How to Choose a Hip Bag: FREE Style Consultations in Eaton, Colorado
Choosing a hip bag shouldn’t feel like guesswork. At Hip Bag Company, we’ve been handcrafting one-of-a-kind leather hip bags in Eaton, Colorado since 1999, and we offer free, no-obligation style consultations to help you find the one that fits your life, your style, and everything you carry.
We help two kinds of people:
- Shoppers looking for a hip bag of their own, whether you’ve never worn one or you’re adding to your collection.
- Boutique owners and retailers considering a handmade hip bag line their customers can’t find anywhere else.
You can visit our shop in Eaton, call us from anywhere, or find us at a trade show or outdoor event. Either way, the consultation is free.
How We Help You Choose the Right Hip Bag
Our consultations aren’t a sales pitch. Honestly, most people walk right up to our hip bags because of the allure of our designs. Comments we usually hear are these are not like anything they have seen before. We take it from there. Your response allows us to help you narrow it down in three simple steps on how to choose a hip bag.
Step 1: Choose by What You Carry
Start with what you need on you every day. Size is the first decision, and it’s the one we ask about first.
- Minimalist: our cell phone hip bags hold the essentials, like your phone, ID, a credit card, and a lipstick. Perfect if you like to travel light.
- Organized: our larger hip bags add exterior and interior slip pockets, so everything has its own place and you’re not digging for your keys.
- Travel: we design our hip bags to be carry on eligible and have matching sets to keep you fashionable on the go.
Step 2: Choose by Your Style
This is the fun part. Because we build every hip bag to order, you can personalize the details:
- Leather body colors: determining your body color from our cowhide leather colors.
- Desiging the mosaic lid: choosing the printed leathers or hair on hide brings a true personalization to your hip bag.
- Studs or no studs: bold or clean, your call.
- Centerpieces: the detail that makes your hip bag unmistakably yours.
Your design starts to come together right in front of your eyes. By putting the leathers, the embellishments and mosaic design together brings a relationship not only between you and your hip bag, but also becoming part of the Hip Bag Co family!
hip bag consultation
The initial consultation determining which leathers and colors
finalizing the design
Brining the leather colors together for your personalized hip bag
relations developed
The relationships developed
Step 3: Confirming the Different Ways You Can Wear It
A hip bag is designed to clip right onto your belt loops with a trigger-snap clasp. No belt loops? No problem. Every hip bag comes with an adjustable shoulder strap. That same shoulder strap can be a belt. So, you can also wear a hip bag like a waist pack. Plus, we have a handbag strap option that you can substiture or purchase to make it a set. With both straps, there are four ways to wear your hip bag:
- Clipped to your belt loops for true hands-free wear.
- Crossbody with the adjustable shoulder strap.
- As a waist pack with the shoulder strap worn as a belt.
- As a handbag with the handbag strap.
We like to say we don’t sell bags here. It’s more like an adoption process. A hip bag is an extension of your personality, so it’s just a matter of finding the one that suits you.
Hip Bag or Fanny Pack? Know the Difference
When you're choosing, it helps to know what you're comparing. A fanny pack has a built-in belt and is usually made of nylon or synthetic fabric. A hip bag clips to your belt loops and, at Hip Bag Company, is handmade from genuine leather. For the full comparison, read why hip bags are not fanny packs.
What to Expect From Your Free Consultation
- In our Eaton, Colorado shop: give us a call to let us know you’re stopping by. Walk-ins are always welcome too.
- By phone: browsing our website from somewhere else? Call us and we’ll walk you through styles, sizes, and options.
- At trade shows and outdoor events: stop by our booth. See where we’ll be next.
After your consultation:
- If you fall in love with a hip bag we have on display, you can take it home that day.
- If you want design changes, like a different color, studs, or centerpiece, we’ll build it for you. Custom hip bags usually take 2–3 weeks.
