About the Brand
About
Silver & Riley is an independent global luxury leather goods and accessories brand founded by Lola Banjo in 2019. Known for exquisitely crafted handbags that balance beauty, functionality and longevity, the brand creates pieces designed for work, travel and everyday life.
Silver & Riley’s leather goods are handcrafted by artisans in Italy and Spain using exceptional materials and time-honored techniques. The collection spans handbags, work bags, travel bags and accessories, alongside silk scarves crafted in Como, Italy. The brand’s signature New Yorker handbag has sold out 11 times since its introduction in 2023 and has become a favorite among Silver & Riley clients.
Today, Silver & Riley serves customers across 27 countries, with an average order value of approximately $600, a 50%+ repeat purchase rate and a return rate of less than 1%. The brand is primarily enjoyed by working professional women and has built an unusually loyal customer community, with approximately 14% of customers owning five or more products.
Silver & Riley remains independently built and founder-led, with a commitment to exceptional craftsmanship, thoughtful design, full-price brand building and creating products meant to be enjoyed for years.
Founding Story
The idea for Silver & Riley began years before the company launched, while founder Lola Banjo was traveling extensively as a strategy consultant. Moving constantly between airports, client meetings, hotels and cities around the world, she saw a persistent gap in the market: many products designed for work and travel prioritized function at the expense of beauty, while beautiful luxury products often failed to accommodate the realities of how professional women actually lived.
Banjo founded Silver & Riley in 2019 to create what she wanted to carry herself: exceptionally made products that brought together beauty, function and longevity without requiring women to choose among them. She initially built the company alongside a demanding corporate career and continued doing so while eventually becoming a VP at Salesforce. At the end of 2023, she left corporate America to focus on Silver & Riley full time.
Her path to fashion was unconventional. An engineer by training, Banjo spent more than 15 years in strategy and consulting, including leadership roles at Salesforce and work with Deloitte and Accenture, advising some of the world’s largest companies. That background continues to shape how she approaches Silver & Riley, from product development and customer experience to the economics of building an independent luxury house.
Travel remains central to the brand. Banjo has visited more than 100 countries, and those experiences inform Silver & Riley’s approach to design, functionality and storytelling. Today, the company works with skilled artisans in Italy and Spain and has grown into a multimillion-dollar global business with customers across 27 countries.
At a Glance
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Handcrafted in Italy & Spain
Silver & Riley leather goods are handcrafted by skilled artisans in Italy and Spain, drawing on generations of leatherworking expertise and traditional craftsmanship.
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Exceptional Customer Loyalty
More than 50% of Silver & Riley customers purchase from the brand again, and approximately 14% own five or more Silver & Riley products. The brand maintains a return rate of less than 1%.
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The New Yorker: 11 Sellouts
Silver & Riley’s signature New Yorker handbag has sold out 11 times since its introduction in 2023. Offered in multiple sizes and 14 colorways, it has become one of the brand’s most recognizable designs.
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Built for Beauty + Function
Silver & Riley designs products around how people actually live, combining sophisticated design with thoughtful functionality for work, travel and everyday life.
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Buy 1, Give 5
Through its Buy 1, Give 5 program, Silver & Riley allocates 5% of revenue to supporting women entrepreneurs, with an ambitious goal to support 1,000 women entrepreneurs by 2030.
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Independently Founded & Built
Founded by Lola Banjo in 2019, Silver & Riley has grown into a multimillion-dollar global business serving customers across 27 countries while remaining independently built and founder-led.
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No AI Models
Silver & Riley does not use AI-generated models in its creative. The brand is committed to showcasing its products on real people and preserving the human creativity, craftsmanship and experience at the heart of fashion.
Signature Products
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Team & Experts
Tap a name to read the full bio.
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Lola Banjo is the founder and Chief Executive of Silver & Riley, an independent global luxury leather goods and accessories brand she founded in 2019. An engineer, strategist and entrepreneur, Banjo brings more than 15 years of experience in corporate strategy, consulting and executive leadership to building the company.
Before becoming a full-time entrepreneur, Banjo held senior leadership roles at Salesforce, including Vice President of Go-to-Market Strategy, where she oversaw strategy for an approximately $7 billion portfolio. Earlier in her career, she worked at Deloitte and Accenture and advised Fortune 500 companies across consumer, retail, technology and other industries. She left Salesforce at the end of 2023 to focus on Silver & Riley full time.
Banjo’s global perspective is central to both her life and her work. She has lived in four countries and traveled to more than 100, drawing inspiration from the cultures, architecture, landscapes and people she encounters around the world. That perspective informs Silver & Riley’s products and storytelling, while her engineering and strategy background shapes her approach to design, customer experience and building an enduring luxury business.
Under Banjo’s leadership, Silver & Riley has grown into a multimillion-dollar business serving customers across 27 countries, with more than 50% of customers purchasing again. The brand’s leather goods are handcrafted in Italy and Spain, and its signature New Yorker handbag has sold out 11 times since its introduction in 2023.
