The Bando
The Bando is back. I (Nora B.) am sitting down with Clare to get the scoop on the iconic Clare V. bag's journey over the years.
03/11/2025 - Clare’s Office at Clare V. HQ in Frogtown, L.A.
Nora B: When did the Bando first launch?
Clare: Hmm, I was still working out of my house at the time so it must’ve been 2010. I made the first sample at my house out of muslin—and then took it to our factory here in L.A. to be made in leather.
NB: What was the inspiration behind it?
Clare: China Chow came to my home office because she wanted a bag like this with no hardware so we designed it together specifically for her. I loved the result so I ended up adding it to my collection.
NB: What colors & material was it originally launched with?
Clare: For China, the Bando was black leather, no embellishments. When I launched it in my line, I thought it need a little something so I added a grosgrain tassel on the outside (pictured above in the first image). Eventually though, I dropped the tassel and thought sleek, no adornment was better.
NB: Do you remember the first design? Does it differ at all from the Bando we know today?
Clare: Yes! It’s the exact same four panel pattern as the first one. The only difference is that now we have the woven leather variations which necessitated a few small changes in design.
NB: What was the fashion landscape at the time and how did the Bando fit in?
Clare: I remember that it was around the time that bags with a lot of decorative exterior hardware—like the Balenciaga Le City Bag—were very popular. However, my bags were very simple, clean, and made here in Los Angeles, so I had to create interesting designs using beautiful materials but keep them simple because of production costs.
NB: Did it take a lot of samples or trials to get it right?
Clare: No, it was pretty quick!
NB: Were there any challenges, harder decisions, or sacrifices you had to make when designing and producing the Bando?
Clare: Hmm, no. I made it with the first factory I ever started working with here in Los Angeles and that factory was a great education for me because I was able to just go and hang out there and really learn a lot—it was really an education in bag construction. The owner of the factory would always let me work out the patterns with her there so I think we did that together for this one. There was nothing that we had to change as the orders increased.
NB: Did anything about its journey from idea to production to being in the wild surprise you?
Clare: One thing that has surprised me is how good it looks as an older bag. One of my friends has been carrying the plain black leather Bando for around 15 years and it looks so good—it just takes age so well. That really solidified my affection for the bag. And then, how cool it looked when we did it in silver. A big giant silver pouch. I had a friend who wore it in the summertime with tan skin and shorts—really casual—but then carried this large, pouchy silver leather bag, and it just looked so cool.
NB: Why no silver this time?
Clare: I’m sure we’ll do silver again at some point. We just haven’t done it again yet…
NB: Does the Bando have personal significance to you?
Clare: Yes! Designing it with China Chow was significant and it was exciting to be working on a special order bag for her. And then, I was just really excited about how it turned out. I’ve always thought it was a cool bag. It’s timeless and chic. There’s never been a time I’ve felt like it’s been out of style.
NB: What inspired you to bring it back now?
Clare: After having the company for 16 years, I’ve designed so many bags that when we start thinking of something new—whether it’s desired because of a feeling or sentiment out there in the fashion world or zeitgeist—it can feel like we’ve kind of already done something like it. So we look back in our archives and say, ‘Well, this is kind of like this bag—this feels really relevant right now,’ so we bring it back. Sometimes it’s exactly the same, like the Bando, and sometimes we tweak it a little bit—maybe longer handles or slightly different proportions.
NB: How does the Bando fit into the current fashion/bag landscape?
Clare: I can’t remember if there was a trend for hardwareless bags at the time of the original launch, but there is now. Right now, there’s kind of this sentiment that anything goes—while I talk about this trend for hardwareless bags, at the same time, people are loving bags with tons of fobs and different things hanging off them. There’s a ‘more is more’ approach and then there’s this minimalist aesthetic as well. There’s something special about this time in fashion—it feels like anything goes. I’m not sure if I have felt that before.
NB: I wonder why that is right now… what are your thoughts?
Clare: Maybe because of social media—Instagram and TikTok . Trends move so quickly now that it almost makes it feel like there is no trend. I think most people are into carrying what makes them feel good and what makes them feel like they’re expressing what they want to express.
NB: I also do like the piece about minimalism + the accessorization of bags, but it’s not necessarily hardware, it’s what you’re adding to it. How would you accessorize the Bando?
Clare: The Bando is super cute when you tie a bandana around it, or I could see someone adding one of our shoulder straps—just clipping it to itself as a little bag necklace. That would be super cute!
NB: How would you describe the Bando’s personality?
Clare: She’s confident and completely self-assured, but very easy going at the same time. She loves to cook and leave the city in the summertime. I just picture a really nice bucolic summer zone—getting away from it all.
NB: If there had to be a well-known person or character in film/TV that you see wearing this bag, who would it be?
Clare: Hmm, who’s someone with a really great boho chic aesthetic… let me think… Zadie Smith! She would look so cool with a Bando.
NB: What’s in your Bando right now?
Clare: Let’s see—the flat clutch, a baseball hat, sunnies & readers, these pumpkin seeds, my book, our ‘Iconique’ bandana, AirPods, a sheet mask, and my Clare V. makeup bag.
NB: Is there anything surprising you’ve ever carried in your Bando?
Clare: Not that I can think of… But I have seen a woman with her little dog in her Bando.
NB: Which Bando has been your favorite?
Clare: The classic black leather or the silver leather I think. But… I’m also really loving the black and cream woven checker right now.
Bring back the silver! Bring back to silver! 🩶
Wow. I’ve never stopped my scroll for a slouchy bag, but I love the story behind it and have a whole new set of eyes for this one 👀🩷