Bea Valdes

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Bea Valdes grew up in Manila, Philippines, and coming from a family which had been in the fine jewelry trade for three generations, she was fascinated with embellishments from a young age.

Having studied Creative Writing and Industrial Design, Valdes went on to specialize in interiors, creating beautiful accessories as a hobby. Her designs quickly caught the eyes of discerning women seeking something distinctively luxurious, and within six months of launching her first collection of evening bags, her creations were referred to as "this year's must have" by US Vogue.

Although Bea Valdes receives global interest in her embroideries, she remains in the Philippines, working with modern Philippine artisans at her Manila based studio. She chooses Manila over New York as it is important to maintain a creative environment that allows for the time-intensive embroidery work to be carried out. As Valdes says, "We don't stress the process. I can see if someone's having a bad day. It's old-style artisan work. We're taking a step back to move forward in our own sort of way. This is the only place where I feel it can be done right". The bags, belts and jewelry can take up to eight weeks to be made. The array of materials that go into a BeaValdes embellished creation, such as faceted crystals, feathers, semi-precious stones and glass drops, are sourced from around the world. Valdes maintains her focus on traditional embroidery and continues to support artisans and their craftsmanship. In her words "in a factory you just do a piece of something, you don't get to own the whole. My girls take a lot of pride in their work".

The BeaValdes collection available at CoutureLab features a selection of crystal encrusted bags, embroidered glass drop necklaces and sash belts swathed in beads, which have all been handmade in the Philippines.