Before the brand. Before the bags. Before "CONFIDENCE LIVES HERE.™" — there was a vibrant, energetic, defiant little girl in Melbourne, the oldest of five, learning to sew, knit, and embroider at her grandmother's side.
In this first episode of Beyond the Bag, Aimee Kestenberg goes all the way back to the beginning. She opens up about growing up in Melbourne, Australia, and the grandmother who first lit her love of fashion — a refugee and gifted seamstress whose hands taught Aimee her very first craft. That grandmother, along with grandparents who survived the Holocaust and rebuilt their lives from nothing, gave Aimee something deeper than technique: a lasting sense of gratitude, resilience, and a belief that the point of a life well-built is to bring more love and kindness into the world.
From there, Aimee traces the long, unlikely road to where she is now. Rejected from every fashion school in Australia, she pivoted — studying industrial design and engineering at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, where she learned to think in 3D and obsess over ergonomics and function. (Spoiler: it became the secret weapon behind every bag she's ever made.) Then came the leap: accepted into Parsons, she moved to New York at twenty, weathering culture shock, relentless hard work, and a string of unpaid internships — including stints with Isaac Mizrahi and Alexander McQueen — that taught her the industry from the inside out.
Aimee shares the turning points that built the brand: a cool, functional backpack thesis that turned heads at the Parsons Gala, and the intricate, handcrafted bag — inspired by a blue-ringed octopus — that earned her American Handbag Designer of the Year.
Then the conversation turns to the chapter that changed everything. With honesty and grace, Aimee speaks about her experience with postpartum depression and psychosis after the birth of her first son — and how learning to advocate for herself and heal led her to become a certified wellness specialist. It's the origin of the "fashion meets wellness" philosophy now stitched into the heart of her brand: the conviction that women deserve to care for their physical, emotional, and spiritual selves as fiercely as they chase everything else.
She closes on what she knows for sure — that you can't pour from an empty cup, that boundaries and authentic people are non-negotiable, and that doing it all takes constant evolution, a lot of grace, and the courage to ask for help.
It's the full story behind the woman who designs for the modern woman on the move — because she's lived every mile of it. From a kitchen table in Melbourne to a global brand built on women's designer handbags, this is how Aimee got here.
Pull up a seat. We're going beyond the bag.
Explore AIMEE
Designed by Aimee Kestenberg for the modern woman on the move. Practical luxury, buttery-soft leather, and confidence in every stitch.
🛍️ Shop women's designer handbags — the full AIMEE world
Browse by what you love:
- New Arrivals · the latest leather bags & accessories
- Best Sellers · the styles everyone's carrying
- Crossbody Bags · day-to-night, hands-free
- Tote Bags · room for everything you do
- Backpacks · function meets edge
- Travel Bags · take along luxury
- Accessories · wallets, charms, straps & more
- Sale · treat-yourself pricing
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