Everpurse's inception all began with one question: What does a woman's handbag need in order to make it perfect?
This was the question posed to Everpurse founder and CEO Liz Salcedo by her husband one evening, and Salcedo's response was immediate: A handbag that could charge a smartphone.
Salcedo first launched Everpurse, a tech company that enables handbags to self-charge smartphones with a wire-free interior pocket, in 2011 to re-engineer accessories that were tech-savvy and, above all, fashion-forward. An Everpurse features an unobtrusive "smartpocket" that requires no additional wires or plugs, and allows bags to be recharged each evening when they're placed on a small, white tile charging mat.
In May of 2015, Everpurse announced its partnership with kate spade new york and together the brands launched three exclusive handbag styles that can charge the newest generations of the iPhone. The Everpurse x kate spade new york bags retail between $198 and $698 and are available on both katespade and everpurse.
We recently spoke with Salcedo about launching Everpurse and where the brand is headed now. Read on for the full interview below.
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Fashion Times: Could you tell us a little bit about your background prior to launching Everpurse? What inspired you to pursue a career in tech?
Liz Salcedo: Before Everpurse I worked as a social worker for women with HIV. I have always been passionate about empowering women to achieve their goals.
My transition into tech started with my own search for the perfect bag. When I couldn't find what I wanted on the market I decided to make the perfect bag for myself. I quickly realized that I had hit on something that many other women wanted too. I have always loved technology and am just as passionate about making products that empower women. When the opportunity came to make my perfect bag into a reality, I jumped at it!
FT: What directly inspired you to launch Everpurse? Was there a single moment or event that led you to start the company?
LS: Late one night, over a glass of wine (where most of my best ideas begin!) my husband Dan asked me what a bag needed to be perfect. That's when I thought, as crazy as it sounded at the time, what if my bag could charge my phone? I already put my phone into my bag when I'm out, so what if I didn't have to do anything different? What if I could slide my phone into the pocket and my bag would just begin to charge my phone. No on/off buttons. No cables. No plugging in the phone, or my handbag. This would be the perfect bag.
FT: You partnered with kate spade new york and debuted the collection this past fall -- how did you come to partner with the fashion and lifestyle brand?
LS: kate spade new york actually came to us! We've been working together for over a year now and it has been great partnering with them. They are one of the most tech-forward brands. Our focus on women-on-the-go has fit well with their customer's colorful lifestyle.
FT: When it came to working with the kate spade team what was it like going through the design and development process? What would you say was the biggest challenge in making the technology compatible with the design?
LS: The kate spade new york design team is incredible and we absolutely love working with them. Because our technology is modular, they have lots of freedom to design the bags they want. We believe that the beautiful design of the bag should always come first.
FT: What has some of the customer feedback been like since launching the bags, and how will that feedback inform the next iteration of technology and product?
LS: The feedback has been great! We've had so many customers tell us that they have been waiting for a product like this -- one that fits their lifestyle and fashion sense. Customer feedback is very important and will definitely inform the types of bags we integrate with and the next features we introduce.
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