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Nov 13, 2024

Bell’Invito Founder Heather Wiese Turned Her Dream Handbag Into Her New Business - D Magazine

From D Magazine November 2024 “Maybe a little naivety. Maybe a little pride. Maybe a little insanity,” Bell’Invito founder Heather Wiese says, laughing, when I ask her what inspired her to go from

From D Magazine November 2024

“Maybe a little naivety. Maybe a little pride. Maybe a little insanity,” Bell’Invito founder Heather Wiese says, laughing, when I ask her what inspired her to go from producing luxury stationery to handbags. “But I think when you’re passionate about something and you do it well, there’s something that people see and feel that comes through what you’ve created. I know that sounds a little woo-woo. But right now I’m so small and there is so much heart and soul that goes into all the details, I think even when it can’t be pointed out and articulated, I think people know it when they see it.”

“It was right before COVID, and Bell’Invito was turning 15. I wanted to expand the line, but I didn’t necessarily want to just make more paper products. And I had this wonderful connection with a factory that makes small leather goods for all of the major brands. So it’s the quality that you would want if you’re going to produce a designer product. And it’s a woman-owned factory. The dynamic was just so professional and so collaborative. It felt like I was in good hands venturing into a territory where I knew enough to be dangerous.”

“I read an article that was in the New York Times probably eight years ago, and it stuck with me. It was talking about how your stationery today is not your grandmother’s stationery. Papers today are part of your wardrobe, and it’s a status symbol. This is not a way we need to communicate anymore like we did before. And so when people were talking to me about my business plan, I had to answer some tough questions. ‘Why do people need this?’ And I finally got the courage to say, ‘They don’t need this.’ It took me a while to get there because I always felt like I needed to justify what I was doing and justify the cost of things. And I knew that I wasn’t overcharging. I knew that I was paying people fairly and providing health insurance and providing a total luxury product with the best quality and the best craftsmanship, and that’s just what the product costs. And same with the bags. So it’s been a really interesting journey.”

“The bags were a really natural progression. It’s like I’ve got this journal, and I’ve got this lifestyle that I’ve curated that is organized and beautiful, and I like beautiful things. And when I’m going from place to place, I personally was carrying around a couple of different designer totes, and they just didn’t have the functionality that I needed. They just were too big—they took up the whole chair. I needed my laptop to fit, but I didn’t want the laptop to swim around in it. I wanted it to have a thin profile so that I wasn’t whacking people when I was walking through crowds in New York. And so really, the first tote that I had designed was a working woman’s tote because I did it for me, and I loved it so much. I was like, this is fun. I want to do it again. So then I made the ‘little lady handbag,’ which is the Coveted bag, which is what we just launched.”

1. Potted Plants“I’ll bring a little potted basil or something if it’s someone that I know cooks and will use it. Or I’ll bring one of those small orchids.”

2. Candles“I know there are some etiquette experts that turn their nose up at candles. But I’ll pick up a candle and a cute box of matches from Society in Preston Center because I think everybody needs that in a guest bathroom.”

3. A Box of Napkins“I love bringing cute little boxes like our cocktail napkins, but it’s not just a shameless pitch—they are fun and can be used at their next cocktail party!”

“I think Dallas is a little bit more playful and risky with color, but they’re not as risky if it’s a label they don’t know. Whereas Europeans—and I think a lot of people in New York, at least with my limited experience—is they have a more confident shopper who likes to find new things. But I don’t think they risk as much. They don’t want color, but they do want the thing that nobody else has. They don’t necessarily want the Prada bag; they want the cool, new, beautiful bag that they can tell is that quality.”

“I’ll go to CVS and get a birthday card that’s funny for somebody. But there’s something about getting a sympathy card that’s a little bit more of a note, that’s maybe on someone’s personal stationery. What I’ve been told is that people keep those, and they mean a lot to people. And when the paper’s nicer, it feels a little bit more thoughtful. I would say the other thing is, maybe you hear about something and it’s been a month, and you’re like, ‘Oh, well, I missed the service. I don’t know if I want to send it.’ I don’t care if it’s been three months later, just send something. Even if you heard about it and forgot and now you feel like a jerk, just send something.”

“I did a morning show on Long Island yesterday for the tristate area. The guy after me was a motivational speaker, and he was talking about kindness. We got into this conversation about note cards, and he was talking about not knowing what to write. He was great, because he’s this seventysomething doctor who’s now living this legacy of spreading kindness and writing his book. But he will drop an F-bomb every once in a while, and you’re like, ‘Oh, hi!’ And he said, ‘I get intimidated when I’m writing note cards, but I really want to do this.’ And I was like, ‘Listen, if what is normal for you and feels like you on paper is to say “I’m so fucking thankful for what you did for me,” say it. You do not have to change your formality. Start with a sentence, tell ’em why you’re thankful, tell ’em how it made you feel, and then end it. You don’t have to write a novel.’ ”

This story originally appeared in the November issue of D Magazine with the headline “Like Paper for Leather.” Write to [email protected].