At that point, my little one,like, went into daycare.
And then I started saying, ok,I'm ready for this, I'm ready, I
feel better.
You know you.
Also, when you hit pause, Ithink that there's this negative
connotation, particularly forwomen and mothers.
But I came out of that pausewith so much clarity, with so
(29:04):
much clarity, like, of what Iwanted in the long term, and I
really put this out in theuniverse.
I was like, all right, I've donethis hustle, I've done this
grind by myself, I've madesacrifices, as all entrepreneurs
that you've probably spoken tonow, yourself included.
Listen, it's a 24 hour, it'snot a job, it's a lifestyle and
(29:27):
you've got to do what you've gotto do.
If it's at 4am, I used to likesometimes do like customs
documents at three in themorning because it's sailing out
of China.
I'm receiving, I'm watching,you know, receiving live unloads
at the warehouse.
I'm doing marketing, I'm doingPR, I'm I have a trainer in
Pennsylvania to go on QVC Likeyou're doing everything.
Yeah, and I was like I can't doeverything because by doing
(29:52):
everything, I'm doing adisservice to, like, the
potential of the brand right,there's so much opportunity and
so much potential, but there'sone person and that's just not
sustainable.
So, yeah, put it out in theuniverse.
I was like I want a partnermoving forward.
I know I need support and Iwant a thought partner.
I want a leader right to comeinto this with me.
(30:13):
And that didn't happen overnight.
It took some time, but I waspretty much set like hey, you
know what we're unpausing once Ifind that partner, once I find
that person, and, as theuniverse would happen, like as
the universe would have it, thatperson found me and reached out
to me, like reached out through, like an old acquaintance
(30:36):
called me after many years andwas like hey, what's going on
with Hudson and Bleeker?
And you know, I filled her inand she's like I might have a
partner for you.
Like let me call him up and see.
And sure enough, like he waslike I want to meet you within
days.
We chatted, we met in person.
And he was like like I want tomeet you within days.
(30:57):
We chatted, we met in personand he was like I'm all in, like
I love the brand, I love theproduct, I have confidence in
you.
And he's like this is anopportunity that I'm interested
in and he comes from like theoperations side.
That's his experience, and so Iwas really grateful and we have
an amazing working relationship.
We're now a team of gosh one,two, three, four, five six, did
(31:20):
he bring money with him?
he did.
He brought money with him andhe brought in a lot of you know
partners on the marketing side.
He brought in partners on thelogistics side and he also has
experience like working in China.
He has other brands that heworks with and so it was a very
(31:40):
natural relationship and I thinkthat we complement each other,
like in terms of where hisstrengths lie and where my
strengths lie.
And I think, above all else,like I was just telling my
husband the other day, there'strust, Right, there's trust.
And you know, I, over the years,had thought about like look, do
(32:01):
I want to raise capital?
Do I want to bring in investors?
Do I want to bring in a VC?
I thought about all of this andmy friends who have raised
money were always like verycautious to like listen, like
whoever you bring in as aninvestor, it's a marriage.
You never want to get divorcedbecause it's an ugly divorce.
And I thought about that and Iwas like I want a strategic
partner more than the money.
(32:22):
I want a strategic thoughtpartner and thankfully, I'm so
glad that I have that truly.
So it doesn't reduce myworkload by any means.
I've anything.
I work a lot more, but it'smore strategic in my role right,
and I'm able to oversee at ahigh level, but I'm also able to
(32:44):
hyper-focus on what I want todo.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
My God, aram, this has been so enlightening.
I'm so grateful for you sharingyour story I think it's really
inspiring.
And to go from where you wereto where you are now, I think
not to be cheesy, it just showsthat it is possible.
But no one should ever discountthe work, the learning curve,
(33:10):
the cost of doing business onyou personally, professionally,
financially, and the value oftaking that break and what that
does.
And maybe, had that nothappened, who knows, maybe this
wouldn't, you wouldn't be whereyou are.
So how can we find you, followyou and get more about you and
(33:30):
your amazing brand?
Speaker 1 (33:31):
Well, thank you, of course.
So you can follow the brand atHudson Bleeker.
So it'sH-U-D-S-O-N-B-L-E-E-C-K-E-R.
I say that because sometimesbleeker can be misspelled.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
Well, if anyone's not from New York, it's like
someone who visits and saysHouston Street and you're like,
no, no, it's Houston.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
It's at Hudson Bleeker on TikTok on Instagram.
