What do Demna’s former Swiss residence, sacred geometry, and Swiss healer Emma Kunz all have in common? They all served as the underlying inspiration for Marcela Velez’s newest numerology-driven venture, House Number .01. Launched today, September 9—a.k.a. 9/9, nine being the number that represents completion—the made-to-order brand marks a new chapter for the handbag designer, one that centers slow, intentional design. “I wanted to create a product that is more than just a physical material product or a fashion object,” Velez tells Vogue. “Each bag, each piece, has a beautiful story and a specific frequency of energy because every single element has been thought of with a very specific intention.”
Photo: House Number .01
Velez first entered the handbag scene in her early 20s in 2012, when she and fellow Colombian designer Melissa Losada cofounded M2Malletier, a celebrity-loved sculptural bag brand marked by its signature metal handlebar design. Over the course of a decade, the two built a successful business; however, the pandemic happened, life got slower, both became mothers, and priorities and inspirations began to shift. The duo eventually closed the brand at the end of 2022, at a time when Velez felt the market was “oversaturated” with trendy It bags. “Melissa, my ex–business partner, and I just went in different directions—we both got married, had children,” says Velez. “I wanted to focus on my son and motherhood, and then I moved to Switzerland from Barcelona.” Now in Switzerland, Velez turned to an unexpected source of inspiration for her next endeavor: the home she purchased from Demna, Gucci’s mononymous creative director.
