Designer Jane Ip has been bringing joy to the millions of women who have bought her beautifully designed handbags and accessories for years. Born in Hong Kong, Ip is a MBA graduate from Schulich School of Business, York University in Toronto with under graduate degrees in Psychology and Finance from Portland State University in Oregon, USA.
Inspired by her father’s entrepreneurial spirit, Jane and her sister Charlotte began the company 27 years ago. Today with Jane taking the lead, the brand is distributed among major chains and retailers across North America and has received noticeable media attention from mainstream newspapers and top fashion magazines like Elle, Lou-Lou and Flare.
“True Happiness is True Beauty,” Jane says from her flagship store in the posh Yorkville district of Toronto. “That sets our philosophy. I love fashion and sketching and I have a passion for colour so I decided to design and pick my own materials and hardware. All the handbags I saw were black or brown and too conservative. So I went crazy with colour putting flowers on bags and mesh linings so things wouldn’t fall out. The factory told me I was crazy but when the samples were done they said ‘Wow, they look really nice.’ The buyers thought so too and soon our bags were being displayed in store windows because they were colourful and unique. That’s how we started. By being different, we created something fresh and new in the market.”
Jeanne Lottie’s flagship store, The Pink House in Toronto’s famous Yorkville neighbourhood, has been named cutest handbag and accessories shop by Toronto Life Magazine. It is frequently recommended by international travel guides such as Frommer’s (US), and Ulysse (France), as well as by publications such as the New York Times. Its whimsical decor reflects the warmth and creativity of Jane Ip, who is presently heading the designs of Jeanne Lottie.
The Jeanne Lottie brand stands for superior quality and beautiful, creative designs that are sold across North America and to several independent stores around the world. The company is also known as a reliable, professional supplier that works on special projects designing private label handbags and accessories for customers in several industries that include large banks, airlines and cosmetic companies for incentive marketing.