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 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 […]
After last week’s blog regarding the Olympics and what lessons we derive from the experiences of the absolute top athletes in their respective fields, a curious reader inquired as to our specific habits that keep us focused on “the main things” in building a luxury leather business. As with any creative business, Beau Satchelle has for the most part, two main areas: the creative side (the design and production of our leather goods) and the sales/marketing end (getting our products seen and sold). Our success in these two areas are determined by building consistent, small steps every day that stimulates momentum and progress over time. For Beau Satchelle, keeping our eye on the prize, a successful luxury leather company, requires us to practice the following ten habits: 1. Maintaining a Healthy Body – not suggesting to necessarily be in shape to perform a marathon (unless that is the goal), but at least creating the physical routines for endurance on those long days that support good energy and fitness in the area of exercise and healthy eating. 2. Maintaining Healthy Mind Set – Reading positive and intelligent materials and books, listening to educational podcasts, watching You Tube channels of other entrepreneurs, networking with other business owners keeps us sharp and encouraged. More importantly, having a great sense of humor will keep you sane! 3. Gratitude – the daily grind of a business can be draining and challenging. To keep a perspective on what’s truly important, acknowledging what we are grateful for comes in different forms whether that be through prayer, writing in a journal, using this blog to publicly acknowledge who and what we are thankful for or just recognizing our teammates value to this business is worth its’ weight in gold. Showing gratitude to others is limitless and appreciated. 4. […]
So on a personal note, as a child, one of my many answers to “what do I want to be when I grow up” asked by grownups that influenced my life as a child (besides a veterinarian, a circus ringmaster and the manager of the next Jackson Five singing group), I was going to be the next Gloria Vanderbilt. I grew up when paper dolls were in vogue and I absolutely loved drawing clothes and was taught to sew by my Mom. As a teenager, I collected every magazine (way before the internet) that featured the latest and greatest in fashion for young women. However, my career as a fashion designer didn’t pan out, but my love for beautiful things has grown immensely. Since the pre-launch of Beau Satchelle to the world and thanks to my world traveled partner and artist extraordinaire T. Michael who has broadened my experiences to another level in the world of luxury. Subsequently, my tastes have grown more sophisticated, I genuinely appreciate quality and excellence whether it be a wearing a handcrafted leather handbag, dining in a Michelin Star restaurant, or displaying treasured heirloom jewelry. The artist, chef or craftsman has put love and perfection into his or her work, which is what affluent customers deem priceless. As we build our business, we keep an eye on our luxury leather competitors, but it’s just as important to understanding our market’s buying habits in other industries and how they engage in their chosen lifestyles. Our true love is leather, but we embrace the high standard of living our clients seek when it comes to discernment, uniqueness and beauty. The growth of our business has a lot to do with our connections to our local, national and international network of business associates, however, we also have a […]
It’s summertime and the living is easy – which means barbecues, outings, hikes, camping, late nights around the fire, fine wine and a book on the deck, picnics and summer concerts. Summer is synonymous with shorter working days – spending more time out of the office and cashing in those vacation days. That can mean taking time off to spend balmy days with the people you love, whether it’s on the beach, taking a drive out to the country, taking a tour with a new flame in wine country, visiting a famous theme park where a very well-known mouse lives, or simply kicking back in a brand new hammock with a fine wine. Nights could involve going out salsa dancing, visiting the casino, barbecuing with friends, spending a night with a double feature and a big box of candy at the drive-in theatre. Whatever you decide to do with your free time, do remember to make memories to last a lifetime this summer. Life is too short to drink as wine out of plastic glasses and beer out of plastic cups, even when you’re out catching a performance by your favorite musicians at the local band shell on a hot Saturday night. In our experience, you should make the most out of every moment to maximize on the memories and to make every occasion as special as possible. One way to make things more memorable is by making the everyday more classy and uptown. Beau Satchelle makes a bespoke luxury wine bottle carrier, which features removable and changeable straps so that the bag can be carried either as a classy unisex messenger bag, or a backpack. The bag itself is crafted in Detroit, Michigan, from the finest, weather resistant, smooth brown leather that was tanned with waxes and oils and […]
I love Beau Satchelle and perhaps there will soon be a blog for the owners of our bespoke leather products. Our heart and soul goes into the building of our beautiful bespoke Luxury leather products. We realize, currently, we are a minnow in a vast ocean of leather manufacturers and artisans. However, we aren’t fearful of the challenge (actually, energized) to keep growing and perfected our offerings until we can be heralded as a top contender in the world of bespoke luxury. So when a piece is written about a master in the business, it is to only bestow much respect to one of the finest of the leather and luxury fraternity. Hermés… just saying the name conjures up the word “indulgence”. Truth be told, I am a fan, not just because of the bag itself…but the amazing brand that has been carefully built around both the Kelly and the Birkin bags. In the month of April, the auction house, Privé Porter, who curates unused, coveted Hermés Birkin handbags, broke the record for the most expensive handbag ever sold for $298,000. The 2008 Birkin made in Rouge Braise Crocodile featured 10.08 carats of round brilliant cut diamonds and 171 grams of 18-carat white gold hardware. It is elegant and the craftsmanship is unparalleled. According to the Wall Street Journal, a few days later, the Birkin was delivered by Brinks armored air transport to a Los Angeles buyer’s representative, who describes his client as an American billionaire. As we say in Detroit… “That’s ballin”! So as we grow our bespoke leather start-up, we will constantly drive ourselves to never lose the focus and respect of the art of leather crafting. We are dedicated to our values and the culture that solely embrace our clients who invest in our bespoke luxury bags […]
