NELLE

entrepreneurship • product design • creative strategy • public relations • everything…

In 2003, with a used sewing machine from the Goodwill and a dream, I started Nelle Handbags. Those early years were filled with trips to the library to learn the ins and outs of sewing, picking threads out of the carpet in my crappy one bedroom apartment, and countless cold calls to retailers and editors. With no formal training, industry connections, or financial backing the chance of me succeeding in achieving my dream seemed slim. But I beat the odds and went on to wear many hats running my successful handbag company.

From 2003 to 2013, I worked with more than 60 retailers nationwide, like Henri Bendel and Anthropologie, and appeared in everything from “O” The Oprah Magazine to Redbook to Time Out New York. My Fall 2009 collection debuted during the NYC Fashion’s Night Out. 

It was a decade well spent, a wild ride full of highs and lows. Everything that was ever produced concerning Nelle came from me: sell sheets, retail programs, digital marketing, social programs, product design, public relations, content, public speaking engagements, interviews, partnerships & collaborations, customer service, community management, events, art direction, copywriting, styling, etc… It was a crash course in growing both brand and business.

Team: Laura Nelli, Cameron High (Graphic Design)