Scandi It-girls' beloved ballet flats brand Dear Frances just launched handbags

Dear Frances’ sheer ballet flats have recently grown exceedingly popular with the Nordic fashion community. More specifically, the ‘Balla’ mesh flat in white – seen both with and without a scattering of sparkling crystals – has been seen on a whole slew of local style mavens, from Norwegian stylist Alice Wang to Swedish content creators Ellen Claesson and Hanna Stefansson. These tastemaker have all chosen to wear the 'Balla' flat in a similar way throughout summer: bell-shaped crisp cotton maxi skirts worn with a warming layer shrugged over the shoulders. Archetypal ensembles that cement the London-based brand’s place in our Nordic wardrobes.

Founder and creative director Jane Frances believes that the popularity of her eponymous brand in the Nordics comes down to a shared love for the same design ideologies: minimalist lines, form, function, attention to detail, and the highest quality. “Our 'Balla' mesh flat was born from the idea of seeing the form of the foot within the shoe, this idea that the human body is delicate and beautiful and enables us to feel dressed, even in a pair of flat shoes,” she says. “It is great to see people loving them the way we do and styling them endlessly no matter the season.”

Now, Dear Frances is expanding its offering, launching six sleek handbags, with a second drop released in September. As for the collection available to shop now, the shapes take centre stage. “They’re unexpected,” says Frances, who’s purposefully avoided obvious styles to slot in alongside the brand’s shoes. For example, the 'Dante' bucket bag, which is the brand's leading launch silhouette. “It is a walking, talking, functional piece of art that heroes artisanal craft and directional design,” says Frances.

Frances approached the new category much like she does designing shoes. One key difference: “Designing bags is a much more tactile experience. We found ourselves folding, scrunching and draping leather over silhouettes to achieve the look we wanted,” says the designer.

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As for which handbag the founder believes will find its way into the covetable closets of our favourite local It-girls, Frances says that she has her eye on the 'Como' open weave tote - an unstructured tote that is hand-woven using a single piece of the finest Italian Nappa leather. “It offers a laid-back but put-together look,” she says – two sartorial tropes that fit the Scandi style. “I can’t wait to see these [the first six bags] styled over the coming summer months,” Frances concludes. And we can’t help but agree with her.