Thank you all for waiting so patiently for the details of Pink Tuesday, which will take place at here 25 November. I will try to keep this brief.

Introducing BE to new customers

For a full 48 hours from 4pm GMT on Tuesday 25 November (time zones below), anyone who has never purchased from Belen Echandia before, or who has not purchased from us for at least 12 months, may purchase any bag on our website with 40% off using the code: newbie. This code would work for existing customers as well, but we are hoping that we can trust you!

If anyone has a big problem purchasing during this time (e.g. you will be unable to participate) please email us and we will do our best to help you. However, please only do this if it is absolutely impossible for you to participate yourself during these times as we are already inundated with queries.

Please email rose(@)belenechandia.com - removing brackets first - if you have any questions.

Jackie XXXX

Belen Echandia handbags are rarely on sale because the price point relative to workmanship and quality is already excellent and our Italian handbags are made in such small quantities that we usually sell out quickly.

Despite this we know that everyone loves the occasional bargain so for the last 5 years we have consistently rewarded our regular customers with exclusive 3-day sales in addition customer competitions and the best customer service. We also recently introduced a sample sale to allow those in the know to purchase our display samples at a fraction of their actual value.

Now we have something a bit different, for those who are new to Belen Echandia. We know that there are many of you who are thinking of making a purchase but haven’t yet taken the plunge. Perhaps you wonder how the shipping will work from outside the US, perhaps you have heard about BE but you don’t know enough about our bags, or perhaps you are wondering what makes Belen Echandia handbags special.

Now we are going to give you the opportunity to find out!

Italian-made handbags are a little bit more expensive but their quality and longevity makes them worth it. Personally I have always taken the view that I would rather own 2 or 3 beautifully-constructed, good-quality pieces than many cheaper items, none of which truly makes the grade. But then I really don’t like to compromise. The BE woman tends to share this with me. Moreover, because BE is focusing on its online sales, we are able to afford things that other companies cannot. We are actually adding details and extras, just as other companies are removing their name tags and mirrors in order to save money.

With Belen Echandia bags you get more than you pay for!

Introducing Pink Tuesday

We recently learned that Friday 28th November is known as Black Friday in the US and historically is the day on which many great sales take place. Since BE is known for its use of colour, we decided to hold our very own Pink Tuesday for BE newbies. It will work like this:

1.On Pink Tuesday (25th November) anyone who has never purchased from Belen Echandia before or who has not purchased for at least one year shall be able to purchase with 40% off current stock (one bag per person only) AND free shipping.

Why 40%? And how can we afford to give such a large discount? The truth is, we can’t really, but we believe that it will be worth it in the long-term, since so many customers tell us that once they have bought a BE, they never look back. Most of our customers tell us that once they buy a BE, they actually rarely use another bag. So our reasoning is, that if we can introduce you to our bags and you love them, we will be able to design more and more for you in the future. We believe in developing relationships with our customers and a relationship is a two-way process. So we want to meet you halfway.

2. Alternatively, you will be able to order a bespoke bag with no extra charge.

Jackie, Ashley and Rose will all be on hand throughout the day to guide you through the process. We will be dedicating all our time on Pink Tuesday to assisting new customers and we will talk with you either by telephone or email, the choice is yours.

3. For those who are not new to BE, please do help us to spread the word to family, friends, colleagues and anyone else you think would love our Italian workmanship, designs and the experience of buying from Belen Echandia on Pink Tuesday. It is such an amazing opportunity that we don’t want anyone to miss out so if you write a blog, own a website or just want to shout from the rooftops, THANK YOU!

If you do mention BE and feel comfortable doing so, ask your friend to let us know that he/she heard about BE because of you. We will not forget!

I am very excited to be able to offer this opportunity and I hope that you are too.

Much love from London.

A rather exhausted…but excited.

Jackie X

ps: I must just say again, how gorgeous is my nephew… like a little translucent alien. A cute one. . It has been said so many times before, but I marvel at how clever the human body is.

I am up in Yorkshire visiting my little nephew for the first time. Here he is with my little brother - his dad (how time flies) at just 5 minutes old.

Have a good weekend

Jackie

XXX

“That is one GREAT bag!”

“Why, thank you! I love it too.”

“Who makes that bag??”

“Tsk, tsk, Belen Echandia, of course!”

“Wow, I haven’t heard of them.”

“Let me take you on a fantastic voyage into a world of gorgeously scintillating leathers, a small Italian leather-making shop, and a girl who knows her handbags…”

And so begins my conversation with my mail carrier…or my banker…or the receptionist at my hair salon. Because no matter WHAT I am wearing, it is my gorgeously stylish and functional BE bag that everyone notices (and not my icky sweats, on bad days, or even the jeans that FINALLY make me look pretty, on good days!)

