This afternoon I was looking through some of the pictures we receive from customers when I came across this snap of this cute kitty enjoying its owner’s petrol Love Me bag.

We all know the saying about how pets begin to look like their owners. But it hadn’t crossed my mind that maybe our pets love the things we do too. Like the films we watch, the music we listen to, the food we eat and maybe, just maybe, the handbags and shoes we buy too.

Here’s another one, of the same cat with its Stroke Me bags in aquamarine and tan glossy. Doesn’t she look strangely protective, as though guarding her very own handbags…

This is one chic kitty cat! If you have any cute pictures of your pets enjoying your BE bags, please do send them to us at info@belenechandia.com. We would love to see them.

Jackie

I came home the other day to find a box sitting in my living room, and immediately knew that it was my new Hug Me purple crash. I was thrilled! I ripped open the box and quickly untied the dust bag. Now I know how you ladies feel when your new bags arrive. And there she was- absolutely gorgeous! I had seen a sample a few months ago, but I didn’t remember the purple crash leather to be this scrumptious. There is just something so different about this leather, it is the perfect amount of crash without being overly metallic.

I had my Hug Me purple crash, and fellow HK resident Sammi Lau’s WTM purple crash delivered to my apartment. So yesterday I met Sammi Lau for coffee and of course to give her the fabulous WTM. I wish you all could have seen her initial reaction, she was thrilled. I felt like it was Christmas, and I was Santa Clause handing out gifts. A huge smile was branded across her face. I had to take some pictures of us in our new handbag joy!

Me and my Purple Crash Hug Me

Sammi Lau and her Purple Crash WTM

How excited do we look?

x Ashley

The wait is over! Here is the winning entry of this season’s Bag of the Season. We had some amazing entries but I am sure that you will all agree that the winner made an outstanding effort.

Congratulations to Elizabeth. who will receive a Black Crash Take Me Everywhere.

Jackie

BE QUIZ by Elizabeth Dunkel July 4, 2008

I write this on a sultry Friday evening in the tropics, sitting in my bathing suit. I am far away from the chic, European world of Belen Echandia, but am creating my own Belen Echandia world here, alone, in the Yucatan. On my desk as I write are my ultra chic Antique Gold Stroke Me, and my Black Crash Clutch Me.

BE has changed my life with the Clutch Me. I have never liked clutch bags – they were always too small, too precious or too…something. Clutch Me is friendly but ultra chic, it is big enough, small enough, and perfect to have on my desk so that I can throw in my wallet and keys and go. It is perfect for the transition from office to evening… I don’t like going out to dinner or the movies with a huge bag. Nowadays I always pack a clutch when I travel, to smarten up any outfit.

Where are BE bags made?

BE bags begin in the heart, soul and mind of Jackie Cawthra. The ideas are born in the London breeze, on her morning run, at her desk, as she sits in a café, as she flips through magazines or watches movies, reads books, talks to her friends, listens to clients or just zeros in on what she really likes. BE bags are physically produced in an Italian atelier.

From which country does the name Belen Echandia originate?

Belen Echandia is a Spanish girl’s name.

Which magazine recently said Middle Eastern women were queuing for a BE purple python Clutch Me?

Enigma magazine.

How do we name our bags?

BE bags are named after customer comments. It is refreshing because they aren’t named after models or actresses. BE bags’ names are a call to action: Love me. Hold me. Stroke me. Take me away. And they are lovable, strokeable, huggable, clutchable, holdable and more.

To which country did Jackie take her TMA?

To Portugal on a R&R retreat.

Name Two BE stockists

Harvey Nics in Dubai and Fred Segal in L.A. Wow, there are two different worlds for you! Movie stars and Arab princesses!

Name of the recent covert Italian investigation into Chinese handbag producers

Luxury Slaves.

