True to its name, the Le Febour Everything Bag is 鈥渄esigned to hold everything.鈥
With its triangular base and spacious, slouchy body secured by an O-ring clasp, it scratches the itch of a hobo style. But its signature feature is the extended flat strap embellished with silver grommets and leather lacing, a dramatic touch that sets it apart.
This distinctive silhouette has attracted a loyal fan base of fashion lovers who can鈥檛 wait to get their hands on the latest drop 鈥 on the first of every month, in limited quantities that always sell out.
Handmade in Ontario from local designer Hannah Lefebour, this is a bona fide Canadian It bag.
Canadian designer Hannah Lefebour (right) with a model wearing an Everything Bag. Photo: Lefebour
Montreal writer Nic Marna learned about Le Febour in a roundup of , and was drawn to the 鈥渧aguely Olsen-twins-in-the-early-2000s鈥 Everything Bag 02 in butter yellow.
鈥淧art of the appeal for me was getting in on the ground floor of a designer I think could go the distance; there鈥檚 something really special about this brand,鈥 Marna said. 鈥淭he bag strikes the perfect balance of slouch and structure, and it has an adjustable strap to keep things interesting. It gets me at least three 鈥極h my god I love your bag鈥 per wear, which is an incredible ratio.鈥
Sharla Farrell, founder of Easy Consulting Studio in Vancouver, set five reminders on her phone for the next Everything Bag drop, to make sure she didn鈥檛 miss out. What sealed the deal: The fact that it was Canadian-made, woman-owned and not mass-produced.
鈥淚 love how versatile the shape is. I鈥檝e never seen anything like it,鈥 Farrell said. 鈥淚 have many black bags so I was skeptical about getting another one. I considered the butter yellow, but I knew the black on black would have longevity for me. And it has! It has ended up being my preferred bag of choice lately.鈥
styling an all-Canadian brand fit on so-called Canada Day. proud of myself that in just a few months I鈥檝e taken intentional steps to build up and support Canadian brands in my wardrobe. can鈥檛 wait to keep working on it. shoes: @Maguire Shoes skirt: @Hijulez top: @ateliertulpe bag: @Le.febour necklace (worn as anklet): @oneirodesigns glasses: @kitseyecare
The idea for the Everything Bag came to Lefebour the way most of her accessory and clothing designs do 鈥 as an image that lived rent-free in her mind until it eventually took shape as a quick, messy sketch. Next up, a prototype, or early version of the item.
鈥淥nce I have my finished prototype, I confer with my sewers in 色色啦 and Chatham and get their opinion from a larger production-scale point of view,鈥 Lefebour said. This usually results in some tweaks being made to the final design.
The bag now comes in multiple colours and different materials. A $215 option features a body made from upholstery-grade vinyl with a genuine leather strap that鈥檚 available in black, dark brown or ruggine, a rusty brown hue. A taupe suede bag is $350, while the $415 version is crafted from Italian leather.
鈥淥riginally, I was only going to do leather materials for the bags, but I also wanted to reach an audience that couldn鈥檛 necessarily spend $415 on a bag,鈥 said Lefebour. 鈥淭he accessory industry, specifically with bags, pushes the idea that high quality means spending your entire paycheque, which is completely unrealistic to ask of someone.鈥
But the price point isn鈥檛 the only appeal of the Everything Bag. It鈥檚 easy to style from day to night, thanks to its minimalist design, and Lefebour points out that 鈥渢here鈥檚 a lot of room to customize it to fit people鈥檚 individual style, through the lacing and key-chain add-ons.鈥
That鈥檚 why the bag has made its way onto the wish lists of plenty of influencers and fashion TikTokers sharing their seasonal must-haves. 鈥淚t did feel like a natural progression as more people got it and posted about it,鈥 Lefebour said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 pay for any influencer content or work, only genuine gifting, which I feel has created very authentic reviews of the bags.鈥
Lefebour has heard moving stories from wearers. 鈥淥ne customer bought the bag as a gift to herself for being one year sober,鈥 she said. Others have bought it as a present for someone else. 鈥淏eing able to have that trust from people means the world.鈥
The Lefebour Everything Bag 06 in taupe suede, $350 (restocked on the first of every month), .
As the founder of an emerging brand, Lefebour admits fulfilment of orders can be a challenge. But she has a small village of people who help keep the brand running. 鈥淚鈥檓 so thankful for my sewers in Chatham and 色色啦, and for my mom, who handles all the shipping and handwrites every single label and card,鈥 she said. 鈥淣one of this would be possible without them.鈥
The brand is named for Hannah鈥檚 grandmother Connie Lefebour, known as 鈥淣ana,鈥 a first-generation immigrant from Bombay who arrived in Canada with her husband and children, and little more than a talent for tailoring and altering clothing. She turned her remarkable skill set into a livelihood, and this craft, passed down through generations, forms the foundation and inspiration of her granddaughter鈥檚 business.
鈥淪he heavily influences everything I do, in and outside of work,鈥 said Lefebour. 鈥淚 always thought sewing and knitting was the boring craft when I was younger because of the patience it required, but she taught me to value the act of creating over getting to the final product.鈥
After struggling to find a creative job that challenged her creatively while respecting work-life balance, Lefebour decided to launch her clothing and accessories company the same year she graduated from George Brown College鈥檚 fashion techniques and design program.
Through trial and error, it was the Everything Bag that kicked off the brand鈥檚 popularity. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 say I was surprised because I believed in the design so much, but I was definitely taken aback by how many people have connected with it,鈥 Lefebour said. 鈥淚 always dreamed of reaching even half as many people through my designs as the bag has so far. It鈥檒l always feel like an out-of-body experience.鈥
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