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Designer Spotlight: Nell Kim, Kate Spade New York

The first Kate Spade New York bag Nell Kim fell in love with was a 3D clutch in the shape of a car—it was unexpected, perfectly crafted, and just made her smile. Now a designer at Kate Spade New York, Kim works with her team to bring unimaginable pieces to life, creating functional, joyful handbags that continue the brand's rich history of novelty designs.

This summer brings us Hoppkins: Italian leather molded in the shape of a frog and printed with a bold gingham print, this little guy is the perfect accent piece for a special event or unexpected pop for the everyday.

Can you describe the design process for the Hoppkins bag?

Novelty is an important brand code at the heart of Kate Spade New York. When we started on concepts for the Summer 2021 collection, we were drawn to a wicker frog handbag from a past season that we all loved. So we decided to reimagine it—this time in both wicker and leather, with an updated shape. We worked with gingham across product categories for Summer. It’s an important print for the season, so we thought it would be fun to do Hoppkins in a colorful gingham print instead of just solid color. Brainstorming and research take the longest when working on novelty bags, but things became easier once we solidified the overall idea. Finally, with the help of my team and cross-functional partners, Hoppkins came to life!

Where did you pull inspiration from when designing this bag?

We took a lot of inspiration from actual images of frogs and all the different frog species but also looked into vintage products that had showcased frog decorations of all kinds. Between those, we were able to form the design.

What were some of the tactical things you wanted to achieve when the team was dreaming up this frog?

It was important that the Hoppkins bag be fun and stylish but also fully functional. We wanted to make it realistic, but not too realistic— there’s a fine line between bold and cartoon-ish. We also focused on making sure it was big enough to carry everyday essentials, like your phone, wallet, lip balm, etc.

What elements of the frog did you have to problem-solve/come up with a solution for? Did those ideas come from anywhere unexpected?

Inspiration can come from anywhere! One day I had a Zoom call with my team and saw the older wicker bag sitting on a shelf in the background of one of my coworkers’ screens. I thought it was just a cool decorative object at first, and then he told me it was a Kate Spade New York bag, and my mind went racing from there. I took some inspiration from the original bag but updated it to have a rounder belly so it could sit upright on its own. The very first sample was an abstract side-view of a frog, which looked nice on paper, but the actual sample didn’t have the dimensions that we wanted. It took some trial and error, but we finally got there!

Once the initial sketches are done, what milestones happen between that sketch and final product?

After completing the initial sketch, we worked with the 3D team to put together a full 3D rendering of what the handbag would look like in real life (I’m absolutely amazed by 21st-century technology!). Then we continued to work through multiple rounds of sketches and physical samples to perfect it.

What do you listen to while designing?

Music is so important to me, and I like listening to the right song at the right moment. When I’m designing Spring and Summer collections, I listen to a lot of uplifting, summery songs such as “Space Song” by Beach House, “Polarised” by Cosmo’s Midnight, “Starry Night” by Peggy Gou, and “Saint Tropez” by Post Malone—just to name a few!

What is your favorite part about being a designer?

I love every single moment of being a designer, especially at Kate Spade New York, but my favorite part is when I see designs that I worked on in our stores. Turning an idea that was just in my head into a physical product is pretty amazing. I also love seeing people wearing our designs on the street or a train. I always have the urge to go up to people and tell them I helped design a piece they are wearing, but I’ve never actually done it. So if you see someone looking at your bag and secretly smiling on an NYC subway, it is probably me!

What advice would you give to young designers starting out in the industry?

Work hard, be humble, and just be nice to people. It’s a small world, and the industry is even smaller. You never know who you’ll bump into or work with in the future.

If you had to use three words to describe the bag, what would they be?

Joyful

Colorful

Smile-inducing

I hope that Hoppkins brings joy to everyone who wears it. The handbag adds an unexpected pop to your wardrobe and immediately puts a smile on your face!

Shop the Hoppkins bag right here.

GIF Credit: Daan Habets

This interview has been condensed for clarity.

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