Yes, it's Houston.
It's at Hudson Bleeker onTikTok on Instagram, facebook,
youtube, the works.
And then you can find me onInstagram at Aram Siddiqui.
And, of course, you can visitHudson and Bleeker dot com.
So, yeah, and I'm always happyif there's other, if there's
entrepreneurs and people who arestarting their new brands like
creators who are starting brands, if they ever want to reach out
(34:13):
, I'm happy to like, like, givethat back.
I have a wonderful mentor who'sguided me and I love doing that
for others.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
Amazing Aram.
Thank you so much.
Thank you, thanks for listening.
Don't forget to rate and review, and follow us on every single
platform at Handbag Designer.
Thanks so much.
See you next time.
And so that's always been my purpose is like making
women like organized when theytravel and feeling good about it
when you open your luggage andexperiencing that these products
are designed for like myeveryday function.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Hi and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the
podcast, with your host, emilyBlumenthal, handbag industry
expert and the handbag fairygodmother.
Each week, we uncover thestories behind the handbags we
love.
And the handbag fairy godmother.
Each week, we uncover thestories behind the handbags we
love, from the iconic brands andtop designers to the creativity
, craftsmanship and culture thatdefine the handbag world.
Whether you're a designer,collector or simply passionate
(00:36):
about handbags, this is yourfront row seat to it all.
Welcome Aram Siddiqui of HudsonBleecker Handbags to Handbag
Designer 101, the podcast.
Aram, thank you for joining ustoday.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Thank you so much for having me, Emily.
I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
I know you found me, which was cool.
I mean, I think people don'trealize the power of outreach
and I think not enough peopletake advantage of this idea that
you can actually reach out topeople you want to talk to and
maybe you think they won'trespond, but I think nine times
out of 10, they will.
I think that's a bizarre thingthat most people don't even
(01:20):
think about, so it's worthtaking that jump.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
So fun fact.
I've been on your newsletterfor probably like a good 10
years and I read it dailybecause I love it and it's so
informative, so yeah, I'm happyto be here.
Yeah, I'm honored to be herewith you.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Well, you're the target, so this works out even
better.
It's working and I know yourbrand is Hudson Bleecker and
I've had this platform since2007.
And it's been through, you know, iterations like everything.
When I launched HandbagDesigner 101, like, we had a
(01:56):
designer of the day, we had astreet style, we had a bag trend
, we had a celebrity bag watch,we had all this jazz.
So over the span of, I thinklet's see up until 2015, I think
I was still doing a designer ofthe day every single day.
So I have communicated withthousands of designers.
(02:16):
So a lot of times people say,oh, you featured me and I just
said just tell me your name andI'll know who you are.
I have a memory, so I'm gladwe're finally connected.
So you started this brand, muchlike a lot of people with an
idea.
What was that about?
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Gosh.
Okay, so I'm going to turnthings back 20 years.
The year was 2005 and I wasworking in politics and
traveling a lot and I didn'thave accessories, like I didn't
have bags to pack or organize.
I love being organized andeverything kind of lived in
(02:54):
Ziploc bags and my shoes livedin plastic grocery bags and I
was like, wait a second, I don'tlike traveling like this.
It doesn't feel elevated, itdoesn't make me feel happy, like
are there products out therefor me?
So, as a consumer, I was lookingin the marketplace for what I
ended up creating and designingand I started out sewing my own
(03:18):
bags.
And so Did you know how to sew?
No, my mom taught me and it wasreally for my own use.
I was like mom, I need a shoebag, I need a really cute makeup
bag and I don't like what's outthere and I don't want to run
to CVS and buy a one-time use,you know, like disposable
product.
So, yeah, my mom and I it wasso fun We'd go to Joann Fabrics
(03:39):
buy fabric, and every time I wasin California I'm born and
raised in California my mom andI would stay up late at night
and she'd teach me how to sew,like how to do trim and how to
do lining, and that's really howthe idea started.
And I started making bags shoebags for friends and family, and
(03:59):
like I would get their likealumni or their college printer
from Joanna Fabrics.
And they were like, oh you know, can we get some for gifts?
And I was like no, guys, Idon't have time for that, like
I'm working full time.
You were still heavily dayjobbing.
I was heavily nine to five dayjobbing in politics in DC and it
was just like a side fun thing,Right.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
And I ask what the material these shoe bags, makeup
bags were made out of, and howdid your mom know how to sew?
