In the market for a new handbag? Check out Lauren Cecchi New York

Lauren Cecchi, designer and entrepreneur, knew from an early age that the fashion world was where she belonged. Growing up in close proximity to New York City, Lauren was surrounded by the world of style and design.  “New York City is the fashion capital of the world, it’s the best place to network and attend fashion events,” Lauren told Sweet Lemon.

Deciding not to go the FIT route and opting for a more traditional college experience, Lauren attended Lynn University in Boca Raton, where she earned her undergraduate degree in Business Administration with a Fashion Management Concentration. Lauren was the President of the Fashion Management Association and took full advantage of all the opportunities provided to her like traveling to Fashion Weeks in Los Angeles, New York City, and Las Vegas. She then went on to earn her Masters of Business Administration with an International Business concentration and studied abroad in Argentina, Uruguay, Italy, Greece and Turkey. “Studying abroad was the best decision I made in college. Being exposed to different cultures and people influenced my sketches, designs, and color stories for future collections. I plan to have a collection and store in every place I’ve traveled to,” says Lauren.

While earning her undergraduate degree, Lauren interned at Bloomingdale’s and Luxe Style Group. Post-graduation Lauren moved to NYC where she interned for JP Associates. Although Lauren loved her internships, she knew that she still hadn’t found what she was meant to do. She received a phone call that would change her life forever…or so she thought. Lauren was chosen out of thousands of applicants to participate in a CBS competition, The Job, to become an assistant buyer for Gilt Group. She was naturally thrilled – who wouldn’t be? Unfortunately the show only aired two episodes and was canceled before Lauren’s episode aired. “I was really down at that point. I wasn’t getting the job I wanted and I wasn’t doing what I wanted to do in the city,” said Lauren. “Then I thought to myself, ‘you have always wanted to be your own boss, why not now?’”

It was then that Lauren went home to Connecticut and dreamed up what would become her very own handbag line, Lauren Cecchi New York, with sketches and prototypes made out of cardboard. She found a manufacturer five blocks from her apartment in New York City and began creating her collection buying hardware, leather, making samples, and shooting a look book.

Lauren is not only passionate about fashion but also about creating jobs and manufacturing her line here in America. “It’s unfortunate when someone spends a lot of money on a bag, opens it up, and sees that it was made in China,” says Lauren. It is for this reason that every Lauren Cecchi handbag is hand-crafted in the garment district with the highest quality leather and hardware.

And this girl gets the importance of a good handbag. “The bag lets you say what your style is, you can be whoever you want when you carry it,” Lauren said. “It doesn’t speak for you.”

The Empire Collection, the first of Lauren Cecchi New York, embraces New York City’s timeless sophistication and elegance. Black represents the pavement and hot city streets, navy is the sky you see when you leave the city and enjoy the skyline, silver represents the skyscrapers and lastly, stone represents the walk-ups and brownstones tucked away from the busy city. The playful Spring 2014 colors are inspired by Lauren’s personal taste (literally). Lauren is allergic to most fruits except for watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew and pineapple. And those are the exact colors she chose to quench the spirit of the season! Which color is the designer’s favorite? “I’m a girly girl, so the watermelon is my favorite color of the Spring 2014 collection,” Lauren explained.

Lauren has already gained success since creating her line. Her handbags are sold in several stores throughout the country and are sold on her website, www.LaurenCecchi.com. She is also giving TV another go around, except this time it will be her handbags featured on Season 5 of CBS’ The Good Wife with main character Alicia Florrick carrying a Lauren Cecchi New York bag around set. “I put 100% of my energy in my line because it is what I want to do for the rest of my life and it is what I believe in.”

By Jaclyn McNeil