11 Juillet Blends Fine Jewelry and Luxury Handbags for New Accessories Label
The new brand 11 Juillet is blending the worlds of fine jewelry and luxury handbags.
The accessories label from twin sisters Mary Kay Bowden and Kim Willson is debuting on Wednesday with a collection of leather handbags and fine jewelry embellished with diamonds and other precious gemstones like black onyx, mother-of-pearl and malachite.
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“We really saw that some of these luxury brands out there led with their name and their legacy maybe over product quality,” Bowden said about the brand’s inception. “What we wanted to do was to lead with our product quality first and bring our customers the very best product out there. That being said, 11 Juillet is a luxury handbag and accessory brand and we are blending the world of fine jewelry, expert craftsmanship and elegance into this wearable work of art that can be brought to a woman’s wardrobe for every day. It brings a new level of luxury and opulence to just everyday style.”
The founders launched the brand after working in the manufacturing and design fields for several years, namely in the shapewear and lingerie categories, which helped them develop relationships with various factories and tanneries to create 11 Juillet.
The handbags include a tote bag, top-handle bag and two crossbody bags that come in brown, black, green and white leather. The handbags are all embellished with 11 Juillet’s “Éclat de Joie” emblem, which is its signature motif that’s designed with diamonds, mother-of-pearl, malachite and black onyx and is plated in 18-karat gold. “Éclat de Joie” means “burst of joy” in French. The bags’ chains are also plated in 18-karat gold. The collection ranges in price from $9,000 to $50,000.
The fine jewelry collection leverages its “Éclat de Joie” motif for earrings, bracelets and necklaces. The collection ranges in price from $2,000 to $37,000.
“They are materials that are typically not used together, and we were like, ‘why not?’” Bowden said about merging fine jewelry and handbags. “A handbag is another place for you to wear your jewels and enjoy them, so we thought let’s merge those two. We started with our logo emblem, which we call the ‘Éclat de Joie,’ which translates in French to a burst of joy, and the whole idea of the logo emblem is to uplift and inspire. But it is made with real diamonds, malachite, mother-of-pearl and black onyx.”
The collections will be available on the brand’s website and through various high-end trunk shows across the U.S. The founders plan to grow the brand with new handbag and jewelry collections in the near future.
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