What surprised me is that these third world sweatshops are going on in Italy! I thought, okay, BV et al are making their bags in third world destinations….but to learn that slavery is going on in a European country…was a real eye opener. For me, Belen Echandia is on par with Hermes: handbags made by high trained people who have a true level and history of craftsmanship, who don’t have to hide, who are proud and are paid well for their skills. BE is made in the tradition of fine Italian leather handcraft.

Why choose BE?

BE is a real luxury… You know, when I first looked at the website…I thought: this is not me. This is not my world. But for some reason, I kept going back and looking at it. I was struck by the picture of Jackie on bended knee, in a mercado in Equador with a gorgeous chocolate bag which I learned was Stroke Me, which was my first purchase. Then what drew me in was BE’s definition of luxury. Anyone can buy an expensive handbag in a store. Luxury today is about service. When you choose a hotel, you are not buying the room, but rather, the experience. Personal service requires thoughtfulness and caring. Service is expensive.

The unique bespoke aspect…BE was the first to offer bespoke luxury handbags. The idea of “bespoke” was interesting, because bespoke is a very upscale British concept. Only very wealthy people have bespoke clothing made. Suddenly, bespoke was accessible…to me.

BE makes web shopping easy and stress-free …Jackie has created a very feminine, chic world, where the ladies ooh and aah over the pink linings and the interior organization of the bags. You have to be confident to buy and wear a BE – you have to be independent enough to recognize chic for yourself, without a million/dollar advertising campaign obscuring the view. You take a plunge not knowing what you’ll get and whether you’ll like it. Handbag buying is a tactile experience – you touch leather, you look at shape, ease of accessibility, the weight of the bag, you try the bag on and see how it works for your body type. You can’t do this with BE. It was the personal phone call that made me take the plunge and the no quibble exchange policy is the safety net for the plunge.

It is more than a bag… I feel that I’m wearing a personal and unique product. I feel tied into BE’s ethos and style. I feel part of a select group of women. When I first opened my Stroke Me in London, where I picked up my first bag, my friend, Sally Bradshaw held it and looked it over and said, “This is seriously posh.”

BE polishes my look… It really excites me to wear BE. My clothing is very simple – white linen, black slacks, blue jeans…and my BE becomes the defining accessory.

Because I’m Worth It… My BE bags are my office, my boudoir, my friend, my strength, my “better half,” my calling card, my security blanket, my travel buddy and my fun. They remind me, “I’m worth it.” Since I started buying and wearing BE, I have, for the most part, stopped looking at other handbags. It frees my mind, not looking for the perfect handbag, or any other handbag.

I like the fact that Jackie and Ashley know exactly which BE’s I have. It is delightful to have a conversation and discuss a color or a style for an event or a lifestyle with the designer herself. Movie stars have their personal stylists; I have my own personal handbag designer.

Elizabeth Dunkel was anonymously selected as the winner of the AW08 Bag of the Season competition. Elizabeth was one of Belen Echandia’s first-ever customers and remains the only woman in Mexico - that we know of - to wear BE bags. She is mother to Pablo and Nina and the author of The Portable Mother, www.theportablemother.blogspot.com.

Hong Kong residents of all ages fill this mall in search of the world’s most prestigious — and expensive – labels. Hong Kong’s huge demand for big-name labels means luxury goods are sold all over the city in places you’d expect to find bargain stores and fast-food chains. Hong Kong is jammed with high-end shopping malls. A walk through downtown doesn’t once involve stepping onto the pavement as all major buildings contain malls linked by overhead walkways. Each of them bristles with the highest-profile brand names like Christian Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Hermes.

Now, when I walk around and I see all of these designer labels, I think to myself- we need to have a BE store in HK! How great would it be to have BE between Gucci and Dolce and Gabbana?

x Ashley

We had some amazing entries for this autumn’s Bag of the Season competition. More people entered than ever before, with the most impressive set of answers. I was touched by every single entry, both for the efforts put into them and your kind, heartfelt words of encouragement. We are so happy to see how much you all enjoy your BE bags. Knowing how much our efforts are appreciated spurs us on, so on behalf of everyone at Belen Echandia: thank you very much!

