The secret weapon that was Margaret Thatcher's handbag

Karen Dacre on her iconic Launer handbag and the little-known London company that supplied Mrs T’s iconic bags
P34 LAUNER HANDBAG
17 April 2013

In 21st-century London, so-called “it bags” are ten a penny. An audit of the Céline, Mulberry and Louis Vuitton logos nestling in laps on your Tube carriage this evening should provide evidence of that.

In this era of lux leather handbags with four-figure price-tags we have grown accustomed to statement accessories and thoroughly au fait with the idea that changing your bag to suit your outfit/mood/occasion isn’t an extravagant task but an essential one.

For that we must thank Margaret Thatcher, who in 1979 took the humble handbag and placed it firmly on the Cabinet table.

“It was her weapon,” notes Edwina Currie, who watched first hand as the former prime minister ran the country using its perfectly packed contents. “Margaret Thatcher used it metaphorically to ‘handbag’ her opponents,” says British accessory designer and Tory supporter Anya Hindmarch. “It symbolised her femininity”.

What was once a largely practical accessory grew a life of its own on her watch; her bag had a catchphrase, its own Spitting Image sketch and a friendship with Ronald Reagan’s dog. It was little wonder that leather goods manufacturer Gerald Bodmer was determined to see one of his accessories swinging from the Iron Lady’s arm.

“It began with a cartoon of Thatcher hitting Argentina with her handbag,” says Bodmer, who saw a business opportunity in having the Prime Minister back Launer — a royally-approved label which had fallen on hard times. “I ripped it out of the paper and sent it to her along with one of our bags, not knowing what would happen.”

In the years that followed, Thatcher would join the Queen as one of Launer’s best-known customers. While Bodmer never met Thatcher — “she always sent her shopper,” he says, “she looked a lot like her” — the relationship lasted decades, with Thatcher attending meetings and making state visits with her favourite Launer swinging on her arm.

“We were making a conservative product,” he says, noting that it was the brand’s quality and attention to detail that ensured Thatcher’s loyal custom. The bags themselves are hard-cased and lined with suede. Thatcher’s favourite, a soft leather box-bag finished with a small silver fastening, retailed for around £1,000 during her time in office and continues to sell at the same price point today. Launers are reassuringly expensive, if a little surprisingly so given the brand’s near anonymity among the high-fashion crowds. They remain popular both at Fortnum and Mason’s, where Launer has long been stocked, and at Selfridges, where the label has recently fallen into favour.

“We’re right there next to Louis Vuitton,” says Bodmer. It’s a Thatcherite success story.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in