10 Questions with BagButler Founder and Luxury Brand Expert Tina Lipfriend

Interview with BagButler founder Tina Lipfriend

Luxury handbags are more than just accessories—they’re investments, style statements, and treasured pieces of craftsmanship. Whether you’re eyeing an iconic Hermès Birkin or a timeless Chanel Classic Flap, understanding the world of designer handbags is key to making the right choices.

To offer expert insight, we sat down with Tina Lipfriend, the founder of BagButler, a luxury handbag and accessories rental service. With years of experience curating the finest designer pieces, Tina shares her inspiring story of how she started her business in luxury handbags and accessories. As well as sharing her thoughts on sustainability in fashion, and what makes a handbag truly timeless.

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1 What inspired you to start BagButler?  

I was inspired to start BagButler after raising my two girls while I was being treated for breast cancer. I tend not to talk too much about the cancer but in truth, it was why I started my business. Before this, I had worked in a voluntary capacity at a food bank and at a school running a reading group.

I had to give these roles up due to my compromised immune system and one day when I felt a bit helpless, I wrote down lots of ideas on a big blank sheet of paper. I have always loved handbags and have worn Chanel fragrances since when I was 16. I just had the idea that people might like to rent a Chanel handbag and it turns out they do! 

2 What was the moment that made you decide to turn the idea into a business? 

Immediately the idea occurred to me. Once the idea had formed the decision was made. I started by gradually buying handbags when I travelled to central London for all my treatments and built it from there. 

3 Have you always been passionate about luxury fashion, and how has your personal style influenced Bag Butler?  

Yes, I was brought up to understand that quality is much more important than quantity in all things (including friendships). However, that did not necessarily mean designer names. My style has influenced BagButler in that I only buy a piece if I like it, and if I feel it has longevity of style and construction. My style hasn’t changed much. I like a Parisian left bank look, silk shirts, skinny jeans, slightly underdone, no elaborate manicure!  

4 What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when launching the brand?

I launched the business in late autumn 2019 and by spring 2020 we were in pandemic territory. That was unexpected and challenging for us and clearly, no one needed a handbag. However, I was able to rent jewellery as some clients wanted eye-catching pieces for Zoom calls.

5 Luxury resale and rental have grown in popularity—how has the market evolved since you started?   

I am pleased to say that fashion rental and fashion resale have both grown enormously and all studies predict this trend to continue. The secondary market in ‘new’ high luxury items is competitive and I suspect a little oversubscribed and this has been a market response to the difficulty in acquiring new pieces particularly handbags and watches from specific brands.

I have been delighted to note that traditional retailers such as John Lewis are now offering a rental service. Everything that helps to keep the conscious consumer conversation fresh can only be a good thing in my mind. There is nothing worse than seeing images of our discarded textile waste washed up on shores far away. 

6. How do you curate the selection of designer handbags and accessories for BagButler? 

I select pieces that I know will be loved by many and will transition through the seasons and not date.

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7. How do customers rent or resell a luxury item through your website?  

To rent with us the process is very simple. After you have selected your handbag, you are invited to book it on the calendar for a period of 4 days or more up to 2 weeks. Longer rentals are available by request. You will then be sent to our checkout page where you will also be asked to pay a security deposit and to complete an ID check.

The ID checks are very straightforward and take seconds to complete. This is handled for us by a UK-based ID company. Orders are sent out nationwide by Royal Mail Special Delivery and arrive before 1 pm on day one of the rental period. Return postage is provided and deposits are returned the day the rental arrives back with us. 

We are not a platform business or a tech company. Our stock is owned by us so we maintain control over authenticity and quality. We don’t do a lot of resales as that is not my ‘Jam.’  I am passionate about rental. We only sell when we get a request or when we decide to move a piece on because it has outgrown its rental life.

9 Sustainability is a big part of luxury resale—how does Bag Butler contribute to a more circular fashion economy?

I aim for no product offered by BagButler ever to end up in a landfill. It is why I am so careful as to what I buy and one of the reasons I have kept the brand at the size it is. I am not into having loads of stock to try and be big. I want to be the best and run a business that I would want to be a customer of.

It would be great to say that our clients rent from us for sustainable reasons. They don’t. They rent because they love what we have and they love our service. The sustainability aspect is secondary but it is important to me as the business owner that we rent items worthy of being used time and time and time again and ideally become legacy pieces. This is sustainability at its best as far as I am concerned. It is the antithesis of overconsumption

9. What sets BagButler apart from other luxury rental or resale sites?  

Firstly, we own all the stock and do not operate as a platform for others to load stock onto. Secondly via our WhatsApp customers can get in touch with me directly which they enjoy.

Thirdly we are handbags focused and specialise in just a few brands as we know these are the ones that have enduring appeal. We are not trying to be everything to everyone. Our clients are discerning and we know who they are and they find us when they are ready. 

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10 What are your top tips for someone investing in their first luxury handbag?  

I would say read my book ‘The Chanel Handbag Collector’s Guide.‘ In [the book], I specifically state that a Chanel flap bag in black caviar leather whether purchased new or preloved will always be a good idea. Other than that, I would say don’t buy fun fabric and satin and only buy what you can see yourself truly loving in 10 years. This is not about ‘Girl Math’ it is common sense savvy conscious consumerism. 

Tina’s top tips for caring for and maintaining designer handbags;

• Don’t overfill your handbag
• Don’t put it on the floor…ever!
• Do use a handbag liner to protect the inside from make-up marks and also to preserve the bag’s structure. 
• Do store it carefully on its side in a box and or dustbag. 
• Do use a vetted professional for cleaning and repairs. 

Join the fashion revolution and say YES to renting with bagbutler.co.uk