SLAVEN VLASIC/GETTY; COURTESY MUXO (2)
Currently expecting her third child with husband Matthew McConaughey, Camila McConaughey says she’s experiencing pregnancy brain — but in a bit of a different way.
“I have to be careful when I’m pregnant, because my taste level changes,” the handbag designer tells PEOPLE. “To the point where, when I’m not pregnant, I’m like, ‘Did I really like that?’”
In fact, pregnancy makes the newlywed‘s designing duties somewhat difficult.
“It takes me longer [to create bags] when I’m pregnant than when I’m not pregnant, just because I need to make sure that I’m being true to what I like — and that it’s not just the hormones talking.”
Though she’s still pregnant, McConaughey, 29, recently made a delivery of another kind. The Brazilian model — who designs every item with her mother under the label Muxo — just released new shoulder bags and clutches, calling them a “treat” for her fans.
“We were already working on a big launch for the first trimester of next year, but we had a lot of customers asking us for something special,” she shares. “So we decided to put a little taste of what we’ve been working on out there for them to see, as a way of saying ‘thank you.’”
The inspiration for this latest round of looks was what’s going on in the fashion world today, McConaughey says. But she kept the holidays in mind, too.
“I still had a little fun with color,” she shares. “We’re mixing natural tones with bright colors — it adds a little fun.”
All of Muxo’s handbags are 100 percent handmade and feature leather that’s imported from Brazil. McConaughey and her mother generally create every sample, then work with their team to produce larger quantities once designs are approved. “It’s a lot of intricate work that goes into every bag,” she says.
And though the mother-daughter duo is always excited to see a star wearing a Muxo bag, McConaughey says it’s not about a celebrity presence. “I don’t want to design for just one specific type of woman,” she says. “Every single woman should be able to go on our website and find something she likes.”
– Kate Hogan