“I learned that people had a lot of bag problems”: CEO on launching Dagne Dover

Dagne Dover is known for the signature neoprene material and optimal organisational structure of its bestselling bags. 

The brand was co-founded by Melissa Mash, Deepa Gandhi and Jessy Dover, who strived to create the ‘perect bag’ that they themselves – as successful, time-strapped businesswomen – were looking for.

Here, chief executive officer Mash revealed a few secrets about Dagne Dover’s origin story, the brand’s strategy for success and the importance of cultivating a tight and highly capable team.

Inside Retail: How did the idea for Dagne Dover come about?

Melissa Mash: I came up with the idea for Dagne while I was working for Coach’s UK distributor at Heathrow Airport in 2009.

I had worked at Coach corporate in New York prior, so I was knowledgeable about bags and the bag industry. But it was while I was working in London, reintroducing the Coach brand to the UK/EU market and speaking with customers every day, that I learned that people had a lot of bag problems.

They [ consumers] couldn’t find a bag with a laptop sleeve, their water bottle spilled all over and ruined their papers and tech, their keys scratched their laptop, they couldn’t ever find their keys, wallet, etc. 

I decided I wanted to launch a brand that reflected our on-the-go, multi-hyphenate generation; a bag whose performance materials and smart internal organisation made it effortless to run from the gym to the office and the airport.

IR: Prior to launching Dagne Dover, describe your prior retail experience and how your experience prepared you for the work you are doing today.

MM: At Coach, I had managed brick-and-mortar wholesale accounts and I was part of a three-person team that launched the wholesale e-commerce channel.

I learned a lot about managing those businesses through the unpredictable and challenging global financial crisis of 2008. As a result, that experience shaped our philosophy for how we approach retail strategy at Dagne. While many other brands consider wholesale to be a sales channel, we don’t overly depend on a channel we can’t directly control. As such, wholesale is treated as a part of our marketing stack and customer acquisition strategy. 

Today, I still oversee and manage our wholesale business.

Additionally, managing the store in London gave me valuable perspective and first-hand understanding of how under-appreciated and under-utilised store associates often are to a brand’s success. As a result, even though we’re 11-plus years in business, I still personally train most of our wholesale partners’ sales associates to ensure they’re getting a first-hand account of our brand story, best- selling products and selling features. Investing in teams – whether corporate teams, retail store teams, or wholesale partners’ stores’ teams goes a long way.

IR: There is not a single brand founder who can say their plans for launching a business went off without a single hitch. What have been the biggest highlights and setbacks you’ve experienced in building the business thus far?

MM: Of course, there are so many factors on this journey that are beyond our control, from one of our early factories changing payment terms on us in 2015, to tariffs that were wildly disruptive to our plans in 2018. 

But along this journey, we’ve had so many amazing moments – from winning numerous best-in-class product awards and brand awards. From most recently seeing Dagne on Season 3 of The Bear to watching the whole United States women’s national soccer team carry Dagne’s luggage and bags to the Paris Olympics!

IR: How have you personally handled the personal ups and downs of this exciting, but often turbulent experience?

MM: It’s really important to surround yourself with only amazing people: amazing co- founders, amazing people on your senior leadership team, an amazing person in your marriage/partnership, amazing friends who understand your responsibilities and limitations without judgment, etc. 

There’s no time for anyone else who doesn’t lift you up, help you, and give you energy. I believe in that for everyone, not just entrepreneurs.

IR: What are you excited about right now?

MM: We recently launched our Travel Edit collection, which includes rolling luggage, garment duffles, garment bags, packing cubes, etc. Our rolling luggage has the smoothest custom wheels and just the right amount of organisation to give you options for traveling to and from anywhere. And the Monaco Garment Duffle is on its way to becoming a company best-seller. 

Men in particular have really been loving it for its smooth zippers that seem to defy gravity, its capacious interiors and its gorgeous exteriors.

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