(Accessories)
Aureum Collective’s Cass DiMicco Designed Her Perfect Handbags
They fit in next to her Birkins.
When Cass DiMicco began designing handbags under her luxury accessories label Aureum Collective, it was in an effort to create a line that she would want to wear on a daily basis — and mission accomplished. Now, nearly nine months later, she has organically integrated the designs into her everyday life. In the process, DiMicco realized she no longer needed some of the leather bags that previously took up valuable real estate in her wardrobe. “I used to have a lot of bags from The Row,” she told TZR. “I sold all of them.”
Other than her prized Hermès and Chanel bags, these days, the content creator and co-founder pretty much only wears Aureum’s handcrafted Italian designs. “I wanted to make something that I genuinely was proud and excited to wear more than any of my designer bags,” shared DiMicco. The brand, which began as an eight-piece jewelry line, has evolved over time to become the go-to leather destination for high-quality bags and belts, loved by everyone from Gigi Hadid to Jasmine Tookes.
As a fashion creative herself, there’s rarely any gatekeeping when it comes to DiMicco’s shopping splurges. For her 30th birthday, her husband and business partner Matthew Hoyle surprised her with a rare black and cream Birkin bag — her most cherished accessory — which she often shares in her aspirational street style photos for her near 900,000 Instagram followers. DiMicco has since purchased four other Hermès styles — most of which were sourced on the resale market, aside from the Constance style she tells us she bought on a trip to Paris.
“Now that I know the ins and outs of creating a handbag and the craftsmanship behind it, I’m someone who's willing to invest more in their handbag,” DiMicco on her handbag philosophy. And Aureum’s bags aren’t meant to replace those higher priced designer pieces, per se. Similar to her own strategy, the co-founder believes her customers will want to make room for both types of investment items.
“If you're a girl who has maybe a Chanel or Hermès black and gold bag, maybe, from us, you're going to buy the butter yellow or a snake [Cassandra Clutch] — especially because Hermès only sells authentic exotics.” Instead of running up a bill in the tens of thousands and building a lengthy shopping history with a sales associate, Aureum feels like a more accessible route to achieve an elevated look for everyday.
With an almost equal amount of thought and intention about what bag she chooses to go with her perfectly styled Miami outfits, are the items DiMicco carries inside. Her minimalist aesthetic applies here too: “I'm such a minimal girly. I have one lip liner, one lipstick,” she said. The most important item she always takes with her? a measuring tape. “I'm actually always getting asked questions from our designer, from our manufacturers about measurements,” DiMicco answered when asked about the most random or unexpected thing in her bag.
For DiMicco, what makes a bag suitable for her everyday, entrepreneurial lifestyle is something practical. “I don't like to buy things that are just a piece of art that sits in my closet... I like bags that I can actually wear,” she said. While she may wear a Birkin while traveling or if the occasion calls for it, day-to-day she’d rather stay low-key and wear Aureum.
That’s precisely why she designed her own accessories. “I want this bag to look expensive and beautiful, but it's not in your face.”