Speaker 1 (04:27):
So okay, so they were made out of cotton and there
there was fuse.
Like I was able to purchasefuse and like make them durable,
I used to actually Scotchgardthem so that they wouldn't, you
know, get scuffed up.
And then I bought trim, I think, from like just local markets
(04:47):
at the time.
I'd go to Michael's right and Iran because that's all that was
available.
And my mom, my mom and my aunt,so growing up, so I'm Indian,
like my ethnic background, Igrew up my first generation and
when we were kids, my mom and myaunts used to sew all of our
clothes, like all of our partydresses.
(05:09):
It was like I still have themfor my own daughter.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Did you at that age love them, appreciate them or
were embarrassed by them?
Because it's usually one of thethree, so it's a little bit of
actually liked and embarrassed,right.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
But now that I'm an adult, oh my gosh, there's
nothing better than passingthose on to my children, isn't
that wild?
It is this deep love where I amlike, okay, they grew out of
these clothes that I bought fromwhatever store and let's donate
them, but I will never, everdonate those clothes that I wore
as a child and I pass down tomy daughter predominantly
(06:06):
negative or derogatory for womento be doing, whether it was
cooking, whether it was sewing,whether it was making.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
All had this perceived.
Ugh.
You know this diminishes whoyou are as a woman and your role
and what you know.
We've worked so hard to goagainst that.
And now, because of the creatoreconomy, watch me cook, watch
me make, watch me sew.
Here's my backstory.
Be inspired by me.
So I think the optics of wherewe are on the spectrum of what
(06:29):
this means is night and day,like now.
If my mom was making my clothes, I'd be like my mom made this.
Look at that.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
That might not be the same for everybody, but it
would be for me, as opposed to,it probably wouldn't have been
like my mom made my Halloweencostume and it was a bunny and I
was mortified because everyonehad these really cool costumes
and my mom physically sewed abunny like my Halloween bag was
a carrot and I was soembarrassed and I couldn't.
(06:59):
I felt so guilty.
I didn't ever want her to knowthat, Right.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
No, it's so.
You know what growing up, itwas also resources and like the
lack of having access toresources.
So my parents, because theywere immigrants, like they
really kept on the tradition ofour culture and it was like,
look, we can't get clothes,Indian clothes but we we know
how to sew them, because that'swhat they learned, Right.
(07:23):
And so, yeah, these clotheshave been passed on.
I mean, I grew up in a familywith a lot of girls and we all
have daughters.
Most of us, I think, have atleast one daughter and it's so
fun to see our kids re-rearingthose right.
Like it's absolutely delightful, and to know that it can be
passed on to another cousin,it's really special.
(07:45):
Like I'm so grateful for that.
I can't even tell you, yeah,I'm sure now you're like
yearning for that bunny costume.
You're like, where is thatthing?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Right, my God, it's definitely something, and you
know, like someone once told me,that you end up repeating who
your parents are or what they doin some shape or form.
No matter how far you want totry and get away from it, it
ends up being something you doin one way or another.
So you know, maybe this conceptof you needing to preserve your
(08:15):
shoes may have had an impact onwhat you were doing, to create
something, saying I need to,because I know everybody else.
Growing up, we always took careof things so they'd last longer
.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Right, no, exactly, it was, yeah, this concept of
like you really appreciated whatyou had and, like in my 20s,
pre-kids, I mean, I had a reallysolid shoe collection, like
those three and a half inchheels that I would not part with
.
And so I, yeah, it was likelook, I want to preserve them, I
want to enjoy wearing them, Iwant to enjoy traveling with
(08:48):
them.
And that's really how itstarted.
It wasn't really a businessactually in 2005.
It wasn't until I moved to NewYork in 2009 and moved to New
York.
I left politics On purpose.
Well, yeah, so my husband gotinto business school in New York
and he had been living here andI was in DC, and so here we
(09:08):
were.
We're like, you know, we're inNew York for a couple of years
until he finishes businessschool and then we'll see where
we're off to.
So it was purposeful I had toleave my job, right, but I knew
that I'd bounce back on my feetin New York.
There's so much opportunity.
And it was also a time in mycareer where I was like look, I
think I'm done with politics andI think I'm more, I'd be more
useful in nonprofit.
