Bolsa Nova
Bolsa Nova is the Portuguese word for “new bag.” Designed in NY, Made in Italy. Made in buttery soft washed leather.
Hi, I am Karen Cardoso the founder and designer of Bolsa Nova Handbags. Our handbag line is made in buttery soft-washed leather from Florence, Italy. I have been working in the handbag business for over 30 years. I've designed for many of the top brands in NYC and sourced raw materials, and leather, and produced bags all over the world.
I am a mom of two young ladies, who influenced my decision to start my own business several years ago from my house. My headquarters are very close to my home in Long Island where we have a warehouse, showroom and a store front in Hewlett, NY.
Many people ask me what makes our brand special. Outside of my years of expertise in the business and knowing what makes a great bag, I would have to say it's the washed leather. The washed leather used on our bags is by far the thickest and most luxurious that I have found and it gets even better with age. Each bag is made with this undyed leather and then goes through a 7-step process of vegetable dying, rinsing, and drying in large washing machines and air drying for 5-7 days. Then, they finally get ironed and moisturized. It is a long journey but, in the end, they develop a beautiful rich patina and deep depth of color. The result is beautiful, buttery soft, Italian crafted leather bags at fair prices. We call our style Bohemian Chic.
The market and timing is perfect for our brand. People want to spend more on brands that will last the test of time. Our soft leather styling is perfect for the more relax casual lifestyle. “Made in Italy” conveys quality, value, and trust. We now have the momentum - including national brand recognition due to placement in Free People and through many of the other retailer and boutique shops carrying the brand across the USA. We are looking to grow Bolsa Nova, Italian fashion handbag and accessories business to a multi-million-dollar, national lifestyle brand while responsibly giving back to initiatives that help women and children in need. We doubled our sales last year and plan to do over 1 million in 2024 and we believe with the right financial backing and partnerships our future growth projections are attainable. We hope you meet you. Please reach out. XO Karen