That said, there was one entry this season which really stood out from the crowd. When you read the entry, I am sure you will agree that it is outstanding. All the names are automatically wiped before the entries are judged to ensure impartiality and Ashley judged the entries, but nevertheless we both chose the same one.

We have decided to post the winning entry here and on the website for all to see sometime tomorrow, Wednesday 27th August, so stay tuned to read it and to find out if you won…

Jackie

Most of you know that except for my favourite little Be Mine mini which I use for an errand at least once a day, I tend to favour large, statement handbags, which I often carry around half-empty.

My two current favourites are my large black glossy Hug Me and my Purple Crash Take Me Everywhere. For those who are still trying to choose an autumn bag, here are my thoughts on my two current favourites:

My Hug Me

..is the larger size in black glossy, but this style works in all colours.

Why I like it: I love its shape. The black glossy leather is so light and yet thick and soft. It hugs my leg and keeps me warm when I wear it messenger style, which feels almost comforting.

What I use it for: I use it as a day bag, although it is large and most people would probably prefer the regular size. One advantage of this size is that it fits very comfortably on my shoulder and makes the ideal carry-on bag for my frequent travels. My mobile phone is particularly easy to access in this bag because it sits right at the top next to the zipper.

Progress so far: I get stopped everywhere I go - people seem to love the shape and way it hangs quirkily. The central zipper makes it very secure, whilst the two outer pockets make it easy to find my tube pass, which I am always losing.

My TME

…Aesthetically the Take Me Everywhere is the opposite of the Hug Me. Tall and elegant where the Hug Me is short and cute, like two close friends of different statures. My love for them is nevertheless equal.

Why I like it: The TME is probably the lightest bag I own. It has a good strap drop and a soft rounded handle, making it easy and comfortable to wear both on the shoulder and the arm. The magnet and drawstring feel very secure. I would love this bag in any colour but I chose the purple crash because although I love all the colours we are using this season, it is so unique.

What I use it for: Literally everything! It is a great bag for looking chic at the office, and even better, it works after work as well. The secret inside pocket is perfect for my magazines.

What to wear it with: Dark and wintry and actually fairly muted except in bright sunlight, this dark purple may actually be better-described as plum. It looks best teamed with all shades of grey and black.

Progress so far: There is just one warning attached to any bag in this colour - don’t buy it if you mind attention, because you will have to put up with at least one person tapping on your shoulder in the street to ask you where you got it.

As one of our regular customers said recently “I didn’t think I could love a bag more than my ‘Love Me’ but my new Take Me Everywhere is something else”.

…other peoples handbags

Have you ever wondered what other people tote around in their handbags? Chastised yourself for being too messy with a lining full of old wrappers and receipts or too full of unneccessary bits and bobs, like that mini Ghd ceramic hair straightener you carry around just in case of ‘emergencies’ like a spot of rain?

But peering into someone else’s handbag is just not a polite thing to do. When was the last time you met up with your closest friend and said ‘Jane I was just wondering, might I have a look inside your handbag…’?

Being a handbag designer, I am particularly curious about what goes on inside people’s handbags. Belen Echandia was one of the very first to add key chains, mobile phone pockets and PDA sleeves to our handbags. Our weekender and overnighter bags are still the only ones I know of with a decent amount of pockets and compartments inside.

Since I chat with our customers about their handbags all day long, I have been privileged enough to take a figurative look inside many of them. I also receive a fair few pictures, which I am happy to be able to share with you. I am amazed how much one can learn about someone from examining the contents of their handbag. The owner of this dark grey Love Me is clearly both chic and a devoted, organised mummy.

What’s more, you can learn a lot about BE bags by seeing what other people put inside them. The second most-asked question, after “which bag do you think will most suit my lifestyle” is “how roomy are BE handbags”. And as you can see, the Love Me - which is about the same size as this seaon’s Take Me Everywhere - fits a decent amount of stuff.

Jackie

Now I understand where all you lovely ladies are coming from when you want your bag to arrive!! I am sitting here in Hong Kong, pining for my Purple Crash Hug Me. I no longer have the luxury of seeing the bags before you all do, I have to do my share of waiting now. And let me tell you, it is not fun.

I will be sure to post photos when it arrives, yay!

x Ashley

I can say with confidence that Hong Kong is one of my favourite places for shopping. It’s the big city air, the international atmosphere and most interestingly, the impeccably dressed inhabitants. I’ve been to and lived in many big cities, from NYC to London, but I have never seen an entire population so well-dressed and so well groomed in all my travels. From their ballet flats to their sculpted hair, you can’t help but admire the phenomenon surrounding you.

There is this gorgeous mall that is around the corner from my apartment. All designer stores, so it is so much fun to walk around and see the new fashion.

I went into Lane Crawford today and immediately went into the handbag section. There were rows of handbags and I immediately thought about how great the new fall BE bags would look up there.

x Ashley

Today I had lunch with one of BE’s own! I met Sammi Lau who recently moved back to Hong Kong, just a few months before me. As she has been here a bit longer than me, I asked her where we should meet and what kind of food we should go for. We met in Causeway Bay, one of the great shopping areas. Inside a huge shopping centre, filled with gorgeous stores we went to a Shanghainese restaurant. She of course was carrying her LM midi in purple, and it looked great! This was how we found each other- she had her LM midi in purple and I was carrying my black crash LM. We talked about BE, the gorgeous fall bags, and we tried to decide on a colour for her free Angel Purse. I brought my LM in black crash and pewter AP so she could get a feel for how both leathers wear in. We promised we would meet up as soon as she received her fall bag, so stay tuned for photos.

x Ashley

After being in Hong Kong for a little over 1 week I have decided that Hong Kong is indeed one of the best cities to shop, for the following reasons:

1)Shops in HK open before 12 noon, usually around 10am, but it can be earlier depending on the store. And close at a really lovable time, depending on location. In Central, where I live at the moment, shops close at 8-9pm. In Causeway Bay, a very well known shopping district, shops close at 10-12pm! Isn’t that wonderful? This is why HK is a wonderful shopping place compared to other really lazy countries, such as the UK with stores closing at 4pm on Sundays!

2)Shopping is TAX FREE! It is absolutely fabulous! I mean, can you imagine how much less stress it is to shop without subconsciously adding on the tax rate onto the price?

3)Shops are always huddled in air-conditioned, well lit and posh-looking indoor shopping malls. And they are EVERYWHERE!! These malls are certainly not stranded in some wilderness, unlike a few horrible American outlets I have been to (example: Tanger Outlet in Long Island, NY).

x Ashley

“Are you eating enough?”

The typical mother’s question and one which always results in giggles from my assistant , who knows that despite my slim physique my appetite is far from small. My response that actually I never stop eating, thank you very much, is usually met with gentle protests that perhaps I don’t eat the ‘right’ foods, by which she means lashings of lasagne and bread pudding.

For various reasons I have spent the past 12 eating exactly what I want - so long as it is natural and unprocessed and doesn’t contain starch, added nasties or, with the exception of essential oils, too much fat. This means I never eat rice, bread, potatoes, or other starches and yet - much to the confusion of my dietician - I have boundless energy, never get sick (not even a cold) and never feel hungry at all.

Given that I weigh less than I did when I was 18 - and having watched another friend lose 15kg and change shape completely after I told him I thought a similar eating plan would work for him - I have long suspected that I am onto something. So I was more than a bit smug to see this article written in the Times yesterday, extolling the virtues of a low-starchy carbohydrate diet for a long and healthy life. The writer’s only mistake was to travel from London to Utah to find out about it - he could have popped over to my flat in Chelsea for a nice cup of tea instead.

The interesting thing that he forgets to mention or perhaps has not considered, is that even if you tell most people that there is a way of eating which is tasty, filling, keeps you slim and healthy and allows a 70-year old woman to maintain the figure of a teenage girl, they still won’t follow it. Some people just like their sandwiches too much!

Jackie

This is one of BE’s loyal customers, who has 3 children and plays several different roles on a daily basis. She recently offered to write a feature for the website about the trials and tribulations of juggling motherhood with a busy career. Since this is a challenge many BE customers face, I was more than happy to say yes.

We regularly hear from customers about the trials of juggling demanding careers with bringing up young children and staying stylish. So it is always interesting to hear their thoughts on how their BE bags help them to do this and I thought you might like to hear about it too.

You can read the article here or click on A Mother’s Adventures on the blog itself. Here is a picture of her with her gorgeous family. To quote Allison Pearson “I don’t know how she does it’”.

“You must keep very busy.”

I get this comment often, especially when I venture out to the grocery store with my eight-year old daughter and five-year old twin boys in tow. There’s nothing that can humble a woman faster than having her children outnumber her in a public place. I figure I’m just there to give other shoppers a good laugh.

On any given day, my schedule may consist of editing a magazine article, driving kids to and from school, chauffeuring my daughter to horseback riding lessons, fact-checking a feature, and hunting down the single missing puzzle piece that will once again make the United States map complete. Much to my son’s dismay, we have yet to find Oklahoma.

It also seems that, for someone who works from a home office, I rarely find myself at home. In fact, I feel more like a road warrior today than I did in my previous life as a marketing VP with an active frequent flier card. A mobile lifestyle is one most mothers inhabit, so it’s important to have the right tools, and for me, that includes the right handbag.

A bag is more than a bag. It’s my portable office and my Mary Poppins bag of tricks, filled with enticements and entertainments for those lingering stays in the pediatrician’s waiting room. Because it serves so many purposes, I find it to be one of my most valuable possessions.

I rely on my Belen Echandia Dark Grey Love Me Midi to carry me from a client meeting to an afterschool event, and I’ve found it is one of the only bags I own that switches seamlessly between the professional and personal demands of my daily life. The middle zipper compartment keeps my wallet and other personal items secure, and the two additional sections allow me to create distinct areas for my work tools and my children’s necessities. No longer will I need to worry that I’ll accidentally pull out a Hello Kitty notepad in front of a client while digging for my project book!

One of the most valuable features my LM Midi has is a cross-body strap that can be attached as needed. When I’m shuttling three small kids in a busy public place, the cross-body strap leaves me hands free and able to move quickly. Moms out there know that, when it comes to kids, we need every competitive advantage we can get!

The fact that each Belen Echandia bag is made by hand in a European atelier only adds to the appeal. In a world where almost everything is mass-produced, owning a piece of fine craftsmanship such as this is a true pleasure. It is a daily reminder that there are those in the world still committed to excellence.

It also reminds me of the joys of mobile motherhood.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Laura is a photo industry journalist and the author of Digital Photography for Busy Women. As the mother of three children ages eight and under, she spends so much time running that she’s considered asking Nike® for an endorsement. She is grateful her husband has a sense of humor.

I managed to find half an hour to watch the latest episode of Dragon’s Den last night and as usual I was struck by how fierce those dragons can be.

Ok, so they are offering to risk their hard-earned cash and precious time on unproven business ventures. And granted, some of the participants really don’t deserve the money anyway. But the dragons are not doing this out of the goodness of their hearts, they are looking for a great business venture to invest in.

Despite this, the person who has just spent the best part of 5 years and all their spare cash developing their ideas is forced to part with a large chunk of the shares for a comparably small sum, just because the dragons are connected and experienced enough to click their fingers and get the business off the ground.

Yes I know that life is unfair. And business is business and if the participants would only improve their negotiation skills, they would probably get a much better deal. But I am still wondering whether I should have said yes to the invitation to go on the Dragon’s Den when they called me up last year, because I really would love to remind Duncan Bannatyne’s ego that when he was my age, he owned an ice cream van.

