We had the opportunity to interview Annye Grande, the founder, creative director and CEO of Etoile, the handbag company she founded in 2016. Etoile is this year’s Accessories Council Design Excellence Award winner for the best handbag over $1000. Both of us were thrilled for this opportunity but nervous all the same. We learned this is Grande’s second time receiving a Design Excellence Award for one of her pieces. This year, she won the award for her Alessia Large Boa bag.
We began the interview by congratulating Grande on Etoile winning a Design Excellence Award two years in a row. Grande expressed her appreciation to the both of us and then explained how winning awards and realizing what she has achieved helps inspire her on days when her creativity is blocked or when things aren’t going the way they should be. Grande has been in the luxury industry for over 20 years and cites her hard work and experience as the reason for her successful luxury company.
Grande is originally from Montreal, so when asked why she chose Dallas as her headquarters, she said that the city is the best location for entrepreneurship and businesses. She claims that because the location of her headquarters is in close proximity to the airport, she can travel frequently to visit her company sister stores in Las Vegas and Aspen, Colorado.
We asked Grande about the names she chose for her styles. Within the Boa collection, there are three styles, each with a feminine name. Grande described how each name has an important meaning to her. For example, her latest line shares a name with her dog, while the first collection shares a name with her daughter.
However, when it came to creating a brand name, that decision held a lot more significance. Étoile is the French word for star, and while choosing a French word made sense in Grande’s case, the word itself had us curious until she explained its deeper, personal meaning. Grande explained how the star symbol is timeless and that it reflects the company’s culture and her vision for the brand: she strives to produce and design the best products and make them the best that they can be for her customers.
This “nothing but the best” mindset led us to our next question: What does Grande feel that she is doing “right” within her company because she has now won two awards? Her answer was just as we expected after learning about the meaning of the company name. Grande wants everything to be the best within her company, from the manufacturers to the production process, material and details that make up her products. She strictly uses only the best and keeps in close contact with her suppliers. She also believes that listening to the company’s clients is very important.
Grande shared that the inspiration behind the Alessia Boa bags is to satisfy the needs of the everyday woman. She wished to create a bag that had it all and could fit into her schedule of running between show rooms, meetings and everyday life. By following her creative instincts on which she prides herself, she created the Alessia Boa collection to help every working woman have a bag that was “as beautiful as it is intelligent.”
Grande ended the interview with her advice to students, designers and entrepreneurs: Be engaged and informed in whatever industry they choose to begin their careers in.
“However,” she added, “it’s also important to enjoy what they do and love their work.” And enjoyment and a true love for her work is exactly what we saw in Grande when she spoke of her inspiring brand, Etoile.
