Have A Happy New Year Beau Satchelle Blog Readers! Wow! 2016 flew by, yes? And what a year it has been! For the team of Beau Satchelle, numerous lessons and growing pains have developed our abilities and skills to gear up for the new year and we are fired up for what is to come. So what are our goals for the upcoming 365 days? There are actually three major objectives we look forward to: Introduction Of New Product Lines The team has been working intensely on refining a new line and adding vibrant colors to our mainstays the “Michelle” and “Regina” handbag Spring collection. The new products will be featured in mid- January at a charity fashion show; plus, photo shoot events that we will share on Instagram. In addition, the excitement level is building for the unveiling of several elegant leather bracelets that will complement all of handbag lines. The bracelets will be made out of the same premium leathers and finest hardware selected for the handbags. We are in the beginning stages of seeking out a number of local jewelry designers and textile artists to work on future collaborations for a more recognizable branding to Beau Satchelle’s luxury products. Our team has been commissioned on several special projects that will add a unique bespoke service to our luxury repertoire (more details to come). Finally, the refinement of our products will be more focused to not only handle smartphones but the much needed chargers that are just as essential when comes to daily carrier accessories. It is so gauche to depend on an outlet to charge your tech essentials! Building Brand Momentum The focus is on growth and more growth. Our obvious goal is to grow our brand awareness locally and by rolling out a revised marketing plan […]
This has been an exciting first year for Beau Satchelle. Creating a brand is a big challenge; designing, building, accounting, marketing, networking and most of all, selling. However, it couldn’t have ended any better than finding someone who can give you their side in an honest and well executed way. Therefore, we are proud and honored to feature our first Brand Ambassador in this exclusive interview. We initially saw Grace on social media and started to follow her, getting to know her style and fashion sense because we were and are looking for individuals who have a certain charisma about themselves who exudes class and sophistication; in which in this case, Grace definitely has. During that time, we were convinced we would approach her with an offer to evaluate one of our bespoke handbags just added to our luxury collection. With her stating she was an admirer of our products and brand, we realized it was a win/win for the both of us. For those of you who have been following us on social media, Grace has already interviewed our luxury designer and leather artisan, T. Michael with a two part interview and handbag evaluation on our ‘Michelle’ Bespoke Handbag. Here are the links if you haven’t read the posts and would like to catch up: http://colorandgrace.com/2016/08/24/michigan-bespoke-luxury-leather-goods-beau-satchelle-interview-1/ http://colorandgrace.com/2016/08/31/michigan-bespoke-luxury-leather-goods-beau-satchelle-interview-2/ http://colorandgrace.com/2016/09/23/michelle-bespoke-handbag-beau-satchelle/ You will see photos of her showcasing this luxury beauty in many coordinated looks; featuring other brands fashion attire. A casual photo of Grace with our Grace Bespoke Clutch Purse was designed for and named after her. She couldn’t resist the opportunity to not only showcase another one of our bespoke luxuries but have one designed, built and delivered to her home. The joy of creating beauty is something we love and cherish and to see Grace filled with delight is […]
If you adore handbags, like us, you are thrilled and anticipating the approaching celebration of National Handbag Day on October 10, 2016. A day created by one of our favorite sites purseblog.com where handbag aficionados pay homage to the designers, the history and timeline of styles, and the trends of the past, present and future. So if you need some ideas to prepare for this special day, here’s eight ways to show your love! 1. Downsize your personal collection and donate your gently used bags – Pay it forward. Why not do something altruistic and take some time to find a charity that supports low income women who are returning to the workforce? For example, Dress for Success is a global organization that accepts gently used clothing and accessories for the purpose of giving women a helping hand to build an office wardrobe. In the Metro Detroit area, there are couple of non-profits that also use donated handbags as a springboard to helping survivors of domestic violence. 2. Contribute to your local economy and purchase from an up-and-coming handbag designer in your area – Nothing makes a statement like supporting an emerging handbag artists. 3. Shoes and Boots to compliment the bag – At all of the Fashion Weeks from New York to Paris, we noticed over the knee boots, embroidered boots, chunky heals and over the top embellished shoes. To compliment your latest footwear purchase, finding the perfect matching or contrasting bag will give your outfits a complete and finished look. 4. Plan your holiday gifts for your loved ones – a bespoke bag made exclusively for the women in your life is the ultimate luxury possession. Beau Satchelle has the ability to take any of its designed bags and customized it to your preferences and needs. 5. Buy […]
