This week we have chosen BellaMaven.com an internet retailer based out of Orange County, California as our
subject of this weeks fashbo virtual interview. As any of us who have an interest in fashion can attest to, there is a plethora of internet fashion retailers in our ecosystem. The fashbo crew agrees that the Bella Maven site is what other internet fashion retail sites should aspire to. The site is not cluttered with unnecessary advertisements and useless commentary. Bellamaven.com is all about the fashion and its easy to use, no-nonsense layout is very refreshing.
1. Tell us about yourself.
Bella Maven is an internet retailer that focuses primarily on handbags, jewelry, and apparel such as dresses
Kristi and Jen
and tops. It was founded by two sets of sisters –Jennifer Miranda and Kristi Miranda Millward, who along with Joyce and Jennifer Vicente, wanted to
Joyce and Jenn
create a boutique shopping experience online.
2. Where are you from?
Originally, the four girls grew up in Northern and Southern California, but they have lived on the East Coast and in Hawaii for several years. They currently reside in California, but they travel frequently throughout the U.S. and Europe.
3. Can you draw fashion inspiration from where you live?
Yes, Bella Maven definitely draws inspiration from our environment. The climate, the surroundings, and people all affect what you wear and your preferences. It’s always interesting to see what people are wearing and how they are wearing it in different parts of the world.
4. What is fashion to you?
Fashion is about striving to make oneself more beautiful and dressing to please yourself. There’s something very alluring and seductive about a well-dressed, confident woman.
5. How would you describe your personal style?
Though our style changes all the time, it is reflected in what we offer at Bella Maven. We love comfortable, easy to wear fabrics like our jersey knit dresses, statement jewelry, and stylish handbags.
6. Describe your perfect outfit ensemble.
The outfit we are loving right now is the purple watercolor dress by Naked Zebra paired with the boyfriend
Purple Water Color Dress
sweater by Lush, sterling silver superstar necklace by Gorjana and matching star earrings, worn with the vintage blue rose handbag by De La Luna. All of these items can be found at bellamaven.com. We would wear these items with a knit hat, some textured tights, and booties.
7. Name your favorite and least favorite past or present fashion trend/fad.
We loved the emphasis on accessories this past year, particularly
Monet Tunic
statement jewelry and animal print handbags. We also have a love affair with the color gray, the new “it” color for the season. We disliked the harem pants fad, which we found to be unflattering on women. We just do not think that there is anyone out there that can pull off that style or that particular look. Harem pants are just hideous and should not be worn.
8. You are the owner of Bella Maven (http://www.bellamaven.com), an online retailer specializing in affordable, fine leather and non-leather handbags, unique jewelry, and stylish apparel.
What is your favorite item you have sold thus far? We actually have a lot of favorite items from our website and for the most part, these items sell out quickly so we are constantly getting new merchandise. We absolutely adore the nancy bracelet
Nancy Bracelet
by Diana Warner and have gotten rave reviews from our customers about it. We have had the nancy bracelet since we launched our company and now we offer it in sterling silver as well as gold. It’s fairly inexpensive, looks great on; even celebrity chef and talk show host Rachael Ray loves her nancy bracelet.
Asymmetrical Raw Edge Clutch
We also like the asymmetrical raw edge clutch, which was featured in US magazine, Self, and NBC’s Today Show. We carried it in gold, yellow, and brown. It is a very versatile handbag and can be worn several different ways.
9. What is your favorite item you currently have for sale?
Newport Dress available at BellaMaven.com
Another best selling item and one of our favorites is the newport dress by Lush, which has a peek-a-boo slit in the back. We originally sold it in a striking navy and then due to its popularity, decided to offer it in classic black. This dress is not only comfortable and figure flattering, but is great to bring with you on your travels because it is fairly wrinkle resistant.
As far as handbags go, we love the vintage repurposed leather handbags we are carrying with hand painted designs on fabric. Each one is unique and you will never see one like it.
10. You state on your site that the items you have for sale are “inspired by classic chic and urban design trends.” Can you define that a bit more and provide some examples of items on your site that reflect this statement/mantra?
“Classic chic” refers to classic styling, which is clean, simple, timeless, and basic. However, just because it is classic does not mean it has to be boring. Classic can still be stylish, hence the term “classic chic.” For instance, the double zipper satchel is a perfect example of a classic handbag that is still chic. The term “urban design trends” denotes modern styling or street wear. It is more about being cutting edge and embracing current trends. The graham leather wrap bracelet is a great example of that phrase. Bella Maven is all about combining the old with the new or classic looks with more edgier pieces. It is how we approach fashion. This is shown in our vintage handbags, which encompass classic leather styles, but are more urban with their hand painted design. This is also seen in how we put outfits together, pairing a nice silk dress, the japonai, and instead of wearing it with more neutral hosiery and dressy heels, being more fashion forward by matching it with brightly colored yellow tights, beige booties, and a vintage blue rose handbag. It’s a more unique, refreshing, and eclectic take on things.
11. Why sell apparel online?
Why not? Online shopping is the wave of the future. It is convenient and easy. You can shop at home, work, practically anywhere, even on your cell phone and you never have to wait in line. You can shop whenever you want as well; there are no time constraints unlike regular stores. Online shopping also reaches a broader audience. We can sell our items worldwide. We would never have that kind of reach if we just had a regular store.
12. What drove you to this niche of the fashion world?
The four of us have always liked fashion. It is something that is really fun and enjoyable for us to do. As professional working women, we can appreciate designer items, but we are still cognizant about the economy. We noticed that there was an absence in the market for quality items that are fashionable and affordable. We saw a market out there for what we could offer and so we created Bella Maven.
13. Any advice for others interested in starting their own online apparel company?
If it is something that you are very interested in doing, you should definitely take a chance and try it. Do NOT ever take no for an answer, learn all you can, and execute.
14. What is your favorite fashbo that you posted?
We love all the fashbos we have posted so far and do not have a particular favorite.
15. Do you have a favorite fashbo that someone else posted?
We love looking at all the fashbos that people post. It inspires us. There so many great photos that it is so hard to choose just one.
16. Who is your favorite designer or designers? There are so many designers that we admire so we are just going to mention a few of our favorites – Coco Chanel, Tom Ford, Diana Von Furstenberg, Frida Giannini who designs for Gucci, Roberto Menichetti who revitalized the Burberry brand, Miuccia Prada, and our good friend, up-and-coming designer Jay Sario, who you will see more of in the new season of Project Runway. We like these designers because they have a definite point of view.
17. What is your favorite retail location to shop?
We prefer to shop at Bella Maven, but if we had to choose a brick and mortar store, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and H&M.
18. Online retail seems to be always evolving as new technology/trends arise. Where do you see bellamaven.com in 5 years? In 10 years?
In the future, we would love to see Bella Maven as a thriving internet retailer with a varied and expanding product line. We would also love do more collaborative projects with certain designers, have online exclusives, and our own mobile application.
19. Were you able to learn anything from the last blog post from allaboutmodels? If so what was it?
Samira is very inspiring and is a great role model. It is wonderful to see someone so young be so enterprising, creative, and dedicated enough to start a blog about models and the modeling industry. It just goes to show that it no matter what age you are, if you are determined, you can do anything.
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