Smart luxury for smart women Hippi Grace is the new talked-about Norwegian brand specialising in premium leather handbags and boots: luxury pieces with a twist – and at affordable prices. It is smart luxury, loved by smart women. By Malin Norman | Photos: Lena Saugen
Founder Toril Opsal Thorp wanted to build her own company in the new economy and worked to become a designer and start a business with a holistic perspective. With her extensive professional background in retail and fast-moving consumer goods, marketing, banking and finance, she eventually set out on the new adventure and launched Hippi Grace in 2013. 108 | Issue 94 | November 2016
goods at affordable prices. I strongly believe that every woman deserves to carry a good-looking leather bag, without having to pay a fortune for it.”
Scandinavian role model The business structure is lean, making use of new digital solutions and with a focus on low costs and efficiency. Hippi Grace is sharing an office with other entrepreneurs in a space named Only Good People, located in an old barn with its own electricity from the roof. “I wanted to follow a dream I had for many years,” explains Opsal Thorp. “The idea was to find new ways of making luxury leather
The idea is for Hippi Grace to offer a range of designs and leather materials to fit different uses and states of mind. Sometimes customers want to feel more hippie chic and bohemian, and other times they want to look sophisticated and graceful. Regardless of stylistic expression, the design is always top quality and functional, and available at affordable prices. It is the ultimate in smart luxury.