(09:29):
And so I actually did join anonprofit in New York, like
working on affordable housing,and that was like my nine to
five.
But my husband was never home,he was in business school and he
was, like you know, he was theone who really, like, pushed me
towards the idea of taking thiscreative side that I've always
had and saying, hey, why don'tyou see what happens?
(09:52):
Like start a business?
And so, going back, I've alwaysbeen creative, like when I was
16 years old, I used to makehandmade invitations for
everyone, like all, if there wasa graduation, a baby shower,
like they would come to me.
I would print them out onvellum.
Do those you know?
Do you remember those likeearly 2000 cards where you put a
(10:13):
little bow and there'ssomething glittery behind?
Oh my God vellum.
Vellum, that's vintage.
You take out the card and youget like some stars that fall
out.
That was me.
I was the girl in town who madethose invitations and I was in
high school at the time.
So I've always had thisentrepreneurial spirit, but I
always was like, nope, that'snot what I went to school for.
(10:35):
It was kind of I'm like I wentto school for public policy and
international studies, but thatcreative side has always been in
me since a very young age.
So he was like you have nothingto lose, like go for it, right.
So I literally would go to Mood,I'd go to B&J, I would go to
M&J.
(10:56):
I mean, I hit up all of 7th and8th Avenue like just ideating,
right and in the beginning.
So the year was like by thetime I launched it was, I think,
2011.
And I used to sew all of mybags in Brooklyn.
Get them sewed.
There was this market that youprobably remember in Soho.
(11:16):
It was called the YoungDesigners Market, and who didn't
go there?
I shopped there.
It was my favorite place tohang out on the weekends.
So it was on Spring and Mulberryright yeah, that little street
across from the park, yes, andit was in this like church,
gymnasium, yep, and they hadthis pop-up and it was this
(11:37):
place to be on the weekends,right.
And so I started setting up abooth there every Saturday for a
year I would show up with mywork, like my product and my
shoe bags, my little pouches, mydop kits, everything sewn in
Brooklyn, and it was anopportunity for me to like
(11:58):
market research.
It was market research, it wasmy focus group.
It was my focus group to likespeak to either potential
customers or get feedback on,like why this wasn't a product
for them or something they wereinterested in.
And at the time, right, thereweren't women's travel
accessories.
Even as a consumer, I couldn'tfind them.
So it's interesting Like therewere days where I'd make some
sales.
There were consumer, I couldn'tfind them.
So it was interesting Likethere were days where I'd make
(12:19):
some sales.
There were days where Iwouldn't, and then there's days
where I would just wipe out,right.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
How did price point tie into all of this?
Because this kind of product isyou're trying to sell it on
them that it's a need, butrealistically it's a want.
So, and especially at suchsmall quantities, I'm sure it
wasn't cheap for you to makethem and, being business minded
to some degree, you're like Ihave to make a profit.
So doing these shows show youthat maybe they were too
(12:49):
expensive, maybe they weren'texpensive enough, maybe I need
to lower my price point.
So, and the tricky thing that alot of people don't know once
you do this quote unquote betatesting is OK.
I've had some sales.
I've realized I have to lowermy prices.
And then the same person whobought your bag two months ago
comes back and they're like hey,it's $50 cheaper.
What's that about, did you?
Speaker 1 (13:12):
go through that evolution.
I did go through that evolutionbecause so I never worked in
retail, I never worked in design, I never worked in design, I
never worked in fashion, so Iwas learning on the job I'm
still learning on the job right,who isn't?
And we're evolving and it's amuch faster pace now, but it was
certainly okay.
You hit like two really crucialpoints of developing a brand
(13:34):
right, a sustainable brand, andit was price and scale, and
producing in New York wasn'tscalable, and I found that out
very quickly, and so I actuallymoved production overseas in
2012 and that was the start,truly, of the brand.
(13:55):
The brand launched in Januaryof 2013.
Did I say it?
Yeah, 2012.
And then I started productionand setting up our operations
overseas, and then it launchedin January 2013 from the Westin
Hotel in Grand Central.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
How did you find your production overseas?
I went there, I went overseas,I went to China, like I,
thankfully, just like, hey, Igot this and then just packed up
and went on a plane, or did youactually know where you were
going?
Speaker 1 (14:26):
I knew where I was going broadly, but I had never
been to China.
It was overwhelming andderisive right.
Because I was like walking intothe unknown, I didn't know what
to expect, but I did havefriends.
