Celebrity fans for designer housewives of Beckton

by Melissa York, Reporter Friday, September 21, 2012
1:00 PM

Fashionistas and celebrities are flocking to buy bags created by two Newham housewives after they set up a bespoke online business.

Run from their homes, Randybagz was founded by Beckton best friends Teresa Randall and Louise Huett.

Inseparable from the age of six when they met at Winsor Primary School, the pair continued their studies at Brampton Manor School together and they still live a stone’s throw away from each other in Devall Close and Renfrew Close at the age of 35.

Mother of two Teresa first designed a bag for Louise, enlisting the help of her artist sister Maria, and it wasn’t long before family and friends were requesting bags of their own.

In April this year, Randybagz was founded and Louise, herself a mother of three, now helps Teresa decorate the handmade jute bags, made from naturally-sourced hessian,

Louise said: “We think our bags are different because they’re completely personalised from start to finish.

“Whatever the customer asks for is what they get. They might give us a few ideas about what they like sometimes like bows or glitter and we’ll work with that but it’s completely up to them.”

Growing from strength to strength, Louise and Teresa were contacted by Essex Fashion Week to show their range on the catwalk and Randybagz has picked up celebrity fans such as Coleen Rooney, Vanessa Feltz, and the Desparate Scousewives who even feature their range in their Scouse Boutique in Liverpool.

They now even have a print range, stamping their designs on everything from mugs to laptop cases. The ‘Mini Mummy’ designs for little girls are some of their favourites to make but the women say they have been asked to put replicas of people’s cars, pets, horses, and even wrinkles on items.

The pair would love to open a shop of their own one day and employ people to help them out but, for the moment, Randybagz is still a small business with Louise and Teresa just about affording to pay themselves a fair wage.

Louise said: “It’s all about money. Times have been hard over the past couple of years but we work really hard at this all time.”

But the journey has been a fulfilling one for the housewives turned businesswomen.

Louise said: “Both of us have been talking about that a lot actually.

“Our lives have changed so much over a short space of time. We have gone from, well not exactly doing nothing, I was training as a nursery nurse, but from just being at home to being really busy doing this.

“We really enjoy doing it, especially as we are friends as well and it just makes you feel good about yourself, really.”

Designs, products, and images of celebrity fans out and about with their Randybagz can be seen at www.randybagz.co.uk.