MARCELA VELEZ'S TIMELESS, AVANT-GARD DESIGNS

Designer, entrepreneur & avid traveler, Marcela Velez’s impeccable aesthetics and entrepreneurial drive empowered her to create her eponymous handbag brand M2Malletier. She talks to us about her dream home, favorite color combinations and (on-point) wedding registry advice.

“Everything was about logomania and bling bling, and we really didn’t identify with anything, therefore hadn't really shopped for handbags in a long time", says Marcela, co-founder of M2Malletier. Marcela strengthened her love for the design world while studying at Parsons School of Design in New York City, where she met her co-founder Melissa Losada Bofill. They both felt something was missing in the market. Their goal was to create the brand of their dreams, something modern yet timeless.

Marcela always found a strong connection between the brand aesthetic and the look and feel of her home. "Oh, the aesthetics that we have in our brand is 100% what is seen in our homes. Timeless, not trendy, not ostentatious, with touches of colour and textures to make the space less cold while maintaining a clean aesthetic", she says. When it comes to selecting color combinations for our homes and, in Marcela's case, for her handbags, trying out different colors together is the best way to find out if they work. Sometimes, the ones that ‘on paper’ don’t seem like they work are the best combinations. "I love doing uncommon combinations, for example magenta with red is not too used but together it looks amazing and even more over a nude color".

• Marcela got married a few years ago and shared with us memories of her wedding registry experience. "I think it really depends on each situation, because a lot of us that get married now older (than our parents did) already have apartments with all the basics". In her case, she already had all her essentials and was looking for special pieces to decorate her home.

"I already had all the “household essentials" - it is more about adding all those special pieces that will make your home YOURS, and also that you will keep and treasure forever."

• • We spoke to Marcela about her brand, her aesthetics, and her advice when it comes to curating a perfect registry.
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  • Tell us the story behind M2Malletier...
  
  

  Melissa and I started M2M in 2012, after noticing that we were not really interested in anything that was in the market at the moment. Everything was about logomania and bling bling, and we really didn’t identify with anything, therefore hadn't really shopped for handbags in a long time. We decided to create the handbag brand of our dreams. Timeless and silent luxury. We found an amazing factory in Spain and started developing our collection there. It was incredible because since the moment we launched, we got amazing acceptance from the industry, and we were able to grow quickly. Since the beginning until now it has been an incredible journey with so many lessons, and we continue to learn new ones everyday.

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• How do you find inspiration for your new collections? What’s inspiring you right now?
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  Our hardware was inspired by some illustrations we found in a market in Paris of Medieval medical instruments. We wanted the hardware to be our iconic statement, so we worked together with a metallic engineer to create these pieces. Our first studio was inside of an architectural studio that actually used to be a cement factory in the 1900s, therefore all of the shapes of our bags are very geometric and precise. Normally we get inspiration for our collection on films, art or exotic travel destinations that we go to.

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  What is your favorite part of being a founder? What is your favorite part of your “job”?

What I love the most is having the ability to try new things as we wish, do different tests and trials, learn by mistakes. Being involved in every single step and area of the company. I love creating new business strategies and learning from them, as well as managing the team and collaborating with everyone involved in the business.

"I love doing uncommon combinations, for example magenta with red is not too used but together it looks amazing and even more over a nude color."

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• Describe your dream home…
  
  

My dream home has a big garden with tons of flowers and plants, it has to have a lot of lines and clean open spaces. The architecture should be minimalist but then we add the cozyness with plants and accessories. Lighting is also very important-it should be warm and cozy. Would also love a fireplace and lots of bookshelves.

How have your aesthetics in fashion influenced the aesthetics of your home?

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• Oh, the aesthetics that we have in our brand is 100% what is seen in our homes. Timeless, not trendy, not ostentatious, with touches of colour and textures to make the space less cold while maintaining a clean aesthetic.
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• Any favorite color schemes / palette? Does it change between accessories and homeware?

I love nude colors for furniture (greys, ivory, sand) , (a colored couch is amazing but it is more difficult to change when you are sick of it) however if you had classic colors on the furniture you can always change the accessories around them depending on your mood. For accessories, I love colors, strategically placed around the house to highlight certain elements. I love doing uncommon combinations, for example magenta with red is not too used but together it looks amazing and even more over a nude color.

As details play a more important role in the world of interiors, how do you curate the pieces that will decorate your home?

I LOVE buying all the pieces in different trips that we take, I have these in my home and bring me memories of different times in my life and tell amazing stories. It ends up being a collection of how your style evolves or changes depending on the stages in your life. I just bought these amazing colorful glasses from Murano in Venice and I will always remember this “post quarantine trip” when using them, as well as the shopping experience of choosing each of them.

What piece of advice would you give couples when it comes to curating their registry?

I think it really depends on each situation, because a lot of us that get married now older (than our parents did) already have apartments with all the basics. (in the past each still lived with parents so the registries were more basic, kitchen appliances, etc) but for my case as I already had all the “household essentials” it is more about adding all those special pieces that will make your home YOURS, and also that you will keep and treasure forever. It is special because you can have a beautiful vase or plate set and it will forever remind you of the person that gave it to you.

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2. What is your favorite dinnerware set these days?
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4. My grandmother's china that I inherited and her crystal glass set.

1. What is your secret to setting a fabulous table?
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3. Definitely the right pops of color and a good visual balance (not too empty - not too full)

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