When Melissa Mash launched bag brand Dagne Dover in 2013, she set out to rescript the relationship between women and the things they carry. 

Cutting her teeth at Coach, where she helped turn around the brand’s first European retail store at Heathrow Airport, Mash witnessed firsthand customers’ pain points with bags that looked good but didn’t necessarily work for their lives.

Mash and her co-founders, designer Jessy Dover and operations lead Deepa Gandhi, built Dagne Dover (Dagne is a Nordic word that means ‘new day’) around functionality and inclusion, pitched as “a problem-solving bag brand designed to flex for whatever life brings”.

“Our bags should be working for us,” Mash told Inside Retail’s Amie Larter in an episode of the video series Retail Transformers. “They should help us feel prepared and confident for whatever the day is, whether you are running around town with a diaper bag, or you’re running into a board meeting, or you’re travelling.”

More than a decade since the brand’s launch, Dagne Dover has evolved from a direct-to-consumer startup into a lifestyle brand with a flagship store in SoHo, a growing wholesale network through partners like Bloomingdale’s and Sephora, and a loyal online following. 

But Mash insists that longevity comes down to one thing: “Anyone can have a one-hit wonder product. What matters is consistently anticipating your customers’ needs before they even know it.”

Dagne Dover achieved this by expanding its range to include bags that address every aspect of their customers’ lives, from work bags to travel bags, pet carriers, and bags for parents of babies. 

“People’s lives are evolving. We hope that they think of us as the immediate, obvious solution for a problem-solving bag whenever they need a new kind.

“I wanted to create a brand that really resonated for my generation, where it wasn’t just us carrying brands of older men’s names on them or brands that we’ve never heard of and didn’t know the meaning behind. And for us, as young women entering the workforce and needing to carry our laptops, phones, and water bottles, trying to stay hydrated and ensure our keys are exactly where they should be.

“Our goal was always to make best-in-class bags that could … make you feel confident for whatever the day threw at you. What’s more important in all of this brand building and longevity is consistency. Anyone can have a one-hit wonder product. But it’s about being able to consistently anticipate your customers’ needs before they even know it, and to continue to win their pocket share.”

The transition from online to offline

Selling online, a brand can show numerous pictures of a product from various angles, but the customer does not get to feel what the product looks like. That’s why Dagne Dover pivoted into physical stores. 

“For example, when we launched luggage a little over a year ago, people couldn’t feel the wheels and how amazing they are. We realised that for something like luggage, we need to have many more in-person touch points, more so than just our own store.” The brand has just launched in Bloomingdale’s, where it is selling well, she says, because people can try it out and make an informed purchasing decision. 

Dagne Dover has just one of its own stores, a flagship in SoHo, which also hosts activities like brand activations and private shopping events. A key feature is a ‘test-drive station’ where customers can pack fake laptops, breast pumps, sneakers, fake fruit and Tupperware – things that you would carry in your bag on a daily basis – to see how they fit into the bags. 

“You don’t want to schlep your own stuff to the store, but you can try out the medium size versus the large size, so you walk out of the store knowing you got the right size for what you carry on a daily basis.” 

Mash says the team has not relied on the fast rollout of a fleet of stores to achieve growth. “We’ve really chosen to lean into our wholesale partners who allow us to get in front of different pockets within the country and beyond, and their strength, their brand strength as well, instead of pouring capex into those areas of the business.”

Mash is used to being asked if there was a moment she knew Dagne Dover had ‘made it’. “There’s not just one moment. There are so many little [ones] almost every week.” She cites the success of recent partnerships with Sephora and Bloomingdale’s as examples. 

“All these little wins make me very proud that we are moving in the right direction, but it’s never just one. How can you say one thing is better than the other when they all add up to success?”

The power of three

Establishing Dagne Dover, Mash wanted to ensure there were three co-founders. Deepa Gandhi brought business analytical skills to the table, complementing Mash’s consumer-facing experience, while Jessy Dover is the designer and chief creative officer. She sees the team as a balance “between business and the magic”. 

“Design is really important to having a successful brand. We’ve seen a lot of brands over the years that were either very designer-focused or designer-driven or very business-driven. Sometimes it’s hard to maintain the magic and be a business. We believe we have struck a good balance.” 

Another attribute of a successful brand is avoiding having egos drive decision-making. Having three minds to evaluate any decision has been powerful for Dagne Dover, and Mash believes that is a key reason the business has evolved and thrived over 13 years. 

“I’ve seen a lot of brands that took [investment] with certain types of expectations and were persuaded to roll out a fleet of stores that ended up being a big problem for them. We don’t have anyone controlling us or telling us what we have to do, so we are able to operate autonomously and independently and make the best decisions, and that’s worked out very well for us.”

• Watch the video to hear Mash discuss how storytelling is deeply embedded in every aspect of the business, influencing everything from product design to the way sales associates are trained, and how data is a powerful driver of the business.