Belen Echandia was a

handbag A handbag, commonly known as a purse in North American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag used to carry personal items. It has also been called a pocketbook in parts of the U.S. Terminology The term "purse" originally referred to a smal ...

and

fashion accessory In fashion, an accessory is an item used to contribute, in a secondary manner, to an individual's outfit. Accessories are often chosen to complete an outfit and complement the wearer's look. They have the capacity to further express an individua ...

design and manufacturing company. It was incorporated in 2005 and is based in

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Belen Echandia produces leather handbags, travel bags, wallets, clutch purses, and accessories for women.

History

Belen Echandia was founded by Jackie Cawthra, whilst she was training to be a lawyer. Jackie says her idea came after experiencing a difference between

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in the supply of luxury handbags. In 2004, Cawthra states she left the law practice to work solely on Belen Echandia. Jackie Cawtha states that Belen Echandia was chosen as a Spanish girl's name which reflects the brand's Spanish origins.

Products

In an interview for Hilary Fashion Jackie Cawthra says the company has been offering handbag collections since 2004. The names of the bags being said to be based on customer comments. Retailers that sell Belen Echandia products include

Harvey Nichols Harvey Nichols Group Limited ( trading as Harvey Nichols) is a British luxury department store chain founded in 1831 by Benjamin Harvey; it is headquartered at its flagship store in Knightsbridge, London. It sells designer fashion collections ...

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

. Belen Echandia also launched a service on their website in 2009 where customers could design their own handbag. The BEC service that allowed customers to customise their handbags was discontinued in 2012. In 2007, to mark Belen Echandia's introduction to London Fashion Week, Belen Echandia collaborated with Canadian leather artist Vivien Cheng, who hand-painted a one-off collection of six bags.

In the media

In September 2005, as part of

London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London, England, twice a year, in June and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fash ...

, Belen Echandia was featured as part of the

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

program Design 360 presented by Dayna Hochfelder. Belen Echandia has been mentioned in

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...

and

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

References

External links

Official Website
{{Portal, Fashion, Companies Fashion accessory brands Defunct companies based in London Manufacturing companies established in 2005