Bags of style

It was a handbag that signaled not only a change in design aesthetics, but also in ladies' fashion, as usability became a priority for the modern, working woman. Kitty Go looks at the iconic Amazona.

Many people may know about the Hermes Birkin, a bag made in 1984 by Jean-Louis Dumas for Jane Birkin and based on a design from 1892. But how many know of the Amazona, a handbag that defined and defied a generation when it was introduced in 1975 by Spanish leather goods house Loewe, which was founded in 1846?

The Amazona heralded a new period not only for Loewe but also the fashion in handbags. As its name implies, it was created for a new type of woman who was empowered, strong in personality and will, socially and geographically mobile, independent and liberal.