Judith Leiber is an American luxury brand that is known for its style and sophistication. Her handbags are on the cutting edge of high fashion and yet remain timeless and classic.
Judith Leiber was born and raised in Budapest, Hungary, where she studied the craft of handbag making during World War II. When the war finally ended, she met and married Gerson Leiber, an American GI stationed in Budapest.
In 1947, the couple immigrated to the U.S. In 1963, Leiber launched the Judith Leiber Company and over the years has garnered much respect for her meticulous attention to detail and flawless craftsmanship. She is best known for her crystal clutches, which, like most anything worth knowing about, had an interesting beginning. Leiber had ordered a gift for a friend through the mail, but when she received it, she realized that the polished metal box was terribly scratched. Not knowing what else to do she creatively decided to cover the flaws with crystals. 40 years later, the use of signature crystals and exotic skins on handbags has gained her world-renowned fame and attention.
Judith Leiber handbags are part of the permanent design collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, The Houston Museum of Fine Arts and the Los Angeles Museum of Art, and each First Lady since 1953 has carried custom-made bags to Presidential Inaugurations.