Lately, a number of our fans and entrepreneurial peers of Beau Satchelle have asked us about lessons learned during our first year of launching our small business. Introducing a new brand and creating that initial momentum to attract attention and buyers takes laser focus and hard work to stay the course. The number of years and amount of grinding it requires to become an overnight sensation in the world of business can be daunting for a start-up. Breaking into the life of niche, affluent buyers demands, different thinking and actions require stepping up your game. Our 2016 journey has become fascinating. The many personal and business lessons gained are invaluable. Sharing with our readers through this blog, our continuous journey of building a brand, we hope, gives insight and confidence to peers who have or are considering taking the leap into creating their own start-up. Believe me, there is a wealth of teaching moments that will take more than one blog post, so let’s cover three in this one: 1. CREATING A VISION – Starts with knowing yourself. While making the moves to market your product, this is the time to dig deep and be introspective. This may mean determining what self-beliefs may hold you back as an entrepreneur, from selling to approaching a potential high end client. Your limiting mindset can totally derail your confidence in pricing and selling your premium products to a buyer with high expectations and discriminating tastes. Even if your luxury product is extraordinary, do the inner work on yourself to build confidence in attracting and working with high end clients. Our vision which we speak about in detail in our March 16th Blog post, titled “Vision Board of our Future” and is our North Star. In conjunction to creating the big picture, producing a […]
September 2016 we salute you! Your predictability over seasonal changes with your cohort, the Artist, aka Mother Nature spreading her love of color particularly in the Midwest. The days grow shorter while the temperature begins to cool as Mother Earth prepares for its winter hibernation. Charities are gearing up for their fall and winter fundraisers. And those of us in the retail industry, preparations are intensifying for the upcoming holiday season. September also ushers in a month of pure delight as Fashion Weeks gets underway, first in New York then London, Milan and Paris. While following the unveiling of designers’ collections, Beau Satchelle keeps a close eye on designer’s choices for handbags collaborations. Needless to say, because of our bespoke background, many styles are too trendy and will not be embraced for our design consideration. However, we understand that attentiveness to certain trends can be incorporated into classic leather styles without compromising our design integrity. So these are the 7 Fall Trends that Beau Satchelle is keeping an eye on: ‘Hair on’ Skin or Genuine Exotic Handbags – No question that we embrace the sexiness and luxuriousness of what this style does for a handbag. Such as the above accompanying picture (red python) we selected for this blog, the more premium and exotic the skin, the better. The trends we noted integrate deep, rich dyed colors that make a handbag pop! We have seen cow leathers incorporated with alligator, python and ostrich for the side gussets or handles as contrasts to have just a touch of exotic. Beau Satchelle is currently in the design stage of an alligator leather satchel handbag that is so versatile that it can be worn both day and night. We will be introducing more modern colors but the cut, design and production will stay true […]
The cell phone. Can’t live without it! Since our lives depend more and more on phones, tablets, and laptops, it becomes imperative that luxury leather designers stay ahead and create accessories that can accommodate these devices. Leather accessories have multiple functions that include protecting and holding the device while showing off your individual style. Although the range of textiles that can be converted into a holder for a cell phone are numerous, leather ups the game in conveying an indulgence that can’t be equaled. Offerings with leather products include: Handbags and Wallets – whether a tote, crossbody, clutch or wristlet, a woman will require a pocket that can handle her phone with easy access. From Beau Satchelle’s experience, more female consumers are requesting at least one pocket outside of the handbag or an interior pocket that is extremely handy if she hears one of her notification sounds. Even an unassuming leather wallet needs to have the ability to not only house the essentials (credit cards, money, and identification), but must offer a cell phone pocket to show a women’s style and simplicity when she runs her errands. Duffle Bags and Backpacks – these particular bags are designed and built for multiple uses whether the gym, the classroom, the office, hiking or a weekend outing, multiple pockets and specific locations for tech products are essential. It is imperative that not only books, or a weekend outfit have a perfect home, but sufficient room is set aside to secure a tablet or laptop. Of course, once again an accessible cell phone pocket is necessary for easy access. With the advent of mobile chargers stations that allow phone and tablet users to become independent of “searching for a wall plug”, these technological have raised the bar to insure that a carrier can support […]
In Michigan, the signs of the summer season coming to an end is the sudden cooler temperatures, the leaves are starting to turn, back to school ads run non-stop and Labor Day weekend has arrived. In the United States, Labor Day is observed every first Monday in September to recognize the contributions of American workers. When it comes to celebrating the worker in Detroit, our city’s landscape is rich in manufacturing history that dates back to the auto lines created by Henry Ford’s factories in the early 1900s during the industrial age. The auto companies (Ford, GM and Chrysler) created many ancillary businesses who became suppliers to what we, back in the day, affectionately called the Big Three. What outsiders not familiar with Southeastern Michigan may not realize is that other industries have grown significantly in this region out of the auto industry including design and engineering. The last several years we have witnessed tech companies large and small make Detroit their new home. With Detroit’s growth, we have seen other industries steadily showing interest in being a part of Detroit’s revitalization. What is exciting for Beau Satchelle is the emerging garment industry that is receiving major buzz in the last couple of years. Fashion is finding a home in Detroit! The East and West Coast have been the dominant force in the cut and sew garment industry for many decades in the U.S. and unfortunately once manufacturers took those jobs overseas for cheap labor, materials and other financial reasons, this country lost valuable skill tradespeople. So in the last few years, the industry is observing a pivot with designers who are purposely deciding to manufacture in the USA or are returning to the states and looking for manufacturers who can handle smaller orders. This is where Detroit can make […]
