I'm a Socal native, originally from Los Angeles. I started my first company at age 6, gathering orders and sewing teddy bears for my neighbors. I grew up in the fashion industry, began working in private label intimate apparel manufacturing at age 13, where I learned all the angles of the business, from filing, shipping, production, marketing, design, etc. I then attended FIDM in LA for college, and upon graduation started to build my company, A.Ché. I traveled the world to find a factory who could bring my detailed designs to life at the highest level of quality... and once I found the perfect match, A.Ché was born in 2006. Right now, I just launched my second season, Fall 2008 Collections, which will be in stores and on www.a-che.com this coming August! :)

When I launched my first season, A.Ché Signatures, I was inspired by this buttery soft, stunning Deerskin from Australia. The thin and incredibly supple hides were perfect for the knotting details, which have become my brand trademark. In the future collections, I've been inspired by lambskin, luxurious cow hides, metallics, and exotic hides. What makes my bags special are the signature leather "knotts" that virtually every style embodies. The knots are done in many different sizes, but are very identifiable as an A.Ché piece. I custom design all the hardware on my bags and wallets which ensure originality and uniqueness, along with having A.Ché logo lining inside every piece. My target audience is a woman who appreciates individuality, who wants to turn heads and stand out in a crowd that is so saturated with accessories copied over and over again per season. Women who are fashion forward, and who are always captivated by the freshness of A.Ché from season to season.

I started building A.Ché a few months before graduating design school in LA at FIDM where I studied design, business, and manufacturing. With the knowledge from school experience in the industry, I set off overseas to Thailand and China to source factories with the skills to create my intricate designs. I went through about 4 or 5 before I found the perfect match for A.Ché. From there I created my sample lines and began showing at tradeshows nation wide. At a very young age, I always knew that fashion design was my true passion. I was always very creative and business-minded, so starting a luxury fashion line was the clear path for me.

When women think of A.Ché I want uniqueness, passion, sophistication, originality, timeless, and quality to come to mind. I want it to be known that I myself sketch each piece by hand and put an incredible amount of thought and effort into ensuring that every piece will be always be unusual, special, empowering, luxurious, and classic. I travel all over the world for design inspiration and unique materials so that my consumers can indulge in the most rare and beautiful international styles. I stay away from "trendiness" and aim towards sophistication with a flair so that each piece will never be outdated. You'll always be able to identify an A.Ché piece by the "knotting" details in the leathers, custom logo hardware pieces, and logo lining.

I've been lucky enough so far to have nothing of a total nightmare happen yet, but I've undoubtedly experienced the roller coaster of pioneering a fashion line. One experience that does come to mind is back in the early months... designing a sample leather collection. Once the factory I was working with at the time was done with the samples, I was horrified to receive the goods totally butchered, only to realize that the factory barely paid any attention to the spec packs for the products...including using the wrong leathers! It was a big speed bump, but nonetheless that's not uncommon in this industry and you have to pick up and move forward. ;)

My greatest achievement in this process so far has been receiving store orders! Its a great feeling to be noticed by buyers, who believe that your designs are an asset to their stores! :)