meet ellie
In 2016, Founder, Ellie Schwing, watched her brainchild become a reality with the launch of BENE. Schwing spends most of her days working in Italy, but her hometown of New Orleans holds a special place in her heart. The brand is a visual representation of worlds colliding and continues to showcase the beauty each distinctive influences.
Behind the name:
It's an Italian word. It's a positive word that essentially means 'good,'but you use it in many different forms. You could have an entire conversation using the word in different ways. I didn't want my brand to be named after me. I also loved introducing a new word the English. It's a four-letter word that I hear 8,000 times a day.
The start of it all
I'm a total tomboy, but I really love handbags. Growing up, my grandmother had a fantastic collection, so thankfully, I always had a beautiful bag to cover up my outfits that were often more athletic than anything else. As I got older and looked for more practical options for my day -t -day, I just couldn't find what I was looking for. Eventually, I thought to myself, 'I live in Italy, why don't I get this bag made?' That's
where the story of BENE began.