- Skye P. Marshall revealed in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE why her Matlock character carries a Telfar bag in every episode
- The actress says she wanted to “attach something to Olympia’s wardrobe that would wink at my culture,” and they quickly landed on Telfar, which was founded by a Black designer, Telfar Clemens
- Marshall recalls when Beyoncé once wore a Telfar bag, and “it shook my community”
Matlock reboot star Skye P. Marshall is dishing the details about her character’s trusty accessory — a Telfar bag.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the 43-year-old actress, who portrays Olympia Lawrence in the series, says she knew her character’s “monochromatic” wardrobe needed a little something extra, which turned out to be a Telfar bag. Olympia is seen carrying one in every episode of the CBS series.
While her character is a successful, high-powered attorney, Marshall explains that she wanted Olympia’s wardrobe to have relatability by mixing in more affordable pieces.
“I wanted to have a bag that represented my culture, but also was affordable, so that even though in the pilot when I said that I charge a thousand dollars an hour, I didn’t want to disconnect myself from not just my clients on the show who I know cannot afford me, but also I wanted to keep a connection to the audience who could also be like, ‘Oh my God, I have a Telfar bag like my nieces do,’ ” she explains.
“And they have a $100 bag and they walk around like it’s a $5,000 bag. So, that was something that was intentional for me, not just for the character, but for the culture,” she adds.
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The inclusion of the Telfar bags happened after “a very short conversation with the costume head,” Marshall recalls. “I wanted to attach something to Olympia’s wardrobe that would wink at my culture,” she says.
They quickly landed on Telfar, which was founded by a Black designer, Telfar Clemens. Marshall also notes that the bag brand has been repped by megastar.
“I remember years ago when Beyoncé wore a Telfar bag, it just shook my community, and they were sold out constantly for years,” she recalls.
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Eagle-eyed fans can spot the bags — in a rainbow of shades — throughout the series.
“They were able to score over 12 different colors of Telfar bags,” Marshall tells PEOPLE of the costume department. “And so you can catch them in every episode, but I wanted to have a bag that represented my culture, but also was affordable.”
As for the rest of Olympia’s wardrobe — and the stylish décor pieces featured in some of the show’s sets, including pink table lamps in the courtroom — Marshall jokes that she wants it all for her real life.
“I’m always shopping at Matlock. There needs to be a Matlock website where you get to just rent the Matlock look,” she says.
Matlock airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.
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