I had friends who lived in Asia, particularly in Hong Kong, who
really helped me navigate theprocess.
And you know, I come from anentrepreneurial background.
(14:49):
My parents are entrepreneursand they had experience working
in China and so they were reallyhelpful in making introductions
to people working in China, andso they were really helpful in
making introductions to peoplebut it wasn't people in my line
of work so I kind of had to, youknow, navigate around.
But I, yeah, I looked at 12factories over the course of
(15:14):
like eight days all around Chinaand by the last day I was like,
okay, I think this is a factorI want to go through.
You know, we went through likepossible relationship, like what
your capabilities are, accesspoints, like flying in from New
York, and yeah, it was a reallyinteresting time.
You know how people say, likewhen you get the knots in your
(15:34):
stomach, like you're ontosomething, but it's really
fearful.
That's how I felt about thatexperience.
But once I got into it I waslike, oh my gosh, I've been
living under a rock.
There was no way that I coulddo this domestically at a price
that's attainable, right To yourpoint.
And so Hurricane Sandy hadhappened.
(15:55):
We had to move out of ourapartment.
You asked me where I used tolive, where Hudson and Bleeker
came from, and unfortunately ourhome was damaged during Sandy.
So we moved into the WestinHotel and I launched.
I remember calling like thesalesperson.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
So this was 2000, in October, December 2013.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
It was October 2012 that Sandy happened, Right
Because it was.
Halloween.
It was, yes, yeah, october 29th,and we ended up like having to
move out of our apartment evenbefore Sandy, like we were in
the evacuation zone, and then wenever went back.
And so we were lucky.
We were one of the lucky oneswho were provided housing
through FEMA, wow.
(16:37):
And so they put us up through.
We moved around a lot of hotels, but during market January
market I was staying at theWestern Grand Central, using
their business center to makeeverything happen, my God,
pulling all-nighters, and Iremember I launched my first
market I think it was Coterie,if I'm not mistaken.
Oh, wow, february, yeah, earlyFebruary.
(16:58):
Yeah, I think it was Coterie, ifI'm not, mistaken.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Oh wow, yeah, early February, yeah, wow.
If you ever wanted to start ahandbag brand and didn't know
where to start, this is for you.
If you had dreams of becoming ahandbag designer but aren't
trained in design, this is foryou.
If you have a handbag brand andneed strategy and direction,
this is for you.
I'm Emily Blumenthal, handbagdesigner expert and handbag
(17:21):
fairy godmother, and this is theHandbag Designer 101
Masterclass.
Over the next 10 classes, Iwill break down everything you
need to know to make,manufacture and market a handbag
brand.
Broken down to ensure that youwill not only skip steps in the
handbag building process, butalso to save money to avoid the
learning curve of costlymistakes.
(17:43):
For the past 20 years, I've beenteaching at the top fashion
universities in New York City,wrote the Handbag Designer Bible
, founded the Handbag Awards andcreated the only Handbag
Designer Podcast.
I'm going to show you like Ihave countless brands to create
in this in-depth course, fromsketch to sample to sale.
Whether you're just startingout and don't even know where to
(18:03):
start or begin, or if you had abrand and need some strategic
direction, the Handbag Designer101 Masterclass is just for you.
So let's get started and you'llbe the creator of the next it
Bag.
Join me, emily Blumenthal, inthe Handbag Designer 101
Masterclass.
Back, join me, emily Blumenthal,in the Handbag Designer 101
Masterclass.
(18:23):
So be sure to sign up atemilyblumenthalcom slash
masterclass and type in the codePODCAST to get 10% off your
masterclass today.
Trade shows are definitely aninteresting point because, in
terms of what the impact is,what they mean, what they matter
, I think there's an interestingevolution of needing to do
(18:46):
trade shows and then wonderingif you should continue doing
them.
Shows about how difficult it isfor independent designers to go
through, because there is aproper booth which can run you
up to 10, 12,000 by 10, oryou'll get a table, the emerging
(19:10):
market table, which is probablyaround five, but you overcreate
merch to fill up the space andreally there's only five bags of
your assortment are really theones that sell that people want
to buy, right?
So I've said to them it's that80-20 rule right, that you
learned over time 80 percent,yeah, 20 percent, but you still
(19:30):
don't have this 20 percent ofyour customer to try and protect
and foster and grow, but it'sreally tough.
