Chris Liu and Tibor Matyas are the guys behind one of the most forward thinking and progressive accessory labels around.  “The concept and inspiration of the label comes from London with its exciting mix of history, style and the futuristic modernity of the adjoining City.”  Their use of premium materials, and seemingly never-ending search for perfection in the field of luggage and bags makes their product second to none.  Already getting huge press coverage from the likes of I.D, Selectism, and many more.  We got to sit down with the guys behind the oh so special gym bags and pick their brains!

Introduce yourself to the RISE readers!

We are Chris Liu and Tibor Matyas, designer duo behind the fashion accessory label Chris&Tibor. We live and work currently in East London.

What caused you to start Chris&Tibor?

The label evolved from Chris’ seemingly simple quest for the perfect gym bag. It was in 2006.

What does Chris&Tibor mean to its consumers, how would you describe the typical characteristics of the brand?

The Chris&Tibor bag is a statement piece. It is challenging, exclusive, fashion forward and creative. Not for everybody!

Following on from that, what are the essentials of a piece of luggage / bag for you?

A bag is a practical piece of fashion and for that reason it has to be well structured and strong. When we design we like to use and mixing some unusual and trendy materials with leather, giving a distinctive look to the bag.

Where do you do all your production, and where do you source all the materials you use in your collections?

We have been doing production exclusively in London at the beginning. It was helpful as we could oversee everything closely. We have outgrow that small London factory, quantity is multiplied and with all the collaborations we cannot rely on just 1 factory anymore, we are working with different factories in different locations. Sourcing interesting and quality materials are also important, there are some big fashion tradeshows in Paris and Bologna, every seasons we are travelling to these events.

What has been your highlight so far with the current lifespan of Chris&Tibor?

It must be the UK Fashion Export Award which we won in the new exporter category in 2008. Our collaboration project also a cornerstone for the brand, we have been working together with some fantastic designers like Walter Van Beirendonck, Juun.J, Veronique Branquinho and Romain Kremer.

What do you have going on at the moment, and what do you have in store for 2010?

The most important current project is our online shop. We have been doing wholesales in the past 7 seasons and we realised that there is no future in fashion without mono brand store. We see the e-shop as a first step towards to our own retail. Visit our website (www.christibor.com) and blog (blog.christibor.com) for the latest news and updates. We launching our women bag collection and there are also lots of new collaborations coming up in 2010.

What’s your new years resolution, an official record which we’ll hold you to later in the year…?

Resolution because of New Year? Nothing really. But there is a phrase we always say between ourselves: Just do it!

Chris&Tibor have just started a facebook fanpage so for all of you socially networked individuals, head over to HERE and show them some love!