Launer London
{{short description|British manufacturer of handbags and leather goods}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Launer London
| logo = Launer London logo.png
| type =
| industry = Luxury goods
| fate =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| founded = 1940
| founder = Sam Launer
| defunct =
| hq_location_city = Warlingham, Croydon
| hq_location_country = United Kingdom
| area_served =
| key_people =
| products = Handbags
| owner =
| num_employees =
| num_employees_year =
| parent =
| website = {{URL|https://launer.com}}
}}
Launer London is a British manufacturer of luxury handbags and other small leather goods founded in 1940 by Sam Launer, who emigrated to London from Czechoslovakia during the Second World War. The company first sold a handbag to a member of the British royal family in 1950 and subsequently was awarded a royal warrant by Queen Elizabeth II.
History
In 1940, Sam Launer founded Launer London, and began making handbags in a small rented workshop in London's Soho district. He had left Czechoslovakia after it was occupied by Germany early in the Second World War. Launer died in 1955, and the company remained a family business until Gerald Bodmer purchased the company in 1981.
In 2011, Launer started producing bags in colours other than their traditional black, brown, and navy.
By 2019 turnover had risen 167% since the 2011 figure of £1.5 million. For the 52 weeks of 2018 Launer reported a 23% increase in turnover to £4 million.{{cite news |last1=Fish |first1=Isabella |title=Exclusive: Rise in revenue at Launer London |url=https://www.drapersonline.com/news/rise-in-revenue-at-launer-london |accessdate=22 December 2019 |work=Drapers |date=19 March 2019}}
Royal warrant
{{further|Royal warrant of appointment (United Kingdom)}}
File:Queen Elizabeth II 2015 HO1.jpg
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother first purchased a Launer bag in the 1950s, and later gave one to her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II.
In 1968, Launer London were given a royal warrant by The Queen.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-birmingham-36097677/a-handbag-fit-for-the-queen-and-made-in-the-black-country|title=A handbag fit for the Queen and made in the Black Country|author=|date=21 April 2016|publisher=BBC News|language=en-GB}}{{cite news |title=Royal Family Christmas pudding photos: Five things to spot |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50879901 |accessdate=22 December 2019 |publisher=BBC News |date=22 December 2019}} She had bought more than 200 of their bags by 2019, according to CEO and owner Gerald Bodmer; and her three favourites appear to have been a black leather Royale, a black patent Traviata, and a third custom-made bag.{{cite news |last1=Foussianes |first1=Chloe |title=Queen Elizabeth Has Carried the Same Three Launer Bags for Years, Because Like Her They Improve with Age|url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/fashion-trends/a25833775/queen-elizabeth-favorite-handbag-launer-traviata-royale/ |work=Town & Country |date=9 January 2019}}{{cite news |title=The Queen Owns 200 Purses From This Brand |quote=And wait 'til you see how much just one costs. |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com.au/culture/the-queen-has-200-purses-from-this-brand-6009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419161314/https://www.harpersbazaar.com.au/culture/the-queen-has-200-purses-from-this-brand-6009 |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 April 2019 |newspaper=Harper's Bazaar |first1=Sam |last1=Escobar |date=1 April 2016}} She also kept all of her mother's Launer bags, according to Bodmer. The Traviata is Launer's bestselling design, partly due to the influence of The Queen; it is handmade in Walsall in the West Midlands, and sold for about £1,800 in 2019.{{cite book|first1=Robert |last1=Hardman |authorlink1=Robert Hardman|title=Queen of the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5y9LDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT69|year=2018|publisher=Random House, Century |location=New York, London |isbn=978-1-4735-4964-7|page=69}}
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher regularly carried a Launer handbag, which was remarked upon as a characteristic. Gerald Bodmer first sent her one after seeing a cartoon of Thatcher whacking Argentina with her bag at the time of the Falklands War.{{cite magazine| last=Moss| first=Victoria| title=How Margaret Thatcher Turned Her Handbags Into A Weapon |magazine=British Vogue | date=27 November 2020 | url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/margaret-thatcher-handbag}}
References
{{reflist|4}}
External links
- {{commons category-inline|Launer London}}
{{Bags}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
Category:British royal warrant holders
Category:Clothing brands of the United Kingdom
Category:Clothing retailers of the United Kingdom
Category:Clothing companies established in 1940
Category:Leather manufacturers
Category:Manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom