Tucked away in Yorba Linda, Michelle Monroe designs custom, handmade jewelry and handbags that have been hits among Mariah Carey, Keisha, Kimora Lee Simmons and Paris Hilton.”
Now Monroe, a former wallpaper hanger turned posh accessories designer, is looking to make a name for herself with a line of glam boxed clutches that feature secret inside compartments for lipstick, credit cards, cash and a cell phone—the necessities, according to Monroe.
“It’s a great looking bag that women can run out in and have the necessary things they need, and have a place for everything,” she said.
The bags also have a mirror. And Monroe’s working on getting a small light put inside so the clutch lights up every time it’s opened.
“The light part is killing me,” she said. “We may not get that in them this season.”
The clutch collection, called Unmasked, is set to come in 11 shapes and about 20 styles that incorporate Monroe’s jewelry line. One has a milligram of gold on it with small rhinestones that will have a matching ring.
Show Debut
The line debuts at the ENK Accessories Circuit Show in late July in New York. Monroe said she hopes to nab accounts for high-end stores such as Bergdorf Goodman, Henri Bendel, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.
The clutches are expected to sell for about $500 to $1,500. All use exotic skins and Swarovski stones, she said. Some materials come from Thailand, according to Monroe. The hinges, which are actually piano hinges, come from Ohio. All of the bags are handmade at Monroe’s studio in Yorba Linda.
“I’m looking to reinvent myself,” she said. “Before this, I had done big leather tote bags. People would tell me those are great bags and great designs. But they would say, ‘You really have something with the box clutches.’”
Monroe’s put in about $60,000 to create samples for the upcoming accessories show, she said. It took about eight months to a year to design the collection. A more complicated bag can take her an hour and a half, sometimes two hours to complete, Monroe said.
Monroe’s first foray in fashion was a jewelry line in 1987. Plans for that quickly collapsed after she realized she didn’t have the money to go ahead with production.
She went back to the wallpaper business, which she had done independently. It wasn’t until she remarried and helped her husband start his general contracting business that she finally said, “OK, it’s my time now.”
It was while watching the morning news and entertainment program “Good Day LA” with host Jillian Barberie Reynolds that she saw her talking about a gorgeous Louis Vuitton belt she was wearing.
Monroe said she just had to have the belt and went out looking for it. She couldn’t find it. So she got the parts and made a similar one for herself.
It was hit with friends and family.
“Everyone was asking for it,” she said.
In the early 2000s, one of her three sons linked her up with Jennifer Kaufman, whose store in the Beverly Hills area often was featured in InStyle magazine as a place to find unique things seen on celebrities. Known for her Hollywood ties, Kaufman introduced Monroe to stylists from 20th Century Fox Studios.
That led to one of Monroe’s necklaces being featured on Sarah Michelle Gellar, star of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
Shortly after, Christina Aguilera bought one of her belts.
“That gave me more confidence,” Monroe said. “From there, I started building up my collection.”
She ran with the jewelry belt line until about five years ago. Then she turned to handbags, as well as continuing her jewelry designs.
Monroe now has six people working for her and is the sole designer. An assistant helps her with some of the designs.
Boutiques
Her products are available through her website, michellemonroestudios.com, and are sold at Novecento in the Crystal Cove Promenade and The Hidden Jewel in Costa Mesa, as well as at boutiques in Los Angeles, Florida, Arizona, Colorado and Hawaii.
Her handbag designs sell for $400 to $700. Her jewelry has two price ranges, with a low to medium that starts at $40 and goes as high as $75, and a higher-priced collection that can run as high as $540. Earrings for pop star Carey were that much, as is Monroe’s River Diamond Necklace/Choker, which features crystal and aquamarine stones on bright rhodium, a type of metal that is resistant to corrosion and often found in platinum.
Selling luxury goods in a slowly recovering economy has been difficult, she said.
“I’ve got higher prices,” she said. “Most people would say, ‘Go the other way with your designs and pricing.’ But I started off with a higher image, and I don’t want that to go away. It’s harder in this economy, but there are still people with money and they will pay for things. You just have to make it worth it.”
Gomez is a former Business Journal editor and freelance writer based in Long Beach.