Welcome to central New Jersey, just 40 miles south of the ever-bustling Manhattan, minutes from the well-known beaches, where Coach®, Louis Vuitton®, and Vera Bradley® are e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e – not that I have anything against such brands. But they are just so….common, dare I say it - ordinary. Nothing special in my book, whereas my BE bag, whichever one it may be that day (as my closet has done nearly a complete 100% conversion over to the BE styles, thereby allowing my closet to smell richly of leather ALL THE TIME), is unique in it’s style, one of a few offered in each style, with the utmost attention paid to detail and design. Soooooo much more worth the money!

Alright, alright, let me back up. I’m a mother of two boys, ages 4 and a half, and one year. I recently rejoined the corporate world after staying home for a bit to open my own law firm (which still functions). And as if we weren’t busy enough, my husband and I run our own home-based business selling Arbonne®, a fantastic botanical-vegan line of health and wellness products. So what does this have to do with my handbags??? Well, without my BE, I would be just another face in the crowd, another mom on the soccer field (not just yet, but soon). But my handbags start conversations, raise eyebrows, catch the sun and shine it around – they allow me to meet new people and further my business ventures. You could say, my handbags actually BUILD my business!

For instance, on a mommy day, I can grab my Take Me Anywhere in the gorgeous light grey shimmer or my matte Chocolate Love Me (my first BE!), fill it with diapers, wipes, snacks, even bottles, along with my necessities, and we’re off to do whatever it is that we do (you know, shopping, running errands, more shopping, more errands). When the mom at Old Navy stares longingly at my TMA, I smile and ask her if she would like to pet it – well, not really, but I certainly smile back and start up a conversation about handbags – perhaps she is looking for some new skincare and weightloss too!!

For my daily corporate job, where I get to wear jeans daily, I can choose between many BE styles, depending on what I intend to carry that day – whether it be files in my rocking Charm Me in studly Black Crash leather (a style no longer available, making this bag destined to stay with me FOREVER), or just my personals in my Chocolate Crash Hug Me (my newest favorite style), in my sumptuous tan I’m Yours, or in the softly shimmering mustard Indulge Me (yet another retired style!), depending perhaps, on my mood, my jeans, and quite possibly, my undies I mean, with jeans you can only be so creative! Then too, there is always my choco glossy Stroke Me in the medium size – this is my go-to bag for when I am just running out of the house quickly, for any given reason! Since I work in an all-male facility (engineering facility), my chosen bag is more for me, since it’s a rare day when a male engineer will notice my handbag (whereas the service rep at my local Subaru dealer complimented me right away!) – so my BE bag allows me to feel stylish and fashionable in a work-environment where the primary talk is about fiber optic wires and high-powered lasers.

For attending an Arbonne party or function, hmmmm, which shall I choose??? Don’t want people to lose sight of the reason why I am there (Arbonne), but can’t help the notice of a fantastic bag!!! Any and all of the above will work. Especially my Angel Purse in the wine leather for carrying my beloved blackberry, ID, lipstick and keys!

For travel, which I now do quite a bit for my corporate job – I wouldn’t dream of going anywhere without my Weekender set in chocolate glossy – such a rich gorgeous leather, with pockets galore – I WANT to travel just so I can use them, even for a day trip (which is most of what my current travel requires – day trips, but surely, I will need at least one change of clothes for driving versus meetings!)

At last, a night out…could be to the movies, could be to Vegas (for a DANGEROUS night out!) but I won’t go ANYWHERE without my Clutch Mes in Fiamma Red (the PERFECT lipstick red, with so much depth of color, you could just stare at it for hours) and White Croc with handpainted minimalist gold streaks – perfect for the opera yet dresses up jeans and heels in an instant (when your Fiamma Red juuuuuuuuust might give the wrong impression of what your intentions are that night!). Nor do I ignore my Kiss Me Clutch in pewter – subtle yet just the right amount of bling.

My bags MAKE me want to dress up – my bags MAKE me want to look good. In fact, I rarely walk out of the house in my sweats or yoga pants anymore (unless I’m, indeed, ON my way to yoga, and then my luscious but casual chocolate Stroke Me is perfect!) because otherwise I won’t be doing my BE bags justice!! It’s just not fair to them for me not to look presentable in some way – they deserve it!

Laugh if you must, as my husband does. But these bags are so my style, so me, so my personality….so what if I now make myself just a hint more presentable when I step out of the house to run to the grocery store for diapers?? Is that so wrong?

My BEs don’t think so. And neither does my 4 and a half year old who has taken an stark interest in my beloved BE collection. “Mommy, is that ANOTHER BE bag,” he’ll ask. When I just smile, he’ll smile back and say “Wow, it’s soooooooo beautiful.” I have taught him well!