Vera Bradley's colorful, patterned bags are gaining popularity among students
COLUMBIA — MU freshman Becky Means owns a dozen Vera Bradley items: a wallet, a duffel bag, two purses, two book bags, a pair of glasses with a matching case, two little identification cases, a laptop cover and a makeup bag.
"It's become kind of an obsession," said Means, an agricultural business major from Columbia. "My mom and my sister started getting items when I was too young to care about fashion, but I started beginning to like her in the beginning of high school."
This fall, the recognizable brand appears to be all over MU. Bright floral backpacks and big purses used to carry books stand out in unexpected bursts of color popping out of the masses of students.
Based in Fort Wayne, Ind., the Vera Bradley company is 26 years old. Spokeswoman Melissa Cordial said about 700 college and university bookstores across the country carry the company's items. The most popular piece on college campuses, she said, is the zip ID case.
Means said the style appeals to her because of her fondness for the "toile paisley-like pattern," which she likes because of its classic, old-fashioned look.
"My prom dress was that pattern, too," said Means, a 2008 graduate of Rock Bridge High School.
"This year, our Vera Bradley sales went up 54 percent," said Donnie Hart, manager of Kirlin's Hallmark, in the Nifong Shopping Center, which sells the Vera Bradley line. Amanda Flowers, who works at Kirlin's, said the store sells more Vera Bradley items to high school and college students than any other age group.
Emily Roberts, another Kirlin's employee, said the products are most popular right before school starts and when the new patterns come out in January and July. The company, Roberts said, has "done a good job marketing not just as a one-generation kind of thing."
Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller founded Vera Bradley with the idea of creating more feminine-looking luggage. Today, the company produces a wide range of products, including home furnishings, tableware and stationery.
Hart attributes the burst of recent popularity to the label's more student-friendly styles that appeal to younger age groups.
"Designs are colorful and fun, and she has a lot of matching accessories to go with it," said MU freshman Kate Boyd, another fan of the brand. "I have all the accessories to match my Vera Bradley bag."
Vera Bradley products range in price from $10 for a zip ID case to $130 for a garment bag. However, most handbags cost from $50 to $80.
Means said she likes the brand's functionality.
"A lot of girls that live in the dorms have the zip ID cases that are good quality holders to keep their student ID in to get into their dorm and to keep their room key in," she said.
Melissa Deffenaugh, a junior at MU, said she carries her Vera Bradley bag to class because it's bright, comfortable and has lots of pockets for books.
Cordial said the company has always encouraged college students to carry its line. "Actually, 25 years ago when Barbara Baekgaard and Patricia Miller started the company, they sent the first prototypes to Barbara's daughters who were in college in Michigan and New York," Cordial said.
And the label is trying to stay current.
"In the past few years we have implemented a campus mailer as part of our marketing mix," Cordial said. "Vera Bradley has also become involved in Facebook and Twitter."