By Angella Johnson
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In the bag: Pippa Middleton carries a taupe version of the bag out the day after her sister's wedding
Pippa Middleton ? like most girls ? is rarely seen without her favourite style of handbag.
But her love of the ?195 Modalu grab bag is more than just a fashion statement. For its makers, it has brought a financial windfall, with sales of the design exploding fiftyfold since the Duchess of Cambridge's sister started carrying one.
Unsurprisingly, the once-small Surrey company renamed its best-seller in her honour, and now employs 100 people in its Indian factory just to keep up with the demand.
This all stems from the sort of endorsement money cannot buy... yet Modalu has no formal agreement with Pippa. All it had to do? to secure countless photographs of its product across the media was send her four freebies, custom-made in tan, mock croc, black and oyster, each with her name discreetly embossed on the back.
Miss Middleton was so delighted with her gifts that she is believed to have sent a handwritten note as a thank you.
Modalu's managing director Mike Hiscock, 49, last night revealed that they had to build new premises at their factory in Chennai, South-East India, to cope with demand. It now employs 250 people, 100 dedicated to the Pippa range.
He said: 'I've been in the business for 25 years and I've not seen anything like the explosion that Pippa carrying our bag had on the market.
'Within 24 hours, our switchboards were jammed with people wanting to know where they could get their hands on one. Sales went up from ?10,000 a month to ?500,000.'
The company is not shy about using the Pippa Factor to sell its products. She is pictured with the bags on its website, which boasts: 'Pippa Middleton has a number of different colours of our bestselling Pippa bag.'
Such is the success that the company has expanded its Pippa range to include ?159 shoulder bags, ?75 wristlets and ?69 wallets, which sold out over Christmas.
'The whole Modalu brand is now anticipated to have an annual turnover of ?11?million, compared with ?1?million before the Royal Wedding,' Mr Hiscock says.
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'Frankly, we could not have bought the kind of publicity she's given us.? It was because she liked the product. We've not paid her a penny to endorse it, but sent her four custom-made versions.
'Obviously we would love to have her as a brand ambassador, but no approach has been made because of her Royal connection. We would not want to do anything to cause her? any embarrassment.'
He added that they had not sent any bags to the Duchess of Cambridge or her mother. Nonetheless, Carole was pictured with her own Pippa bag when she attended the unveiling of Kate's first official portrait last week.
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Out shopping: It's a croc skin design while out shopping in London in 2011 (left) and leaving the National Portrait Gallery via an office entrance last week (right)
Pippa at the tennis in Wimbledon last summer showing off the classic tan colour
Pippa was first spotted with a shark-coloured Modalu bag when she emerged from a hotel the morning after her sister's wedding and interest boomed, particularly from America.
Lucy Rome, brand manager, said: 'We had interest from around the world, but particularly from America. We just couldn't make them? fast enough.
'For a while there was a huge waiting list for the shark and tan version. Our factory had to work round the clock to produce enough. We renamed it the Pippa because that's what people started to ask for.'
In having a handbag named after her, Pippa joins an elite club of timeless style icons that includes Jane Birkin, Grace Kelly, Greta Garbo and, erm, Alexa Chung ? who is said to earn up to ?80,000 a year to promote Mulberry bags.
VIDEO Check out the HOT Modalu bags that could be yours!?
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