Tag Detroit Business

All I Want For Christmas Is….

Growing up, it was interesting being incredibly introverted, except for when it came to my tastes in “stuff” which were quite unusual and exotic for a child! It was never ordinary and when I asked for toys my childhood friends wouldn’t even dream of. Loving it, being the exception, and the more unique the better. When the Sears and JC Penny Christmas catalogs came out, I meticulously looked through them wanting to be sure I left an outstanding list for Santa on Christmas Eve. As an adult, the Christmas list experience is still a pleasurable process, combing the high end websites, such as Robb Report or Nieman Marcus just as meticulously for that one of a kind gift that can be place under the Christmas Tree. A girl can dream… Asprey Lambskin Scrabble Board www.asprey.com The British Luxury Brand specializes in jewelry and luxury goods and has created the iconic gift for the consummate Scrabble player to have at the ready for guests on the yacht or private jet. The board is made out of Grey, Red, Green and Black Lambskin; Red English Saddle leather presentation case; Black lambskin letters housed in a purple velvet Asprey pouch and 4 black lambskin racks to hold the playing letters. Describing this as a luxurious game board is an understatement. -$11,950 Qlocktwo Table Clock http://qlocktwo.com If you want a conversation piece for your home office, don’t look any further. Manufactured by Biegert & Funk, this is a standout of timepieces. Unlike a traditional clock, it has no hands nor digits. The time is displayed by written word through a pattern of letters spelling out the time in words. The screen is illuminated by brilliant LED technology. The company also designs this technology for a wall display or for your wrist. -Sold at Neimen […]

The Backstory of Beau Satchelle

As 2016 quickly comes to a close we wanted to celebrate the end of our first year with a blog about our history. We get a number of questions asking about our background and the origin of Beau Satchelle. So in the beginning…destiny weaved her way into our lives. Co-founders, April Bayles (AJ) and T. Michael met in late 2007 and discovered they shared similar passions and interests. After countless discussions about the love and challenges of being an entrepreneur and eventually T. Michael sharing his business model of a luxury brand, a partnership was developed and Beau Satchelle was conceived. A native Detroiter and proud University of Michigan graduate, at a very young age, April adored anything to do with fashion…clothes, hair, accessories. Taught by her Mom how to sew and had inherited a talent for drawing from her Dad, she dreamed of becoming a high end fashion designer. However, life happened and she became distracted with other interests and put her love for fashion on the backburner. Her experiences through college and various jobs along with her serial entrepreneurship ventures prepared her for the opportunity to come full circle and work on building a business brand that focuses on the lifestyle of luxury. T. Michael, a Michigan native. While in college, had an initial urge to explore the art of leather crafting was when he was unable to find quality belts on a college student’s budget. So, after much research which entailed finding the local leather store and reading books on belt making, purchasing and using the right tools was the first step in what was then a necessity gone hobby to what is now an emerging business. Later in life, the situation reoccurred with the need of another briefcase after his career took him through several ‘brand […]

Holiday Buying and the Bespoke Luxury Leather Goods Client

The leaves are changing color here in Detroit, which means that fall is here and winter is fast approaching. Winter, to many of us, means the holiday season, and with the holidays come along an entrenched gift-giving tradition. After years of buying gifts for the many people on your list, some of us are out of ideas for that perfect gift. After all, there are only so many ties and bathrobes and slippers that people can use, and some people are turning to digital programming for movies, so Blu-Rays are fazing out, as are books: since many people favor the electronic version. Still, we want to buy something nice for our loved ones, friends and business associates in our lives, to convey either love or appreciation for another holiday season. So what do we get? Have you considered a bespoke luxury handcrafted item? Located in Metro-Detroit, Michigan, Beau Satchelle is a local, small, luxury company designing and crafting luxury leather handbags, clutches, cases and connoisseur luxury goods like journals and wine holders. Never outsourced to other countries, our beautiful handcrafted leather goods are made by master craftsmen right here in Michigan, so they are works of art. What better gift than a beautiful luxury item made to last a lifetime? Luxury handbags are a great gift because they are used every day, and are a practical accessory that everyone notices as soon as you walk in the door. All of our bespoke leather goods are functional, yet luxurious handcrafted works of art. Hand-stitched with love and care, they convey confidence, professionalism, glamour, sophistication, style, elegance, and the good life. For that reason, they are a great investment. With proper care, our luxury leather handbags will last and last and be great go-to accessories that will compliment everything in your wardrobe. […]

Beau Satchelle Evening Handbags Are Ready For The Holidays!

