Vera Bradley posts first growth in five years behind TikTok and shoulder bags

Vera Bradley reported its first quarterly revenue growth in nearly five years this summer, and by September it had posted a second consecutive growth quarter — $71.6 million in revenue, up 1.1% year over year. CEO Ian Bickley credits "Project Sunshine," the 2025 turnaround plan that returned the 44-year-old accessories brand to its colorful, whimsical roots after a failed modernization attempt.

"We lost track of what made Vera Bradley special and unique and what customers loved about us," Bickley said in March. "We became indistinguishable from other brands and overreliant on promotions. … Our No. 1 focus has been on improving the product."

Why the first turnaround failed

In 2024, Vera Bradley launched "Project Restoration," adding new silhouettes, different materials, a new logo and a store redesign. The strategy stalled sales and angered longtime shoppers who felt the brand strayed too far from its signature florals and prints. The company modified the plan and installed new leadership.

Melinda Paraie, who became chief brand officer at the end of 2025, told Modern Retail that Project Sunshine is about "sharpening the brand" for today's consumers. "We've gone back to our DNA and where we see strength and what made us unique, which is joyful optimism [and] our colors and prints," she said.

The plan, detailed in a March earnings call, also includes refining go-to-market strategy, building a digital-first ecosystem, reinventing the outlet channel and "organizational alignment." In December, chief administrative and legal officer Mark Dely called the effort "building from our DNA, not rebranding."

How the product changed

Under Project Restoration, Vera Bradley leaned into solids and leather. Now it has returned to cotton and cheerful patterns to "give the customer comfort and a connection with the brand," Paraie said. It has added velvet, corduroy, beading and ruffles to court younger shoppers. Smaller bags are a priority because young people carry less. "Everything is on your phone," Paraie said. "Shoulder bags are a key silhouette for them."

In September, the brand released a Remix Collection of bags drawing from its archives, tapping Gen Z appetite for vintage aesthetics. Pacsun's recent Youth Report found some teens feel "anemoia" — a longing for a past they never lived. "This younger generation is really inspired by our vintage prints and smaller ditsy patterns and muted patterns," Paraie said.

Personalization is another growth engine. In March, the design team reworked the Original 100 Handbag into a bespoke collection of 50 bags that sold out in under three minutes. This holiday season, bag charms shaped like bears, cookies and mini totes are a major growth category, and the brand now holds in-store personalization days for patches and monograms.

"When you got a bag, it was your print, and you collected everything in your print," Paraie said. "Even today, the idea of self-expression is something that customers care about."

What role does TikTok play?

Vera Bradley is positioning its quilted products within TikTok trends like "grandmacore" and "coastal grandma," expanding influencer outreach and pushing user-generated content. As of Oct. 26, it had sold more than 24,000 units on TikTok Shop.

"We're really starting to make a more concerted effort on what we are giving to creators and how we give them briefs and share with them what we really want them to focus on," Paraie said. "It's important that we have the right bags for the right channels."

Jessica Ramírez, co-founder and managing director of retail advisory firm The Consumer Collective, said the brand is "tapping into the right trends." After surveying teenagers at a Texas mall, she noted: "They all had bag charms and little shoulder bags." At trade shows earlier this year, she found the talk was all "color and patterns." "I think people are happy to mismatch," Ramírez said.

Physical retail still matters. Vera Bradley operates its own stores and outlets, partners with Nordstrom and others, hosted a Little Words Project charms event at its Disney Springs store in July, and ran a "Strawberry Girl Summer" in-store activation this summer.

"Our objective going forward is really to play into the nostalgia and brand truths that we know resonate with our customers, but [also] to make it relevant today through new prints and patterns and styles," Paraie said. Sustaining that balance between heritage and relevance will decide whether the second turnaround sticks.