One of the things I absolutely love about working for myself is being able to set my own hours. I once read a book called the 7-day weekend, which extolled the virtues of flexible working.

I so enjoy deciding to go to the gym at 3.25pm without having to announce to anyone where I am going. So just in case anyone needs to contact me for the next couple of hours…well you can’t. Because I won’t be here.

One of the lovely girls in the office will be on hand to answer your questions should your query be urgent. Or you can just visit the website for some light entertainment…

Jackie

The day after we finished producing the last bespoke order for the tan Stroke Me we had a call from a customer who really wanted to buy one. She was so disappointed to hear that she had missed out by just a day that we vowed to let everyone know in future to avoid it ever happening again.

So we are duly announcing that we will produce the following bags at the end of August. Cut-off date to let us know is 26 August 2008.

Love Me Midi (Medium, pictured in dark grey) - Pewter Crash
Love Me - Pewter Crash
Take Me Away Mini – Tan Matte

Click here to place a deposit

Sometimes we have one-off bags that we don’t put on the website. We have a couple of bags that you may not know about. So just in case you are looking for them, this month we have:

1 Indulge Me Black Crash, silver hardware (shown here)
1 Be Mine Mini in sand with sand python
1 I’m Yours in Mustard with Gold Hardware
1 Love Me Midi in Dark Grey Matte
1 Purple Love Me Mini with silver hardware
1 Fiamma Red Love Me Mini with silver hardware

Please email ashley(@)belenechandia.com immediately if there is something you definitely want. If you would like to see pictures, we can send you them.

N.b the bracket here is to avoid spam, so please manually remove it when you email us.

One of our lovely customers lives in Merida, on the Yucatan Peninsula and she sent us these fantastic pictures of her Belen Echandia handbags basking in their tropical paradise. We loved these images of them hanging out on their very own sun lounger. I would love to join them for a spot of sunbathing….

Elizabeth is a very talented author and she writes this amazing blog called The Portable Mother. It started as a project to tell her children about her view of the world, but we think everyone needs a Portable Mother, so Elizabeth has us hooked.

We love to hear stories from around the world of BE bags and what they get up to. I particularly love hearing about BE’s going on holiday. It always reminds me of the story of the garden knome which travelled the world, sending postcards to its owner.

So you can imagine our delight when we received this picture of BE at the Acropolis. The owner of this Love Me Mini has just taken her petrol Take Me Away to Bali, so we are really looking forward to pictures when she returns in September…

So the Autumn bags are finally on the site to much excitement from customers around the world. I usually find it quite easy to pick a runaway favourite each season, but this season I am finding it very difficult because all the bags and colours are so popular. I must admit that I was a little bit nervous about using so many crash leathers, which are a bit more ‘metallic’ than our other gorgeous glossy and matte leathers. But as soon as the bags arrived I remembered why I chose them. They are beautiful - understated, soft, pretty and a little bit different from anything else you will find out there. They whisper ‘look at me’ rather than screaming it.

As for colours, so far purple and chocolate crash are the most popular, with some bags selling out before they had even arrived! But again, all the colours are beautiful and my philosophy is always to pick the style and colour that will fit in with your lifestyle and wardrobe.

See all the new collections here

It is a long time since I posted on the blog, but after much begging and pleading from various people I have decided to spend a little time with you each week discussing my thoughts and updating you with all our news. So do check in for regular updates and to see what we are up to. I have also asked Ashley, who is currently running Belen Echandia’s Hong Kong office, to tell us a bit about her life in Hong Kong. So Ashley will also give us a regular update of the latest Hong Kong happenings and most importantly, tell us all about the shopping in Hong Kong and the new season trends.

I remember when I went on a press trip to Hong Kong. It is a fascinating place and I absolutely loved it. I must dig out those pictures and put them up here for you all to see…