And foster and grow, but it'sreally tough.
And I think there's this hugelearning curve to try and really
make success out of a tradeshow, to really allow you to
make that jump.
How is your experience?
Challenging, scary.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
And scary and a huge financial risk.
Right when you're very early tomarket, you're still navigating
.
You're still gosh, you don'tknow what you're doing.
Right, when you're very earlyto market, you're still
navigating, you're still gosh,you don't know what you're doing
.
Right, you're just showing up.
It was definitely, yeah, veryscary financially.
It was hard, but it was almostat that time.
(20:11):
You know it was necessary.
It was necessary and I also hada showroom.
I started with a showroom.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
Oh my God, so many expenses Right.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
And you're also.
I learned very quickly that.
So what my objective was, or mydesign aesthetic was, didn't
align with the showroom.
So showrooms typically aregoing to be trend driven.
Right, they want to see trend,they want to see that, but
(21:01):
that's not what sells becausethere's a delay between trend on
the runways and by the timeit's filtered to the market.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
But I think that's more accelerated in today's
world.
For that opportunity and thatlearning, because it really
brought me back to my point ofview.
I learned that just becausesomeone in the showroom said
make purple bags because someonewants that for a magazine cover
.
And you learn after the fact,after you produce you know a
short run in purple bags thatpurple doesn't sell.
And you're like I don't knowwhy I listened to them when I
(21:29):
knew I shouldn't be.
And you have to go through thatevolution of knowing of when
you're supposed to trust yourgut and if your gut just doesn't
know any better.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
Absolutely, and that that was a turning point for the
brand, when I was like you knowwhat?
I'm going back, I'm trusting mygut, and that's when things
changed and that's when ourproduct design started changing
functionally, aesthetically,Like Hudson and Bleeker has.
My goal with Hudson and Bleekeris three things it's
multitasking for travel qualityright.
(22:01):
I never want to compromise onquality and function.
And fashion.
For, like the modern woman,right, and I say the modern
woman because we I I don't knowif I'm speaking for you- I can't
.
It's very hard for me to travelin a carry-on and if it happens,
right, it's for an overnight ora weekend trip.
(22:21):
But listen, I travel with mymakeup.
I travel with my skincare, myhair products.
I travel with jewelry.
More often than not, I havethree pairs of shoes in my
luggage, right, and I've learnedhow to pack in a carry-on.
But I think that, like we'renot women are one size fits all
in a dock kit like men, and sothat's always been.
My purpose is like making womenlike organized when they travel
(22:46):
and feeling good about it whenyou open your luggage and
experiencing that these productsare designed for like my
everyday function, that theseproducts are designed for like
my everyday function.
So it was like you know youdidn't.
From a buying perspective, didwe fall under like the beauty
category?
Do we fall under accessories?
Do we fall into fashion, or so?
That was also an evolutionaryprocess, right?
Like, where does the brand sit?
Speaker 2 (23:07):
And that is another huge challenge that a lot of new
designers, at a principle,don't want to fall.
I'm none of those, I'm all ofthose.
And then you realize you haveto put yourself in a box, you
have to be in a category If youever want anybody to buy you, if
you want anybody to merchandiseyou, because they need to know
where to put you next to andwhat your purpose is.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Right, exactly.
And so, you know, present daythere's obviously a lot more
travel accessories brands ortravel brands, and I think
that's helped our brand.
It's helped our brand from apositioning of like this is no
longer a nice to have to whatyou pointed out earlier, but
like this must have right anddoes it align with my needs and
(23:51):
what I'm looking for when Itravel.
And so, yeah, I mean now, likeyou know, it took.
So, as you know, like Ibootstrapped the brand, like I
was a solo founder and it tookme eight years to like really
hit that stride and become, youknow, launch on QVC, get into
(24:13):
Nordstrom, get into Revolve andbe a player in the marketplace
like a brand truly recognizes abrand.
And I'm so grateful for all ofthe like smaller boutiques that
helped us build the brand overthe years because, to be honest
with you, they have the mostloyal engaged customers in my
(24:35):
opinion.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Well, without them, there's no way you could grow,
and I think I know so manydesigners and creators.
It doesn't really matter whatthe market is.
Don't realize that.
It's a necessity to start withthe boutiques.
That's where you get yourfollowers, that's where you get
your audience.
Those boutique owners are theones who will support you, buy
(24:56):
you, talk about you.
