History of Brahmin handbags

The Brahmin handbags story begins with husband and wife team Bill and Joan Martin.
 
In 1980, Bill Martin already worked for a handbag manufacturer but lost his job during the recession. Faced with the anxiety of being jobless yet also imbued with an entrepreneurial spirit Bill and his wife began to think about what they could do to utilize their existing skills and experience.
 
Initially they considered designing and manufacturing shoes but realised the complications that would arise from having to style different widths and sizes. It didn't take too long for them to realise that their passion and expertise would be best served in designing handbags and with Joan's vision of how their handbags should be marketed the couple began making their own bags in their basement of their Massachusetts home.
 
Brahmin Leather Works was, and continues, to be a family business. In those early days, Bill cut the leather whilst his children would help with packing and shipping ther handbags after they had finished school.
 
Joan wanted to cultivate a sophisticated image for their handbags and from the outset aimed to position the brand side by side with it's European counterparts such as Mulberry and Gucci.
 
To reinforce the image of high quality they named the brand "Brahmin" which was a term given to a person from a well bred, "upper crust" family.

One of Bill Martin's ancestors was a Bostonian captain of a schooner and the schooner logo now adorns every Brahmin handbag.

This nod to their Bostonian heritage has served them well as Brahmin handbags are now regarded as as a premiere luxury handbag brand in the U.S.

Sales continue to rise despite these troubling economic times and the company have now embraced new marketing technologies such as Facebook and their own Iphone app to allow their customers to get more involved with the Brahmin brand.