Kipling Bags Go Back to School with Megan Nicole

Last night's Kipling bags event co-hosted by Megan Nicole was old school. Literally, the event took place in a crumbling old school.  The location was as suffocating, sweaty and as uncomfortable as the poor souls who were relegated to summer session remember.

This was an event that was just baffling to me from a PR standpoint. Initial Impressions mean a lot when you are courting the press.  The first thing a media guest had to do was climb a few flights up dirty school stairs to an overheated classroom.   The stuffiness made you want to leave immediately, before you had a chance to look at the collection.  

Don't get me wrong, the school theme was cute, but it didn't have to be taken so literally to get the point across, especially at the expense of practicality and comfort.

Co-host Megan Nicole was touted as a "YouTube Darling".   She was adorable and performed for the guests.  When I worked at VF Corporation, the Kipling team shared our office floor.  Their collaborating celebrity back then was pop diva Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas.  This was when the band was at the height of their success.  Now the brand has recruited a karaoke version of a pop star recruited from social media..  My how times (and budgets?) have changed.

The bags I did get a chance to look at had cute prints, executed in their classic backpack and pouch shapes. Many of them were miniature in size.   I wasn't sure if they were meant for children? Were they supposed to be ironically mini like a phone case?  PR #FAIL number 2: I asked two different representatives this question and neither one had a clue.  I also asked when these would be available in stores.  Again, the answers were "I don’t know....soon I assume?"   Wow, that is helpful.  As a blogger, I have the freedom to write on my own timeline.  Howeve, for time sensitive publications putting together gift guides and back to school round ups, this is vital information that was missing.  A brand could be missing the opportunity for coverage that I assume they would want for potential shoppers...

I took it upon myself to grab a catalog to make some sense of the collection.   The catalog heavily promoted their monogram feature.  This was on trend for today's selfie obsessed world.  Megan Nicole smile sweetly from the pages.  I still have no idea what the intended customer or function of the mini bags are.  Get it together marketing peeps!