Banjo is also passionate about using entrepreneurship as a vehicle for economic opportunity. Through Silver & Riley’s Buy 1, Give 5 program, the company allocates 5% of revenue to supporting women entrepreneurs. She has an ambitious goal to support 1,000 women entrepreneurs by 2030.
Banjo has shared her experience and perspective at organizations and institutions including Forbes, Goldman Sachs, Columbia Business School, NYU Stern, Chicago Booth, Rice University and Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Her areas of expertise include entrepreneurship, luxury and consumer brands, customer strategy, brand building, retail, e-commerce, career transitions and building a company while navigating the realities of entrepreneurship.
Press Coverage
ESQUIRE
Oct 8, 2023
The 70 Best Gifts for Your Wife That She'll Actually, Truly Like
Gifts so good, she'll be suspicious.
ARTFUL LIVING
Sep 19, 2023
14 Fashion and Accessories Brands to Shop This Fall
BYRDIE
Jun 20, 2023
These 27 Best Work Bags for Women Are Where Function and Style Meet
For a bag that truly accomplishes it all, look no further than the Silver & Riley Convertible Executive Bag. Its charming design looks similar to a mini duffle bag, but the quality leather and gorgeous straight stitching set it leaps and bounds above anything you carted to summer camp. What really piqued our interest is how you can wear it three different ways: Carried by the top handles, across your body, and as a backpack utilizing the two back straps.
Don’t let the compact size fool you—you’ll be amazed how much you can store inside thanks to thoughtful organizational features like pen slots and a laptop pocket that keeps tech secure with a snap closure. What’s more, it will hold everything without feeling too heavy since the structured design and flat bottom evenly distribute the weight of your items.
ESSENCE MAGAZINE
Jun 1, 2023
The Best Belt Bags And Fanny Packs For Travelers
Crafted from luxurious Italian full-grain calfskin leather, this structured bag is designed to impress. It effortlessly holds your essentials—phone, keys, makeup, and more—while making an instant style statement. The detachable and adjustable belt strap offers versatility, allowing it to transform into a clutch for any occasion.
FORBES
May 26, 2023
The Best Carry-On Luggage To Help You Sail Through Your Next Trip, According To Experts
Silver & Riley’s Italian-made Convertible Executive Bag is more than just good looks. In addition to its leather construction and luxe gold hardware (it’s also adorned with a working lock and key), it’s cleverly designed so you can wear it four ways. You can tote it by the top handles or wear it as a shoulder bag, crossbody or backpack with its accompanying long strap; just reconfigure it into strategically-placed metal rings for an easy transformation. As a structured bag, it offers a roomy interior, lined with a handful of pockets and snapping straps to fit (and secure) all your carry-on essentials—including a 13-inch laptop.
Adding to its versatility is its sleek style and just-rights size that’s suitable for everyday wear. And unlike your typical suitcase, the aptly named Executive Bag is suitable for work, shopping trips or use as a “mom bag” for schlepping a family’s worth of must-haves in the chicest way possible.
BYRDIE
May 25, 2023
Summer’s Biggest Handbag Trends Will Have You Booking a Vacation ASAP
The Silver & Riley New Yorker Bag is the opposite of ostentatious and perfectly encapsulates what it means to be quiet luxury. This demure handbag is crafted with a gold clasp, giving it an air of sophistication.
INSTYLE
May 8, 2023
The 15 Best Belt Bags, Tested and Reviewed by Our Editors
Few belt bags on this list are designed specifically to be worn at your waist — most fit around your hips or are intended to be worn as a sling — so if that’s how you intend on wearing it, we’d love to introduce you to the Silver and Riley bag.
HARPER'S
May 4, 2023
The 26 Best Crossbody Bags for Effortless Accessorizing
I named this Silver & Riley style my best everyday bag and I still stand by it. The leather is buttery soft and supple, the shape is beyond elegant, and the proportions are ideally sized. I have enough room inside to carry a paperback book alongside my phone, wallet, keys, and makeup when I'm commuting.
ESSENCE MAGAZINE
Apr 28, 2023
9 Mother’s Day Gift Ideas For Stylish Moms
Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and the holiday is the perfect opportunity to treat your mom to fashion gifts she may not splurge on herself.
BEAUTY NEWS NYC OFFICIAL
Apr 26, 2023
Silver & Riley Handbags: Classic Italian Elegance + Brooklyn Style
Silver & Riley offers an array of handbags, cross-body bags, travel bags, work bags, small leather goods, and gift cards for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, weddings, and graduations.
FORBES
Apr 26, 2023
50 Heartfelt Mother’s Day Gifts To Make Mom Feel Celebrated
The latest style from BIPOC-owned luxury accessory brand Silver & Riley is the ultimate gift for any handbag-loving Mom. The elegant New Yorker bag is handmade in Italy with soft, smooth calf leather and can be worn three ways—as a chic top-handle bag, a classic shoulder bag or a versatile crossbody.