Life is about simple pleasures – watching the sun rise, enjoying the summer breeze with a favorite glass of wine, conversation with good friends, writing with a good, flowing pen in a beautiful notebook. As life moves faster and faster, and people get busier, we lose some of these moments. Everything is about speed and efficiency. People want the latest toys, the latest technology and there literally is an app for everything. Why not pledge to slow down and learn to enjoy the simple things again? It’s important to stop and remember the enjoyable moments in life. If you’re a wine connoisseur, take the time to really taste it. Savor the flavors, and write down what you notice about it. Although there are many great apps for wine lovers to take notes, there’s something special about documenting your find in a beautiful, luxury leather journal. Beau Satchelle creates gorgeous, bespoke handcrafted luxury journals in lambskin and premium parchment paper. They make for a wonderful writing experience at the time that you are documenting your notes. The feeling of the pen flowing over the beautifully smooth parchment paper, the smell of the ink and the pages, and the feel of the cool leather and paper under your fingertips is truly a treat for all of your senses. And when the journal is complete, you have a wonderful, tangible record of your experiences. It’s a souvenir for the rest of your life – and for generations to come. It’s collectable, it’s sentimental, and it’s a memento that you can hold in your hands. As handy as technology is, you don’t – and we guarantee, won’t – get those same feelings from using an electronic journal, or an app. This is about taking the time to slow down and enjoy those same, tangible […]
Beau Satchelle has begun the countdown to launch! It is our hope to bring you on our journey of building our brand to contend in the luxury lifestyle market. It has been a splendid, yet humbling experience preparing for the introduction of Beau Satchelle – crossing our T’s and dotting the I’s, completing the business plan, consistently writing and posting blogs by incorporating luxury lifestyle with our leather products and of course, the production process. As entrepreneurs with our new launch in the luxury leather category, it is just never enough hours in the day! After a number of months of turning our visions into designs, which then were made into templates and then sourcing the right hides, threads and tools, T. Michael has diligently crafted a line in a few areas which will be revealed in the coming weeks and months. What has been particularly interesting in the last several months is our participation into the world of wine. We were thrilled to be asked to design and showcase creations that are used exclusively by wine connoisseurs and lovers of wine in the areas of leather backpacks and messenger wine bottle carriers and leather wine tasting journals, along with bespoke leather accessories for the wine tasting world. And, as per request, we would also like to mention extending into bourbon and whisky tasting journals as well. We are anticipating that this project will cater to a market wanting heirloom quality luxuries for a lifetime of memories in which we are perfecting to serve. T. Michael has always preferred to work his magic in bespoke items for the high end and affluent market that searches for one of a kind items, whether for home, fashion or travel. This pathway will allow us to offer other specialty merchandise for the discerning […]
This past Saturday, the “Superbowl” of horse racing sporting events took place at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby with the participation of twenty jockeys and their horses competing for the top four finish. The undefeated Nyquist (3:1 odds) completed the first leg of his journey to the triple crown (which means winning the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness held on May 21st and finally the Belmont Stakes which will be held on June 11th) earning the win of a most thrilling race. Nyquist took home a $1.24 million dollar purse for his owner, J. Paul Reddam. As incredibly it is to witness the race, what is just as fascinating is the celebrated cultured events that are held with fashion being the star of the show that attract visitors from all over the country. The Derby is steep in tradition with the drinking of mint julips and Kentucky Bourbon and all things that represent Southern belles and gentlemen. The Derby festivities include a two week public festival, a number of galas with auctions and many pre and post parties with celebrity and affluent attendees. Over 150,000 people attend the Kentucky Derby every year and there are races all day up till the actually Derby that starts around 6:30 pm. So what else is there to do until the main event, but watch the fabulous fashion. And, based on Derby etiquette, the more expensive your tickets, the more formal you should look. Let’s be clear again….. as exciting as the race is, the Derby is not all about the horses…but being seen in the finest attire. The hat is EVERYTHING. Whether it is modest or magnificent, ranging from a trendy London fascinator (a chic, dainty headpiece decorated with feathers and netting and secured with a comb) […]
Brrr! It’s cold in North America this time of year, especially in Detroit, where we’re located. With Christmas and the holidays over, and with many weeks of winter left to come, it can get somewhat depressing this time of year. Most of us just want to turn up the thermostat, light a fire in the fireplace, and bundle up in our favorite woolly sweaters and drink a hot chocolate. But wait! It doesn’t have to be depressing this winter. Depending on where you are located, winter happens from a few months to half the year every year, so you might as well take advantage of it. And winter doesn’t have to mean a death sentence for your sense of style. In fact, many fashionistas have learned to embrace the cold and the snow and make their winter wear and winter activities part of their style. You don’t have to be especially outdoorsy or nature-oriented to enjoy this time of year. There are lots of things you can do to keep active this time of year. Read on for our favorites! Take to the trails or to the slopes Whether you prefer cross-country skiing or taking your adventures to great heights, skiing is a very popular activity in the winter. Head to Colorado, north to the Canadian Rockies or to Switzerland for some world-class skiing. Believe us, nothing screams luxury lifestyle like heading out for a day on the slopes and then sipping champagne or hot cocoa by the fire in your private ski lodge afterwards. Go somewhere warm Whether you head to Hawaii, the Caribbean or Los Angeles, a trip somewhere toasty warm is luxurious in the wintertime. Be sure to accessorize with warm-weather accessories, like a killer bathing suit, a bespoke luxury leather handbag from our current collection, and […]