It's your PR, it's yourmarketing.
Without them, there's no way.
Realistically, no retailer willever touch you until you have
traction.
And that stickiness comes from,obviously, having an online
presence, but also getting intothese local boutiques, because
they're the ones who are goingto help push your product.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Absolutely.
And back then, when I firstlaunched, you know, it was
overwhelming to establish adirect-to-consumer business and
it almost didn't exist right andit was cost prohibitive.
It was this realm in which,like, I couldn't comprehend, you
know, and so I focused all myenergy on the boutiques, on the
B2B business, and then, as wegrew, I started seeing that
(25:39):
shift, okay, leveling out rightwhen we're like not 80% in
boutiques.
It started becoming this thingwhere we were pretty saturated
in some boutique markets wherewe're like, hey, you know, we
really need to pull back, we'reon every corner of this town.
And then, yeah, then we startedseeing the growth with the
majors and now, like, the brandis positioned very strongly on
(26:04):
direct-to-consumer and workingwith our retail partners.
And that's where I alwayswanted to be right and I hope
that that growth continues inthat same trajectory, want it to
be right and I hope that thatgrowth continues in that same
trajectory.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
So can you just touch upon how you went from solo to
partner to now you have a realtitle, because anytime I've
spoken to designers or creatorsand they say I'm founder CEO,
I'm like it's just you, youdon't, you know you're president
and no one needs that on abusiness card, because no one's
looking for you to see.
So how did you go frombootstrap to partner?
How did that happen?
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Oh gosh, ok.
So whatever you want to call methe Jill of all trades for 13
years, yeah.
And then the pandemic happened.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
The pandemic happened and I gave birth to my second
child on March 11th of 2020.
So I was in the hospital whenthe world shut down and I came
home and you know, you have allthese plans in place.
You're like I'm going to havechild care at home, like grandma
and grandpa are going to comeand help and my older one's
going to be in school.
And that's really not how lifenetted out.
(27:14):
I was home with two kidsovernight and homeschooling one
and newborn with the other, andyou know, we're all human and I
was like this is all I can takeright now.
Right, this is all I can do.
There were supply chain issues,like I don't know if you
remember, but there was likeblank, blank sale dates where
it's like you can load but wedon't know when we're going to
(27:36):
sell.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
And then, but you've got canceled dates on the other
end and you're like, talking toyour, your retail partners,
you're like we don't know whenwe can deliver.
And then you're like, ok, I'mgoing to get penalties and I'm
going to get chargebacks forthis whole world that I can't
control right now, but I do knowthat I can be present with my
(27:57):
newborn Right and, within theconfines of this home, I can
control that Right and bepresent with my children.
So I really made a choice andmade a choice and said, hey,
like this is a challenging timeand I there's not much I can do
from a supply chain standpoint,also, manufacturing in China,
(28:20):
our suppliers and our factorieswere online and offline without
any Right.
So it was tough.
It was tough, but I hit pause.
I said, all right, I've got tohit pause for my own mental
health and really just focus onwhat's important at hand right
now.
And I hit pause for 18 months.
My kids went back to school.
After 18 months, new York Cityschools were closed.
(28:42):
At that point, my little one,like, went into daycare.
And then I started saying, ok,I'm ready for this, I'm ready, I
feel better.
You know you.
Also, when you hit pause, Ithink that there's this negative
connotation, particularly forwomen and mothers.
But I came out of that pausewith so much clarity, with so
(29:04):
much clarity, like, of what Iwanted in the long term, and I
really put this out in theuniverse.
I was like, all right, I've donethis hustle, I've done this
grind by myself, I've madesacrifices, as all entrepreneurs
that you've probably spoken tonow, yourself included.
Listen, it's a 24 hour, it'snot a job, it's a lifestyle and
(29:27):
you've got to do what you've gotto do.
If it's at 4am, I used to likesometimes do like customs
documents at three in themorning because it's sailing out
of China.
I'm receiving, I'm watching,you know, receiving live unloads
at the warehouse.
I'm doing marketing, I'm doingPR, I'm I have a trainer in
Pennsylvania to go on QVC Likeyou're doing everything.
Yeah, and I was like I can't doeverything because by doing
(29:52):
everything, I'm doing adisservice to, like, the
potential of the brand right,there's so much opportunity and
so much potential, but there'sone person and that's just not
sustainable.
So, yeah, put it out in theuniverse.
