OUR STORY
When Anne Malvaux and Lisa LeVasseur got together one day in the early summer to share some sauvignon blanc and make fun of the latest fashion trends, they decided to sit outside and take in the calming view of the ocean from Anne’s front deck. The only problem was the weather.
It was somewhat windy and there was a bit of a chill rising off the water. Anne ran inside and grabbed a scarf and offered one to Lisa. Lisa said she would love to wear it but didn’t want to cover up her gorgeous hand-crafted necklace that she had just purchased earlier that day.
The two ladies looked at each other and in that instant, an instant of both necessity and vanity, their idea for belle + me scarves was born. And with the scarves, comes the jewelry and with time, the brand evolved into using recycled old necklaces, beads, fabrics to give a new life to these materials.
Anne and Belle and Me moved to the west coast , Lisa stayed in Massachusetts, but we FaceTime every week.
OUR DESIGNERS
Anne-Therese Malvaux
Lisa LeVasseur
Growing up in Belgium, Anne Malvaux spent her youth running around her family department store - men's and women's fashion and accessories. And even though she did not commit to working in the family store, she still maintained her love of fashion and right after college found herself working as communications director for an International tennis company, focusing on marketing, events, PR, and media relations. That company brought her to the U.S - Gloucester, Massachusetts - for a couple of years. But Europe called her back for 10 more - Paris, Amsterdam, Venice, and Brussels - where she enjoyed the diversity of these cities, the people, the art, and of course, the fashion. Having fallen in love with Gloucester, she decided to make it her permanent home. While living on Rocky Neck, the oldest working art colony in America, her passion for art and fashion was revitalized and she decided to bring accessories and jewelry together with her friend, Lisa LeVasseur, creating belle + me. Anne, since then, moved to the west coast, bringing the family with her- 2 boys and a dog. She now lives in Mill Valley, CA where she enjoys the amazing outdoor and the beautiful light that northern California brings.
After graduating from college in Michigan, Lisa moved to San Diego for a bit then to the other coast and wound up in Boston. While there, Lisa got her professional start in the publishing world where an eye for detail was an absolute must! Her career focused on the marketing, designing, and production of print media along with setting up product photo shoots and editing video. But something was missing. She wanted to be doing the actual creating process on a more basic and simple level and wanted to make something on her own from start to finish. And she was finally able to do so once she moved to Rocky Neck, met Anne, and co founded belle + me. Lisa's strong design sense is helped by her ability to focus on the little things to achieve a positive and aesthetically-pleasing end result as evidenced in the unique design of her pendants.