FORBES
Apr 23, 2023
The Best Carry-On Luggage To Shop Now Before Your Next Trip, According To Experts
Silver & Riley’s Italian-made Convertible Executive Bag is more than just good looks. In addition to its leather construction and luxe gold hardware (it’s also adorned with a working lock and key), it’s cleverly designed so you can wear it four ways.
TRAVEL + LEISURE
Apr 20, 2023
The 15 Best Weekender Bags for Men in 2023
Launched by former business consultant and world-traveler Lola Banjo in 2019, Silver & Riley has quickly become a must-have for lovers of Italian luxury travel bags. This bag is simply gorgeous, with premium Italian leather tanned in a unique oxblood color that looks purple-ish in the light.
OPRAH DAILY
Apr 17, 2023
23 Stylish Weekender Bags for Women That’ll Inspire You to Plan a Quick Getaway
Let’s be real—who isn’t constantly planning their next vacation? Whether you’re staring longingly at friends’ travel photos or you’ve got a getaway already marked on the calendar, there’s one easy way to be sure you’re ready for that next trip: Buy yourself the perfect luggage.
SWEETY HIGH
Apr 12, 2023
How Wanderlust and a Generous Spirit Inspired Lola Banjo's Travel Bag Brand, Silver & Riley
The bags are made in Italy in the very same factories as some of the world's best-known luxury designers, but at more accessible prices, making Silver & Riley unlike any other brand we've encountered. We just had to get to know the story behind it, and were lucky enough to get to chat with Lola Banjo herself for all the details.
MARIE CLAIRE
Apr 12, 2023
The 13 Best Shoulder Bags, According to Marie Claire Editors
Lola Banjo—VP of strategy at Salesforce by day, CEO of Silver & Riley by night—launched the bag label in 2019 by blending her background in materials engineering with her love for fashion. It started with Silver & Riley's best-selling large tote, the Convertible Executive Bag(opens in new tab), which blends functionality, accessible luxury, and timeless style.
ESSENCE MAGAZINE
Mar 21, 2023
The Best Carry-On Luggage For Your Next Girl's Trip
Below, we’ve rounded up the best carry-on luggage on the market to help you streamline the process. Our list includes reliable and durable picks from trusted brands like Samsonite and Away. It also includes stylish yet functional options from brands like Silver and Riley and Tote and Carry that will make the tarmac your runway.
ESSENCE MAGAZINE
Mar 19, 2023
The New Face Of Luxury: How Lola Banjo Built An Iconic Handbag Brand
NEARLY FOUR YEARS AFTER LAUNCHING HER HANDBAG COLLECTION, ACCESSORIES DESIGNER LOLA BANJO HAS CREATED ONE OF THE MOST BUZZED-ABOUT BRANDS ON THE FASHION MARKET.
HARPER'S
Mar 16, 2023
The 17 Best Everyday Bags, According to BAZAAR Editors
The best everyday bags need an effortlessly chic exterior and a spacious, organized interior to be worth carrying 24/7. Inside and outside, versatility is the most important factor.
FAST COMPANY
Feb 12, 2023
The 5 best work-life bags for your hybrid lifestyle
Whether you’re working from the office, your kitchen table, or a coffee shop, we’ve got a bag for you.
TINYBEANS
Feb 8, 2023
Our Favorite Products From Black-Owned Brands (Available Online, Too!)
February is Black History Month. It’s also a great time to start shopping some of our favorite products from Black-owned brands—and continue to all year.
TINYBEANS
Feb 8, 2023
Our Favorite Products From Black-Owned Brands (Available Online, Too!)
TREND HUNTER
Jan 29, 2023
Ultra-Chic Luxury Bag Collections
Silver & Riley Boasts a Range of Colorful and Modern Bags
US MAGAZINE
Jan 5, 2023
13 Amazing Black-Owned Businesses to Support in 2023
While we all love finding bargains from big stores like Target and Amazon, we also need to make a conscious effort throughout the year to make sure we are buying from Black-owned businesses, whether we’re looking for fashion, beauty or home upgrades.
FORBES
Oct 20, 2022
11 It-Girl Must Haves For Winter
If you’re searching for the coolest items to keep you warm this winter, look no further. Here are some of the it-girl must haves for this fall and winter, from under-the-radar brands, to well-known names, and international classics you are only just hearing about.
BYRDIE
Oct 2, 2022
The 30 Best Gifts for Sisters of 2022
Biological associations aside, there are so many different types of “sisters,” all of whom can play equally pivotal roles in our lives. As such, we think sisters deserve high priority regarding gift-giving.
Locations
Headquarters
725 River Rd, St 32-167, Edgewater
Open by appointment only.
Asset Library
Editorial-ready assets. All images cleared for press use with credit.
Press Contact
SR
Primary press contact
Silver & Riley
Press inquiries
- lola@silverandriley.com
- Replies within 24 hours