News / Fashion
Brunswick-born bag puts a new spin on an old classic
Combining sustainability with style, The Brunswick bag lives up to its name
Poppy Searle
FRUSTRATION with handbags that didn’t meet her needs led Sharon Cookson to design her own.
“I’ve always loved handbags,” the avid handbag collector from Brunswick East explains, “But I was tired of bags that were either too heavy, too flimsy, or simply not practical.”
When her favourite Louis Vuitton bag wore out, she sought a durable and lightweight replacement and discovered a gap in the market.
“I needed something that could carry a lot but wasn’t heavy like leather bags,” she says. “And it had to be practical for everyday use, with pockets for organisation but not too many compartments.”
This frustration ultimately led Cookson, along with her husband Bob Beveridge, to start Baxterson Melbourne, creating bags that perfectly matched her vision.
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Cookson — whose background is in advertising and marketing communications — spent two years diligently researching, visiting design fairs, and exploring luxury and premium brands.
“I’m a master researcher,” she says. “But they just didn’t fit the bill.”
Faced with settling for something less or creating her own, she chose to design her perfect bag.
Creating the perfect bag was no easy feat. Cookson went through five different prototypes to finalise a design that met her standards.
“I wanted it to be strong, light, and able to stand up on its own,” she explains.
To achieve this, she decided to use vegan leather at the base for stability and recycled nylon for durability.
The final design is a functional, stylish product. It boasts a dedicated laptop pocket, and two pop-out interior pockets that discreetly disappear when not in use, making them ideal for water bottles, gym gear, or lunch. There are other internal compartments to keep a phone and glasses readily accessible, while a hidden external pocket offers a secure haven for a passport or security pass.
“We wanted a bag that’s light and strong and could seamlessly transition from the office to the farmers market to a dinner party, and didn’t flop when empty,” Cookson says. “This bag gives is super functional, it’s designed to quickly locate your sunglasses, keys or phone, which if you own a large bag, you know they get lost at the bottom, and it doesn’t sacrifice style or sustainability.”
Finding sustainable, high-quality materials presented its own set of challenges. She contacted many suppliers, but they required large minimum orders.
Determined to uphold her vision, she eventually found a company that could provide recycled materials at a reasonable cost. The final product incorporates vegan leather as well as recycled nylon made from nine water bottles, per bag.
Cookson’s dedication to sustainability is evident in every aspect of her first bag to come onto the market, which she has named ‘The Brunswick’.
“I didn’t want to use leather,” she says. “The world has changed, and I don’t need animals to be killed for my entertainment.”
By choosing vegan leather and recycled nylon, she aimed to reduce environmental impact while maintaining the highest standards of quality.
Despite the many challenges she initially faced, Cookson worked hard to ensure that each bag met her rigorous standards for sustainability and quality.
“I can’t solve all the world’s problems, I just do what I can,” she says.
Sharon Cookson spent two years researching and exploring luxury and premium brands before designing The Brunswick bag.
As Brunswick residents, Cookson and Beveridge decided to name the bag after the suburb they have called home for most of the past decade.“We love this area and it just felt right that it was born out here so that’s what it should be named after.”
Cookson describes the black hardware as having a ‘cool vibe’ that fees very fitting for the neighbourhood
“The Brunswick Bag just is Brunswick to me,” she says “I can’t explain that. It just is.”
Since its launch, The Brunswick bag has gained a loyal following. Customers love its practicality and style, sharing stories of being stopped by strangers asking about it. One customer’s review stated that her kids have “called it my ‘fashionable Mary Poppins bag’ as there seems to be an endless amount of stuff I can fit in it!”.
Cookson sells the bag exclusively online. “When you sell to a department store, there is pressure to get your cost of goods down, so that they can make more,” she explains. “And I’m not prepared to reduce the quality to allow that.”
This decision allows her to maintain control over the product and ensure each bag meets her standards. Cookson and Beveridge personally check each bag before it is sent out to a customer.
Looking ahead, Cookson has big plans for her company. She hopes to create a nationally successful business and expand the product line to include smaller crossbody bags and more colours, all made from recycled materials.
Cookson has already begun designing her next creation, a smaller cross body bag “that’s fully recycled, every step of the way,” she reveals. “I just haven’t done anything with it yet.”
She also envisions opening a store in Brunswick, where she can showcase her products and create a community space.
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