After last week’s blog regarding the Olympics and what lessons we derive from the experiences of the absolute top athletes in their respective fields, a curious reader inquired as to our specific habits that keep us focused on “the main things” in building a luxury leather business. As with any creative business, Beau Satchelle has for the most part, two main areas: the creative side (the design and production of our leather goods) and the sales/marketing end (getting our products seen and sold). Our success in these two areas are determined by building consistent, small steps every day that stimulates momentum and progress over time. For Beau Satchelle, keeping our eye on the prize, a successful luxury leather company, requires us to practice the following ten habits: 1. Maintaining a Healthy Body – not suggesting to necessarily be in shape to perform a marathon (unless that is the goal), but at least creating the physical routines for endurance on those long days that support good energy and fitness in the area of exercise and healthy eating. 2. Maintaining Healthy Mind Set – Reading positive and intelligent materials and books, listening to educational podcasts, watching You Tube channels of other entrepreneurs, networking with other business owners keeps us sharp and encouraged. More importantly, having a great sense of humor will keep you sane! 3. Gratitude – the daily grind of a business can be draining and challenging. To keep a perspective on what’s truly important, acknowledging what we are grateful for comes in different forms whether that be through prayer, writing in a journal, using this blog to publicly acknowledge who and what we are thankful for or just recognizing our teammates value to this business is worth its’ weight in gold. Showing gratitude to others is limitless and appreciated. 4. […]
One of Beau Satchelle’s lovely clients purchased one of our custom designed, gorgeous ___ arctic blue tote bag that she uses for the office and a matching overnight duffel bag for a weekend getaway. A week ago, she contacted me, describing how an awful ink pen found its wicked way to her Tote, leaving its signature of three blue lines near the bottom of the tote bag and was quite noticeable. Needless to say she was upset and asked for suggestions as to the best method of removing the ink while preserving the bag’s leather and maintaining the color. We were able to suggest a cleaner/conditioner that eliminated the ink and kept the beauty of the bag intact. If you handle your one-of-a-kind Beau Satchelle bag with the upmost care, it will maintain its longevity. So let us share six tips with you on caring for your bespoke leather bags. 1. Leather absorb oils each time it is touched. So, first and foremost keep your hands clean to prevent makeup, hair products, perfumes, spray deodorant or lotions from getting on your handbag. A helpful accessory tip to protect the handbag’s handles is to take one of your favorite, matching silk scarf and wrap around. 2. Avoid placing your handbag on/in places where it may get scratched or stained; shopping cart trolley, file cabinet drawers, hair salon’s floors or countertops or anywhere a splinter, rough edge or chemicals can damage your luxury good. 3. Avoid spillage of beverages and liquids as they may leave a watermark; even mineral water can leave a mark if not attended to promptly. If bag gets wet, blot dry with towels and allow to air dry. If you absolutely must venture out in the rain with your luxury bag, another protective, accessory tip that I would […]
It’s summertime and the living is easy – which means barbecues, outings, hikes, camping, late nights around the fire, fine wine and a book on the deck, picnics and summer concerts. Summer is synonymous with shorter working days – spending more time out of the office and cashing in those vacation days. That can mean taking time off to spend balmy days with the people you love, whether it’s on the beach, taking a drive out to the country, taking a tour with a new flame in wine country, visiting a famous theme park where a very well-known mouse lives, or simply kicking back in a brand new hammock with a fine wine. Nights could involve going out salsa dancing, visiting the casino, barbecuing with friends, spending a night with a double feature and a big box of candy at the drive-in theatre. Whatever you decide to do with your free time, do remember to make memories to last a lifetime this summer. Life is too short to drink as wine out of plastic glasses and beer out of plastic cups, even when you’re out catching a performance by your favorite musicians at the local band shell on a hot Saturday night. In our experience, you should make the most out of every moment to maximize on the memories and to make every occasion as special as possible. One way to make things more memorable is by making the everyday more classy and uptown. Beau Satchelle makes a bespoke luxury wine bottle carrier, which features removable and changeable straps so that the bag can be carried either as a classy unisex messenger bag, or a backpack. The bag itself is crafted in Detroit, Michigan, from the finest, weather resistant, smooth brown leather that was tanned with waxes and oils and […]
