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US handbag designer Kate Spade ramps up her brand's visibility this October with the opening of her first UK store and the debut of the first pair of denim jeans in the Kate Spade collection. Meanwhile, American leather goods company Coach is also set on conquering the UK market with ambitious plans to open up to 15 stores within the next three years. Kate Spade will launch its first UK pop-up store in London's Covent Garden on October 13 through November 10. Situated at 7 Henrietta St., the 2,700-square-foot (250 square meters) boutique will feature the entire Kate Spade collection, including handbags, luggage, shoes, jewelry, stationery, eye-wear and apparel. The brand has earned a cult following among women since its launch in 1993 thanks to Spade's cute and practical handbags that suit both work and play. Famed for their vintage shapes, luxurious detailing and ladylike embellishments, they range in various shapes from work totes to tiny clutches and are available in a multitude of textures ranging from leather to the brand's signature nylon. In addition to Spade's transatlantic foray, she is also delving into the world of denim this fall. Spade has recently unveiled her Broome Street Jeans, named for the street that her Soho, New York store resides on. The deep indigo-rinse skinny jeans taper at the ankles, making them optimal for both day (when paired with colorful ballerina flats) or night (when worn with fierce stilettos). Sizes run from 23 to 34. Jeans sell for $195 a pair. They are now available for purchase in-store or online at www.katespade.com. The website only processes domestic US orders. Another American handbag company with plans to penetrate the UK market is Coach. The $3.61 billion brand has already made successful forays in Europe (notably in Spain and France) and now has plans to open between up to 15 Coach locations within the UK over the next three years. Coach had already entered the UK market in the 1990s, but had pulled the plug on operations due to poor sales figures and a general lack of reception by British customers. Despite the initial flop, Coach is intent on growing its brand there. The first store, a 3,000-square-foot (278 square meters) shop at the Westfield White City mall in West London, will open its doors in Spring 2011. And over the summer, Coach will also launch a 5,100-square-foot (473 square meters) flagship (the first in Europe) on New Bond Street.

There's been some interesting developments in Seattle's online handbag retailing sector. Yep, that's right. For whatever reason, Seattle has several upstarts trying to make it easier for women to buy, rent or sell handbags. The latest entrant is Bonanza, which today announced a specialty store with more than 20,000 handbags from top brands such as Chanel, Marc Jacobs and Balenciaga. The news comes as Avelle -- formerly known as Bag Borrow or Steal and one of the early entrants in the online handbag retailing space -- raised new cash. According to a SEC filing, Avelle raised $1 million debt financing from existing investors. Avelle CEO Mike Smith confirmed the new funding, adding that the company is "focused on evaluating our strategic options." That could include raising another round, seeking a buyer or growing the business organically, Smith said. The company raised a $15 million round in 2007 from Madrona Venture Group, Steelpoint Capital, Kuwait Holding Co., Hilltop Investments and others. That brought total funding at the time to $27 million. Bonanza -- which changed its name from Bonanzle and purchased Seattle startup 1000 Markets last month-- appears to be taking direct aim at its crosstown rival. Dubbed Bags Bonanza, the new site is the company's attempt to pocket some of the $5 billion worldwide handbag market. Bonanza CEO Bill Harding said that no clear leader has emerged in the category, with some sites offering few choices and others lacking top-notch customer service. "We intend to build Bags Bonanza into a destination that combines the greatest breadth of handbags online, with the attention to detail that handbag buyers crave," Harding said. Bonanza raised $1 million in April from Matrix Partners, Ignition Partners, Voyager Capital, Founder's Co-op, Curious Office Partners and prominent Seattle angels such as Ben Elowitz of Wetpaint and Andy Liu of BuddyTV. Avelle's Smith said he was aware of Bags Bonanza, noting that the company is starting out with a lot of inventory. However, he said one of the challenges operating a marketplace for designer handbags is making sure that the bags are authentic. "There are so many fakes and knock-offs out there," said Smith, adding that he wasn't sure whether the Bonanza concept would appeal to high-end shoppers. He added that Avelle rejects a percentage of handbags because they can't authenticate whether they are real. That sort of quality control can be costly, but it strengthens the company's connections with the high-end designers, Smith said. In addition to offering handbag rentals, Avelle also launched a new business of buying and selling authentic designer goods. That business has taken off which has led to internal discussions about Avelle's next steps, Smith said.