I was like I want a partnermoving forward.
I know I need support and Iwant a thought partner.
I want a leader right to comeinto this with me.
(30:13):
And that didn't happen overnight.
It took some time, but I waspretty much set like hey, you
know what we're unpausing once Ifind that partner, once I find
that person, and, as theuniverse would happen, like as
the universe would have it, thatperson found me and reached out
to me, like reached out through, like an old acquaintance
(30:36):
called me after many years andwas like hey, what's going on
with Hudson and Bleeker?
And you know, I filled her inand she's like I might have a
partner for you.
Like let me call him up and see.
And sure enough, like he waslike I want to meet you within
days.
We chatted, we met in person.
And he was like like I want tomeet you within days.
(30:57):
We chatted, we met in personand he was like I'm all in, like
I love the brand, I love theproduct, I have confidence in
you.
And he's like this is anopportunity that I'm interested
in and he comes from like theoperations side.
That's his experience, and so Iwas really grateful and we have
an amazing working relationship.
We're now a team of gosh one,two, three, four, five six, did
(31:20):
he bring money with him?
he did.
He brought money with him andhe brought in a lot of you know
partners on the marketing side.
He brought in partners on thelogistics side and he also has
experience like working in China.
He has other brands that heworks with and so it was a very
(31:40):
natural relationship and I thinkthat we complement each other,
like in terms of where hisstrengths lie and where my
strengths lie.
And I think, above all else,like I was just telling my
husband the other day, there'strust, Right, there's trust.
And you know, I, over the years,had thought about like look, do
(32:01):
I want to raise capital?
Do I want to bring in investors?
Do I want to bring in a VC?
I thought about all of this andmy friends who have raised
money were always like verycautious to like listen, like
whoever you bring in as aninvestor, it's a marriage.
You never want to get divorcedbecause it's an ugly divorce.
And I thought about that and Iwas like I want a strategic
partner more than the money.
(32:22):
I want a strategic thoughtpartner and thankfully, I'm so
glad that I have that truly.
So it doesn't reduce myworkload by any means.
I've anything.
I work a lot more, but it'smore strategic in my role right,
and I'm able to oversee at ahigh level, but I'm also able to
(32:44):
hyper-focus on what I want todo.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
My God, aram, this has been so enlightening.
I'm so grateful for you sharingyour story I think it's really
inspiring.
And to go from where you wereto where you are now, I think
not to be cheesy, it just showsthat it is possible.
But no one should ever discountthe work, the learning curve,
(33:10):
the cost of doing business onyou personally, professionally,
financially, and the value oftaking that break and what that
does.
And maybe, had that nothappened, who knows, maybe this
wouldn't, you wouldn't be whereyou are.
So how can we find you, followyou and get more about you and
(33:30):
your amazing brand?
Speaker 1 (33:31):
Well, thank you, of course.
So you can follow the brand atHudson Bleeker.
So it'sH-U-D-S-O-N-B-L-E-E-C-K-E-R.
I say that because sometimesbleeker can be misspelled.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
Well, if anyone's not from New York, it's like
someone who visits and saysHouston Street and you're like,
no, no, it's Houston.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
It's at Hudson Bleeker on TikTok on Instagram.
Yes, it's Houston.
It's at Hudson Bleeker onTikTok on Instagram, facebook,
youtube, the works.
And then you can find me onInstagram at Aram Siddiqui.
And, of course, you can visitHudson and Bleeker dot com.
So, yeah, and I'm always happyif there's other, if there's
entrepreneurs and people who arestarting their new brands like
creators who are starting brands, if they ever want to reach out
(34:13):
, I'm happy to like, like, givethat back.
I have a wonderful mentor who'sguided me and I love doing that
for others.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
Amazing Aram.
Thank you so much.
Thank you, thanks for listening.
Don't forget to rate and review, and follow us on every single
platform at Handbag Designer.
Thanks so much.
See you next time.
Popular Podcasts
Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club
Welcome to Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club — the podcast where great stories, bold women, and irresistible conversations collide! Hosted by award-winning journalist Danielle Robay, each week new episodes balance thoughtful literary insight with the fervor of buzzy book trends, pop culture and more. Bookmarked brings together celebrities, tastemakers, influencers and authors from Reese's Book Club and beyond to share stories that transcend the page. Pull up a chair. You’re not just listening — you’re part of the conversation.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com