Who You’ll Be Working With
Hip Bag Company is a family business. Our founders, Dianna and Kathy French, have been designing and handcrafting hip bags together since 1999. Dianna leads the design work with Kathy’s coordination and sewing expertise. Together they’ve made thousands of hip bags with the help of additional sewer Nancy. Peter is the marketer, web developer and gopher extrodinaire.
Your consultation is usually with Dianna or Peter:
- Dianna holds a degree in fashion design, brings a background in accounting, and served as a marketint manager at Hastings, the video, books and music retailer. She knows both design and what sells on a retail floor.
- Peter has worked in his family’s gift store since his teens. He has been in marketing, sales, advertising and online marketing for over 30 years.
Between us, we bring more than 60 years of experience in fashion and marketing. Read the full story.
Our Track Record
- Since 1999: over 25 years of handcrafting hip bags in Colorado.
- Thousands of hip bags made, and a reputation that’s followed us from show to show.
- Our retailers don’t send hip bags back. We’ve never had bags returned because they wouldn’t sell.
- Found coast to coast: carried by boutiques and retailers, and showcased at regional and national trade shows.
What Makes Our Hip Bags Different
- One of a kind: every hip bag is handmade, so you won’t find yours anywhere else. Not in a department store, and not online.
- Built to order: we don’t carry mass inventory. Each bag is made for the person or the store that ordered it.
- Made to last a lifetime: we use 2.5–3.0 oz leather sourced from saddleries and tanneries nationwide, the same hide used for working leather goods.
- A fashion statement, not just a pouch: our hip bags are designed to be noticed. That’s why people walk over to see them.
- Versatile by design: four ways to wear one bag means it works for a trail ride, a concert, or a night out.
For Boutiques and Retailers
Thinking about carrying hip bags in your store? We offer the same free consultation to retailers, in our shop, by phone, or at a trade show.
- $300 mix-and-match minimum: that usually works out to 6–10 hip bags in your first order, depending on the styles you choose.
- Lead time: we build your order after it’s confirmed. Our typical turnaround is 4–6 weeks, and orders are ready to ship within 8 weeks.
- Wholesale pricing: available once you complete our wholesale application and set up your account.
- Our display tip: show your whole order of hip bags together. They sell off one another. Customers get curious, walk over, and that’s your chance to show them the versatility and features that close the sale.
You know your customers best, and our retailers usually know right away whether hip bags fit their store.
Frequently Asked Questions on How to Choose a Hip Bag
Is the consultation really free?
Yes. Every consultation is free with no obligation, whether you’re shopping for yourself or for your store.
How much does a hip bag cost?
Pricing depends on the style you choose, so price is established during your consultation. Our hip bags are handmade, one-of-a-kind leather pieces made to last a lifetime, so they’re priced as an investment rather than a disposable accessory. Retailers receive wholesale pricing after completing our wholesale application.
What if I don’t wear belts?
You don’t need one. The adjustable shoulder strap that comes with every hip bag can be worn as a belt, so your hip bag wears like a waist pack. It primarily works as a crossbody strap.
Can I buy a hip bag the same day?
Yes. If we have a hip bag on display that you love, you can take it home that day. If you want design changes, we’ll build it for you in about 2–3 weeks.
Can I customize my hip bag?
Yes. You can choose your leather body color, select leathers for designed mosaic lid, studs or no studs, and the centerpiece. You can also swap the shoulder strap for a handbag strap, or add the handbag strap to make it a set.
Is there a hip bag retailer near me?
Possibly. Use our retailer locator and we’ll connect you with a retailer in your area. If there isn’t one nearby, give us a call and we can help you directly.
What is the wholesale minimum order?
Our minimum first order is $300, mix and match, which is usually 6–10 hip bags depending on the styles you choose.
How long does a wholesale order take?
We build each order after it’s confirmed. Turnaround is typically 4–6 weeks, and orders are ready to ship within 8 weeks.
Let’s Find Your Hip Bag
Whether you’re choosing your first hip bag or stocking your store, we’d love to help. Call us, stop by our shop in Eaton, Colorado, or come see us at an upcoming show.
