New Haven, Conn. (WTNH) – Have you ever found a beautiful handbag, only to discover that it isn’t really functional? Or maybe you found a bag that fits everything, but it’s not as fashionable as you’d like? Today’s CT Style guest was having this exact problem, which is why she created a line of her own.
Cristina Carabetta is the founder of Betta Bag, a handbag line designed for professional women. She sat down with CT Style Host Natasha Lubczenko to talk about how her handbags work, their special features, and the history of how it all began.
As a lawyer, Cristina needed a bag that was chic, professional looking and functional, making it easy to keep all of her work belongings organized. However, she just couldn’t find what she was looking for in the marketplace. So, Cristina decided to design her own handbag line that fit the bill.
Today, she has an e-commmerce business that can offer other professional women a beautiful, high-end handbag that works for the office and then transitions perfectly to happy hour and everything else in between.
Cristina says, “We have our two colors, which are beige and black. And what I feel is the most important part, is the way it opens. So the zippers go all the way down in there. It’s similar to a clam shape, right? The way a clam opens very wide, then you have different compartments inside.”
“So, for your electronics, it can fit up to a 16-inch computer in this sleeve, but also a larger one in the center. And then we have the side compartments, the zippers. I’m a zipper girl.” “I love pockets, you know, for my phone, my lipstick, keys, whatever else I need. We have this long strap you can take on or take off, if you wish. We have a zipper on the front – also in the back. What I really love is this sort of hidden pocket.”
Cristina explains that her Betta Bag features a “suitcase sleeve,” so that when you travel, it goes right on the back of your luggage handle. And there’s another hidden pocket in the back.
Betta Bags are all created in Italy, as Cristina felt it was important to stay true to her culture and heritage. She says, “My grandparents immigrated here from Italy, and like a lot of immigrants, when they came here, they had nothing but the clothes on their back.” “And they still valued where they came from, their homeland. So, it was important for me to reflect that in the things that I create.” “My Nonna was a seamstress, and she loved designing. So just to reflect their legacy and their hard work, I’m committed to making all my products in Italy.”
And Cristina’s uncle was involved in creating the Betta Bag, as well. She says that, while she’s a lawyer who has a vision, she really doesn’t have any sewing or leather tooling skills, at all.
She explains, “My uncle was able to learn how to leather tool while he was incarcerated. And while he was in prison, he used to send home these beautiful bags, book bags, all these leather goods, and he became an expert in creating leather products.”
Cristina says that, once he came out of prison, like everyone else, he struggled to find a job. So he went back to being a mechanic, but he always had a love and passion for designing. Then, when Cristina came up with the handbag idea, she presented it to him, and they sat down together, sketched everything out, and used some swatches of leather to create a prototype. The rest is history.
To learn more, just visit www.shopbettabag.com
Don’t miss the Betta Bag Valentine’s Day sale! For a 20% discount –
At checkout, apply the offer code: bemine
Betta Bag is also on Instagram @shopbetta
