The brand you’ve never heard of that’s about to revolutionise your wardrobe

As unbeatable as the feeling of a preposterously expensive handbag may be, the truth remains that it is also nice to have some money left over to put in it.

And for those of us who cannot stomach the thought of a cheap catwalk copy either — which, let’s face it, would be all of us — there has long been a craving for a brand offering the perfect balance of style and substance, with that addictive instant gratification factor that we’ve come to expect from the Zaras of this world.

And so to some good news. There’s a new disruptive accessory brand solving this style conundrum that has just arrived in the UK. Introducing Charles & Keith, the well-heeled and well-priced Asian accessory giant with a portfolio of 500 stores across Asia that launched an e-commerce hub here last month and is eyeing further expansion. Cue fashion-forward footwear that’s cool and contemporary, and retailing on average for less than £50 a pop. It’s the biggest news in ‘high street’ accessories since that Spanish titan arrived on our shores.

Sitting among retailers such as & Other Stories, Cos and Arket, Charles & Keith is offering the perfect accessory counterpart to AW18’s purist wardrobe, dominated by modernised clothing archetypes and artful proportions, rather than fleeting trends. It’s a look spearheaded this season by catwalk brands from Jacquemus to Victoria Beckham. And as a result we’ve dubbed Charles & Keith’s accoutrements ‘architessories’ for their clean, architectural appeal.

"I came across the brand through my friend Yoyo Cao, an influencer and designer from Singapore," says journalist and blogger Susanna Lau. "It’s impressive that they can combine such on-point design with affordable prices." Indeed, Charles & Keith’s bucket bags and pointed slingbacks were out in force kerbside at London Fashion Week (selling out the same week), while its minimal sandals and slip-on mules featured in Molly Goddard’s SS19 show.

"It’s about products reflecting lifestyle trends, while being accessible," says the brand’s executive director Emmanuelle Mace-Driskill. "It’s about desirability and being able to get your coup de coeur [fashion crush] without feeling guilty," continues the Parisian who joined the Singapore-based brand from L Catterton Asia, the private equity arm of LVMH and also one-time investors of the accessory juggernaut.

So just who is Charles & Keith? And how did a brand with a name that sounds like a 1990s pop duo-turned-wedding-band become one of Asia’s biggest retail success stories? "It’s a family affair," says Mace-Driskill of the media-shy Singaporean brothers Charles and Keith Wong, now the sole owners of the 22-year-old accessory giant. "Their mum owned a retail fashion store in Singapore and as teenagers they would help her and developed an interest for the business, especially shoes."

In 1996 the brothers launched their eponymous brand with a store in their home town. "The approach was to offer women fashionable and accessible shoes and to keep listening to their customers. It was crucial for them that women should enjoy fashion and be able to express themselves through it."

Two years later the pair opened a shop in Jakarta, and expansion happened quickly — to Bangkok, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul and farther, across Asia, India and the Middle East. The business has a presence in 35 retail markets, and 42 online, employing more than 5,000 people. Not bad for a women’s megabrand named after two men.

Mace-Driskill smiles: "It’s a success story of two brothers who took risks in their fearless 20s. And it comes from their complementary characters." Like every great fashion partnership, one is the business mind (Charles), while the other oversees the creative side (Keith).

So with Brexit looming and retail spending on the downswing, why start with the UK as its first push into the European market?

"London is a hub for artistic expression, a trend incubator and a pioneer in digital," Mace-Driskill says. "It felt like the right market to launch digitally first."

For now e-commerce is the focus in the UK, but that’s not to say that retail stores won’t follow, supported by Charles & Keith’s new Shoreditch offices and a warehouse in Reading. Newness is its MO, with fresh drops added online each Tuesday, while there’s no denying that its international cult following is driven by an economy of scale, which allows Charles & Keith to prioritise craftsmanship and, most importantly, comfort. And with designer shoes and bags increasingly starting at £500, their £50 mark feels like a satisfying slam dunk.