Bags of style

Lucy Lyons is one of the creators of Wilbur and Gussie handbags. Beatrix Clark uncovers the steely determination beneath her bubbly exterior

Above: ‘I’ve always been pregnant at Fashion Week – once a piece of scaffolding fell on my head, but I was okay'

Lucy Lyons is one of those rare individuals who seem to have it all – great looks (see front cover), a handsome, wealthy husband (Anthony is just finishing breakfast as I arrive), three healthy children and a successful business creating beautiful bags with her best friend. We’re sitting in the kitchen of her fabulous Hampstead home and I’m wondering how she does it.
‘I have a fantastic nanny – I think I’d be in the Priory without her,’ Lucy laughs, scooping 14-month-old Gabriel (her youngest) up with one hand and handing me a herbal tea with the other. Judging by the various staff who appear over the next hour it’s clear the nanny isn’t the only person Lucy relies on for help. Nonetheless, to have launched, with business partner Brett Tyne, the exquisite evening bag range Wilbur and Gussie and established it as an international brand in under three years, at the same time as having three children, is quite some achievement.
‘I’ve always been pregnant at Fashion Week – once a piece of scaffolding fell on my head and Brett got in a real panic, but luckily I was okay,’ she says coolly.
Blond but certainly not dizzy, the Juicy-clad yummy mummy before me may not need to work to pay the bills but she’s as ambitious and driven as they come.
‘I started working for a bank in Canary Wharf at 18. I thought I wanted to be a stockbroker. I loved the money and independence but soon realised I had to do something more creative.’
A four-year stint working under one of Philip Green’s top fashion buyers followed which was, says Lucy, ‘far more rewarding than finance,’ as well as being excellent training for her next job – product manager at Disney, sourcing and developing girls’ accessories for its European stores.
‘At 23 I was still quite young to be running a team of buyers and merchandisers. They kept trying to send me on those management courses where you sit in a circle and clap a lot – I kept finding excuses not to go.’
Keen as she was on a career, Lucy was equally keen to have a family and, with Disney demanding horrendously long hours, becoming engaged meant it was time to start her own business. A swimwear line with her ex-model mother followed (The Sun’s first page three girl Jilly Johnson), and though this sold to the likes of Littlewoods and Grattons it was, recalls Lucy, ‘too much effort for too little money.’ When her old friend Brett returned from New York they put their heads together and discovered a shared passion for handbags.  Brett’s grandma’s amazing collection of vintage bags provided further inspiration and Wilbur and Gussie (named after Lucy’s cat and Brett’s terrier) was conceived.
‘There was no point in using leather and trying to compete with the big boys, so we focused on silk. Silk isn’t perceived to be as long-lasting but it’s special and you’d look after your jewellery so why wouldn’t you look after your handbag?’ she says with passion. ‘To make something desirable you have to make it gorgeous, otherwise it’s boring.’
Beautiful fabrics being their USP, they found a manufacturer in Spain and spent two years perfecting their signature bag, the Charlie, before launching it at London Fashion Week in September 2005. The reaction from buyers – 20, including Fortnum and Mason, signed up immediately – confirmed this was a project worth pursuing. The Charlie is still the company’s bestseller.
‘We’ve got a couple of other styles but that’s our main one. Developing one product you’re known for is how you build a brand,’ she reveals.
She’s not wrong – Wilbur and Gussie now has over 50 stockists, some as far afield as Moscow, Hong Kong and the US – and, judging by the response so far, this is the tip of the iceberg. Exciting though the business and its prospects may be – future plans include doing international shows and expanding into the Far East – Lucy is adamant her family comes first. 
‘I try and do it all – I probably shouldn’t. I’ll be on one phone to a mum about the school run and on the other organising a shipment from Spain, while turning the oven on with my toes. Anthony and my children are number one – I’m lucky Brett’s so understanding,’ she smiles. 
The photographer’s keen to crack on with the shoot and I’ve just time to quiz Lucy about her favourite local haunts.
‘I particularly like Hampstead; it’s beautiful, relaxed and still slightly bohemian. When I lived in St John’s Wood I’d worry about whether I’d had my hair blow-dried –Hampstead’s more friendly and chilled.’
She loves the cafes, especially Base and Giraffe where she tries to take four-year-old Grace for lunch every Friday; and she’s a big fan of the Mystical Fairies shop in Flask Walk. ‘I like it more than my daughter does – she still prefers ponies to fairies.’ Question Air is a favourite for clothes as is Anna in Primrose Hill. ‘If you’re a busy mum you can’t beat a good boutique.’ Indeed. Especially if it sells those divine Wilbur and Gussie handbags.
www.wilburandgussie.com