The art of leather accessory design has layers of processes that only the artisan’s hands involved or a leather aficionado can appreciate. A well-made luxury bespoke bag takes 20-40 hours to make and entails hundreds, perhaps over a thousand, hand-sewn saddle stitches; all done with hand tools, two needles and thread. The choice of leather is a vital decision as to the ultimate look and feel of the product to ensure the owner’s delight of the product each time it is used. With those values and work ethic driving us, we are especially proud of the latest creations of our Master Leather artisan, T. Michael. This year, the number of requests to expand our luxury clutch offerings has amplified. Particularly with the upcoming holidays and celebrations looming on the horizon. As promised, it is our pleasure to introduce the first two bags that involve our eveningwear collection: The Grace Bespoke Clutch Bag (pictured above) is making its debut this November as a true one of a kind for Beau Satchelle. As with all of our products, it was necessary that we, first and foremost, provided good design and superior craftsmanship. The clutch’s design has a concave shape and is petite enough for a woman to comfortably carry in her hand. The leather is made from Italian lambskin in silver metallic and feels amazingly soft. The interior is made of black goatskin to contrast the silver exterior. This luxury jewel is sewn with fine waxed black thread and the edges are hand painted and hand burnished in black. An interior sleeve was created to provide accessibility for a Smartphone and keep it separated from other items like keys and makeup. The remaining interior has just enough room to carry a few personal items for that special evening out. A nickel chain […]

Beau Satchelle Happenings and Updates

The last month has been a whirlwind of activities for Beau Satchelle as we have been participating in several Metro Detroit Auctions to benefit some very worthy organizations and charities. We are also in the midst of getting prepared for a great holiday shopping season by positioning and promoting our bespoke luxury goods for one of kind gifts. Detroit Uncorked With an invitation from the Detroit Wine Association (www.detroitwine.org) we were honored to donate a bespoke leather piece for auction, named the “Emily Handbag” to the 12th Annual Detroit Uncorked Wine Extravaganza. The event’s proceeds benefit Gleaners Community Food Bank (www.GCFB.org ) one of the most significant charities in Metropolitan Detroit. Gleaners’ sole purpose is to solve hunger in Southeast Michigan through an intensive emergency food collection program that delivers millions of pounds of food to 535 community partners who in turn distribute to food pantries, shelters and schools. Over 20 restaurants and food vendors provide tasty hors’deuves while guests were able to sample over 250 Wines from all over the world from over 30 wine distributors and suppliers. The Silent Auction had a myriad of items ranging rare and vintage wines, work by local artists (including Beau Satchelle!), one of a kind wine lover collectibles and sports memorabilia. Spark 2016 Detroit Garment Group (www.detroitgarmentgroup.org), the non-profit organization whose mission is to cultivate education and economic development opportunities for Michigan’s fashion community, as well as cut and sew manufacturers in all industries. In conjunction with their FashionSpeak 2016 conference, Beau Satchelle was privileged to donate one of our bespoke designed messenger handbags to their inaugural fundraiser SPARK. As a member of this association, we are fortunate to part of a fashion network that brings together professionals from across the State of Michigan and have the opportunity to rub elbows with […]

