Lowell Harder, the Founder of Radley, needed a different direction in her life. At 33, she turned her hand to a different sort of design. Her cousin had just returned from a trip with some vegetable tan leather bags and was immediately impressed by the unique designs. Lowell contacted the manufacturer in India and arranged to have her own bags made. Lowell arranged to import both “ethnic” bags and bags she designed for the them to produce. Unfortunately, retailers were not so happy with the vibrant designs. They requested a tone down of the designs. This was an immediate success. Lowell had the idea of adding a West Highland terrier motif to the bags. This idea was inspired when Lowell was walking home and saw a dog walker with a black dog and a bright red collar. Lowell wanted to give her customers a brand with humour and eccentricity. The dog was then included on every design from late 2000.