On Friday morning, Barneys Co-Op cut the ribbon on a new store in Brooklyn. It's the latest sign that major retailers are taking interest in a borough they shunned for decades. The glitzy store will be rubbing shoulders with some small businesses that couldn't be more different. Next door, there's a frame store, a Yemenite restaurant, and at the back of a barbershop, Abdul Karim runs an Arabic-English translation service. Karim admits he doesn't know the first thing about the glittering new temple to fashion just three doors down. "We barely go to Macy's," he says with a laugh. Karim doesn't expect much new business from Barneys shoppers, but he is concerned about the possible effect on his rent. He says rates have risen over the past decade, as the area has gentrified, drawing an Urban Outfitters and a Trader Joe's. So far, none of the Middle Eastern shops on the block have moved out. In fact, some merchants say they have benefitted from the traffic, including Sahadi's, a destination for wholesale dried apricots and Syrian string cheese since 1948. Cashier Nikki Diorio says contrary to expectations, the uptick in rental activity has been good for the store. "When Trader Joe's opened it was good for the business. Everyone thought it was gonna be bad. But it's gonna bring in more people, and more people are gonna discover Sahadi's," Diorio says. Realtors say commercial rents, now at $40-$50 per square foot, are bound to rise. But it's taken a long time for major retailers to take the borough seriously. "A lot of times Manhattan retailers feel like they need shots and a passport to come to Brooklyn," says Tim King, of CPEX. "And they almost become surprised, like, 'Oh, gee, you have real stores there!' Well guess what: we have real people here!" There are plans for an Aeropostale, an H&M and a combined Filene's Basement/Syms store in the nearby Fulton Mall area. Thousand dollar designer handbags may seem out of place on a block known for olives and hummus. But Barney's has one thing in common with many of its new neighbors: as the property of the government of Dubai, it too is an Arab-owned business.

Nancy Waesche of Greenwich is tickled pink. The former buyer for Macy's and Frederick Atkins Inc., a New York buying office that closed in the mid-1990s, recently opened Pinky, a 250-square-foot shop at 58A William St., in Greenwich, to sell her line of handbags highlighted with bright colors -- including pink. "No matter what's going on with trends, I'm always offering a lot of color," said Waesche, 50, who has a degree in retail management from Simmons College in Boston. "I always use black and white and play color off of it." The former space for The Antique Store Around The Corner is filled with several types of handbags costing from $100 to $400 and a variety of jewelry and accessories, said Waesche, who recalls childhood trips into Manhattan with her mom, who worked as a buyer. "She'd take me out of school to shop and dress me in all of these beautiful clothes," said Waesche, who decided to open Pinky last month after raising her third child as a stay-at-home mom. "I have been in retail all of my life." Waesche said her experience with Macy's and Frederick Atkins during the 1980s and 1990s will serve her well. "You need to be able to spot trends fast and make sure you develop them and have them in your store," she said. "You're making products on your fashion know-how." The slow economy should spur sales of Pinky's handbags and accessories as consumers look to spend less, said Waesche, who saw the demand for such items escalate during the not-so-prosperous early 1980s. "Accessories do well as a category in a slow economy because they are impulse items and they cost less than buying a whole new outfit," she said, adding that her store carries items at a wide range of price points. "If someone doesn't want a $300 faux-fur handbag, they may walk out with a $20 impulse item such as a wristlet bag." Handbags and other fashion accessories provide an economical way to spruce up one's wardrobe because they can be used with different outfits throughout the year, said Karen Giberson, president of the Accessories Council in New York. "And often these pieces will become classics in your wardrobe, items you will use season after season," she said.

Reveal's new Recycled Collection. Reveal, a brand devoted to preserve the planet's resources launched its new Recycled Collection on Friday (October 8). Merging design with some of the most sustainable materials available, the collection is created to represent those who are stylish and smart, and those who have an inclination to protect the planet. Complementing the current mobile and modern lifestyle, the Recycled range includes a selection of women's handbags and wallets, men's messenger bags and bamboo accessories, and eco-modern mobile accessories. Reveal strives to achieve a balance in damaged eco-systems of the world by working with American Forests, one of the oldest nonprofit conservation organizations in the U.S. The brand was established in the year 1999 by Terry and Jiaying Omata who was moved by the plight of the planet's deterioration and felt the need to attain a higher standard of living in the poverty-stricken areas. Get a glimpse of the collection below:

Lauren Conrad has spoken about a major fashion disaster – the moment her pet dog ate her Chanel handbags. The reality TV star, author and designer told Women's Health that she was horrified when her two-year-old dog Chloe ran amok in her wardrobe. She said: 'She ate two of my Chanel [handbags] and chewed the heel off a pair of boots right out of the box.” But the former Hills star – who appears on the front cover of the latest issue of the US fitness magazine – said she sought the help of a 'fashion doctor' who repaired the damage. The 24-year-old California-native didn't go into detail about the 'doctor', but said: 'He was like a magician. He brought everything back to life.' The TV star, who is currently promoting her third book Lauren Conrad Style, also revealed that when she's not writing and designing clothes, she cooks for herself and her room-mates, including one-time co-star Lo Bosworth. She said: 'I like to know exactly what's being put into my food. And it's nice to come home at the end of the day and cook with your friends.' To work off the calories, she added that she likes to go kayaking, hiking and playing tennis with friends near her Los Angeles apartment. She said: 'None of us are any good, but there's a lot of running around just trying to hit the ball… Anyway to make a work-out feel like playtime is great. “The stress just melts away.'