Tag Style

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 […]

The Facelift of Luxury Holiday Gifting

Learning firsthand from our growing group of affluent clients, it is without a doubt that gift giving is pivoting. Purchasing an experience or creating memories is exceeding above everything else when celebrating the gift of giving with loved ones. Opening a gift box housing a rose colored diamond tennis bracelet can still make a girl squeal with delight; yet the experience of working one on one with a top jeweler in creating her own unique design makes the gift more exceptional. Or that the golfer in your family will adore you for buying him a prestigious Titlist by Scotty Cameron -Tiger Woods Stainless Masters Winner Limited Edition golf clubs but to use those clubs while playing a round on a golf course with an acclaimed golf coach will be a memory of a lifetime. Even companies who offer products are embracing the trend of creating memories around the gifting of the product. Subscription services are gaining momentum in offering a new monthly experience of receiving a different outfit, the sexiest lingerie set, or a delivered box of fresh ingredients to cook a full meal is an upward trend for sophisticated consumers. For example, the Robb Report, a luxury lifestyle magazine that introduces the best of the best in products and services to high net worth individuals is now offering a monthly membership club that delivers a monthly exclusive box of luxury which contains curated and themed products that expose unique items from boutique brands and elite artisans. One of their delivered packages contained a tape measure and swatches of Handwoven Honduran fabric to order a bespoke hat made by the master milliners of Worth & Worth in New York City. What a delightful gift for that dapper gentleman in your life! Every industry in the luxury space from cars buying, […]

Interview with Grace of Color and Grace; Our New Brand Ambassador

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 […]

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 […]

Leather and Tech: The Perfect Pairing!

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 […]

Cut and Sew Comes to Detroit!

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 […]