Handbags With Intention
STORY By mackenzie meaney
Long hours, small pay and a lack of personal touch in a massive fast-fashion market were the few things that led Marist College graduate Cara Benevenia to launch her own company.
It seemed to go against everything she was taught because at Marist, she was hand-making each of the garments that she designed. It went from an abstract idea, to a sketch, to a finished product all at the mercy of her fingers.
Benevenia decided to go back to her roots and create something that could appeal to everyone. Something that was luxury, handmade in the United States and incorporated her personality and style with the finest materials she could find. She decided on handbags, and the Cara Benevenia brand was born.
“It doesn’t matter if my woman is a size zero or size 24, that bag is made for her and I think that was where I kind of approached it, and where I thought I could succeed in the space,” Benevenia said.
The young designer's fashion interest started in the seventh grade when she took a few sewing classes. She designed her own dresses for dances, including her prom gown when she was in high school.
“I remember my parents coming to me, and saying, ‘hey, you can actually make a career out of this,’” Benevenia recalled.
Once it was time to pick a college to attend, Marist was an easy choice. A great fashion program, which Marist has, was a priority for her and it was close enough to her home in New Jersey. Benevenia quickly established herself as one of the more promising students in her class, receiving the award for outstanding senior collection at the conclusion of the Silver Needle Runway show.
“My inspiration was Prince,” Benevenia said of the concept behind her senior collection. “My entire thesis revolved around this textile, but it was yarn, it wasn’t leather yet.” The textile has since worked its way from the halls of Marist to the signature woven leather design on the Cara Benevenia handbags.
After graduating in 2017, Benevenia found herself working in a corporate setting, designing pants that retailed for seven dollars. It was unfulfilling work that lacked the personal touch that she was looking for. She eventually left that job to work with Zac Posen, a luxury fashion designer best known for designing one-of-a-kind dresses for star-studded events, such as the Met Gala. Benevenia was on his staff when he designed dresses for Brooke Shields, Leslie Mann, Penelope Cruz, Kelsea Ballerini and Nina Dobrev.
“Luxury design is where the creativity is and where the art is. So one day I just got up and left and said ‘screw this’, this goes against all my morals,” she said of her transition from corporate fashion to luxury design. When stepping into his atelier, she saw all of the artisans from numerous different places hard at work. Her wheels began to turn with ideas of starting her own.
Illustration by Tyler Wahl
“We launched in 2019,” Benevenia said. “And we didn’t sell a single handbag during the pandemic.”
At the time, it was a terrifying moment for the trajectory of her success. She had put her savings into Cara Benevenia the year prior, but she said it didn’t feel right to sell during that time.
Since launch, Cara Benevenia has sold over 300 handbags. Buyers are paying for premium leather bags with their signature woven design, put together by artisans' hands. They are purchasing from a domestic business, just like she was shown by Posen, and taught by Marist. When they receive their handbag, it is topped off with a specialized thank you note, handwritten and signed by Benevenia herself.
“It was amazing to get through that,” she said of the pandemic. Benevenia also used that time to bolster her internship program, allowing students from Marist to learn how a luxury design company operates, as most of the companies in New York City were not offering those positions.
As Benevenia reflects on her success, the perspective has always been Marist-centered.
“Marist is home,” she said. “Everyone that I meet in the industry that is a Marist alum, they are just warm. They are kind and they really want to help you out.”
She has started to do the same as those fashion professionals who came out of Marist before her. Benevenia gets invited to student runway shows, speaks with students and uses her story to inspire the next generation of luxury designers. Whether it is clothing or handbags, bathing suits or ball gowns, there is always room for quality and personality without sacrificing moral integrity.
Photography by Alejandro Basalo