Detroit Welcomes FashionSpeak 2016

A favorite time of the year for Beau Satchelle is in October when one of Metro Detroit’s premier non-profit organizations educate and promote the growing cut and sew industry in Michigan. Their annual FashionSpeak is part education, part networking, and all about the business of fashion. It is a time for professionals (designers, manufacturers, retailers, buyers, and bloggers) in the industry from veterans to college students to meet and learn from each other. So here’s Beau Satchelle’s takeaways from a packed day of learning: The morning began with Lauren Kirsch Weiss who serves as a buyer at Freeds of Windsor who shared tips on surviving trade shows from two standpoints that of a designer displaying their lines and secondly being an efficient tradeshow buyer. From a designer’s view it comes down to doing good prep work prior to the show (especially reaching out to potential buyers), presenting the best of you and your designs during event, and solid follow-up post show. The second speaker was Amy Dietrich, a product development expert and design consultant at Restoration Hardware whose topic was “Determine and develop your best product” and we have covered many tips that have been in previous blogs which boils down to doing your homework about your product, your customer and your competition. Karen McDonald, a public relations expert was the presentation that was key for Beau Satchelle. She offered a number of suggestions on creating a public relations plan for an emerging design business that included having good photography, a strong website, developing a press release and 3 to 6 talking points, know media’s deadlines, and practice interviewing. Karen also invited Rebecca Voigt, stylist editor from Hour Detroit, a local luxury magazine and RJ King, editor of Dbusiness an online business magazine that focuses on Metro Detroit businesses to […]

Creating A Luxury Brand From Scratch, part 2

A couple of weeks ago, we introduce the first of a series of blog posts about lessons learned in our first year of launching our luxury lifestyle business. As always, there is a never ending wealth of teaching moments and knowledge that we gain through our first year journey. So let’s cover two more this week: Marketing Our Brand – in the beginning, once your vision work is completed, while creating your business plan, a start-up must decide what their marketing strategies will be to attract their specific demographics. When entering the luxury market, every decision and action made has to correspond with the quality of your products. With that in mind, we study meticulously; the details that high luxury brands use in their language and visuals to communicate to the specific buying market. Let’s consider a luxury American automobile, the Lincoln MKC. The commercials alone exude pure elegance. The choice of using an iconic actor, Matt McConaughey, as their spokesperson, the beauty of the home and the infinity pool he dramatically falls in, his clothes and accessories he puts on, even the aristocratic dogs he carries in his Lincoln speaks quality. Lincoln customers are introduced to that same messaging throughout its social media, its showrooms, the VIP black label program and concierge service which all speak to a supreme experience. As we grow, Beau Satchelle is crafting a similar meticulous message to our audience; we will provide a “white glove” buying experience and our clients will gain pleasure and self-elevation when carrying our leather accessory. Our editorial and e-commerce photos must express beauty at the highest standards by displaying the intricate craftsmanship of our products. Our models and location shots we use create images of class and extravagance. We have to scrutinize the social media history of potential models […]

Celebrating National Handbag Day

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 […]

Creating A Luxury Brand From Scratch, part 1

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 […]

The Nuances of Stitching Leather

Last week, we had the privilege of participating in a swell event that featured a number of the newest and hottest retail spots and restaurants in Downtown Detroit. We were honored to represent our display of leather wine carriers and wine journals that were created exclusively for the House of Pure VIN, Detroit’s signature wine retailer. For Beau Satchelle, attending these events gives us the opportunity to gather feedback on the luxury products that T. Michael has created. Most reactions are that of astonishment at the craftsmanship of the products. “No way is this handsewn” is what I consistently hear from those who view our products. It is both humbling and confirming to T. Michael’s creative abilities. So, at this event, one admirer asked about the artist’s learning curve to producing such works of art. As a witness to his growth, I can assure you it began with one stitch, followed by the repetition of a million of stitches. The concentration that an apprentice must possess to perfect a saddle stitch, which is one of the main techniques used to sew leather, is utterly remarkable. If you are ever privileged to watch a Master leather craftsman stitch leather, it looks quite effortless. Almost to the point that it looks easy. But because I seem to get the same question about his personal journey of learning his craft, I wanted to give some insight into the growth of a self-taught leather artisan. T. Michael’s actually started his leather journey in college when he was unable to find quality belts that could fit within his budget. So, his next move was to visit the local leather store, pick up the necessary supplies and design belts, that to this day he still possesses. Fast forward to 2012, when the attraction of leather once […]