How Aupen Bags Came Out of Nowhere to Become Hollywood’s Hottest Accessory

glamour.com:

carried “” ($340) by Aupen, a faux-leather shoulder bag with a curvy, asymmetrical shape and minimalist branding. Then Hailey Bieber swapped her for the “” ($180), Aupen's razor sharp slanted box bag.

Taylor Swift, was next; the 34-year-old was papped on a night out with her “” ($340) in one hand and new beau . , Olivia Rodrigo, Gal Gadot, Gabrielle Union, and a slew of other “It” girls followed suit, stepping out in variations on the same uniform: a tiny minidress, towering heels, going-out glam, and a Aupen bag.Taylor Swift carries the Nirvana; Selena Gomez carries the Purpose Ice.Aupen's hyper-visibility in Hollywood, its vegan-friendly reputation, and under-$500 price point were a winning combination: Less than a year after they launched in November 2022, Aupen—a portmanteau of “authentic” and “open”—had placed its bags with not just one, but a dozen of the most influential women on the planet.In the blink of an eye, the brand experienced unprecedented success, the kind of recognition that most designers will spend their entire careers chasing.

And yet, Aupen remained nameless and faceless. In the age of the celebrity designers and designers-turned-celebrities, the brand was an anomaly.

Why did no one want to take credit for this out-of-nowhere success? Amongst my peers, we joked about people “on the inside” bribing celebrities to carry their handbags; we wondered if this was all some kind of stunt, as though someone were about to rip off a mask Scooby Doo villain-style and reveal themselves as the genius behind the operation.