Malaysian brand to make cheap bags with organized compartments – Wired PR Lifestyle Story

From MCO, my chosen bag has been the default bags, just because they can handle all my needs and some light shopping.

But when it comes to getting my keys out, my hands need to dive into the mess, exploring various items before they finally hit the gold. I personally don’t mind this bit of confusion, but it’s not for everyone.

Johnson Tan falls into the latter category. He is the designer and creator of a branded local bag brand with plenty of compartments Tracey, born out of his frustration at searching for keys in his wife’s purse.

Compartmentalizing the disorder

Originally named The Urban Lady (after the design of the first bag launched) when it launched in 2015, the company later took the name Tracey in early 2021.

If you’re in line with my thinking, you’re probably wondering if he put Tracey Johnson’s wife’s name on it, and the answer is no. Tracey is a bunch of fashionable and fancy words, and his wife’s name is Aiping.

“Aiping isn’t a messy person because he’s very organized in every way,” Johnson told the Vulcan Post. “But his bag is not as organized as he is and he spends a lot of time looking for parking tickets, a phone, keys, etc.”

Frustrated with the experience of trying it out one day, he finally decided that things needed to change. Having been in the fashion industry for 19 years now, it wasn’t a big leap for Johnson to start designing handbags as well.

He started sketching his ideas, adding pockets wherever he could in his purse. Using food bags, she cut and sewed the fabric together, improving the prototype every weekend by adding new ideas and removing practical items.

It was quite a struggle at first for Johnson, not knowing what Aiping was carrying in his purse every day. “Fortunately, my wife has given honest feedback to help the prototype improve the bag so that it can be better suited to her lifestyle,” Johnson added.

In total, it took him 3 years to make the bag that Aiping loved.

Then his friends wanted one too

Initially trying to add a simple touch to the life of Aiping through a bag, it has now become a local brand that produces up to 20,000 bags a month.

Johnson said he had no plans to sell the bag at first. Not until one day a friend asked if he could have one too. It was then that the couple realized that their bags could help other women with the same problem in Aiping.

Friends were able to test the bag and were able to receive more feedback from 100 women in their social circle. Now with more confidence in this company, Johnson began looking for suppliers who could fit his budget.

Once he found the right one, production began, and the rest is history.

“We understand that when it comes to handbags, women usually have more than one bag in the closet. Not because they love to collect, but because they carry different types of bags at different times, because different bags perform different functions. ”

“So for all the bags we’re putting in there, we try our best to make sure they meet the following criteria: easy-to-organize items, trendy, and beyond expectations,” Johnson described.

Trendy but affordable

In addition to selling its bags online, Tracey can also be found on the retail shelves of major stores including Parkson, Sogo, Aeon, Pacific and The Store.

Made of polyurethane (PU) leather, all Tracey bags have multiple compartments to hold small and large items. Priced between RM29 and RM179, in addition to bags, its website also offers clutches, backpacks, bucket bags and cross bags.

The reason Johnson chose to make his products with PU leather is because of their cost-effectiveness. “It’s better that this is cruelty-free leather. We believe that using high quality PU leather can be an expensive and durable bag over time, ”Johnson said.

However, PU leather is not as durable as real leather, nor does it degrade in landfills, which makes it quite unsustainable as a material. Sharing my thoughts with Johnson, he explained that the brand is doing R&D to invent new materials that can replace PU leather.

This is intended to reduce the carbon footprint throughout the process. “It’s hard to change the ordinary way of doing things, we’re working on that step by step. Our 5-year plan will also establish our green plant in Malaysia, ”Johnson added.

Targeting a large market

Overall, Johnson reported that Tracey’s growth has been steady, even above the pandemic.

“The steady growth in demand over the last 2 years has shown that we are really good at what we are doing, solving problems and adding value,” he said.

Tracey’s handbag designs have the advantage of being attractive to the mass market, and with the different types of designs available, it aims to target a segment of female customers between the ages of 18 and 35.

Today, Tracey ships mainly to Malaysia, but Johnson’s intention is to one day bring Malaysian-made products to the world.

The 5-year plan for the establishment of a green plant for Tracey will play a role in this, as well as creating more job opportunities for the locals. But in the meantime, he and his team plan to create their own physical store by 2022.

• Learn more about Tracey here.
• Read other stories about Malaysian startups here.

Featured Image Credit: Aiping and Johnson, founder of Tracey