A native of Venezuela, Maria Briceno has always shared a common interest in fashion with sister-in-law, Johanna Boccardo. It would not take long for Maria to realize her life-long dream of a career in fashion design, which would lead to a promising family business venture in the accessories industry.

At a very young age and in an effort to pursue her aspirations, Maria changed her coastal Venezuelan landscapes for the scenic surroundings of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where she attended Colorado State University, received a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications & Marketing degree and graduated magna cum laude in 2002.

From there, Maria relocated to Miami and accepted challenging positions in both advertising and production development. By 2004, she decided to pursue a career in the fashion industry after realizing her business savvy and the ability to take a simple idea and produce it into profitable merchandise. For the next four years, Maria traveled the world in search of modern fashion trends and influences; allowing her to become cognizant of marketing and managerial aspects in business management. Professional experiences acquired at that juncture along with Maria’s diligence enabled her to pursue a promising career in the fashion industry.

She joined forces with native Venezuelan, sister-in-law and fashion designer Johanna Boccardo to launch Beautiful People in May 2008. Johanna’s keen eye for fashion matched with Maria’s knowledge of the industry led to a successful enterprise. “We are a family business with a common goal, to create a legacy of our own to share with fashionable, young-at-heart women of the world”, says Maria.

Maria spearheads day-to-day operations along with working alongside Johanna during the creative process to establish the functionality and structure of each handbag in addition to managing skilled artisans to ensure unparalleled craftsmanship and product excellence. “When designing Beautiful People, we make it a priority to identify with every woman’s concern of comfort and personal style,” says Maria. “Our handbags are designed with the consumer in mind and each silhouette is manufactured to complement their on-the-go lifestyles.”

To date, Beautiful People Handbags has received national acclaim from a recent nomination with the Independent Handbag Designer Award and judged by fashion accessory buyers from Saks, where the brand’s Little Rose handbag was placed as 3rd runner-up in the category of Best Handbag in Overall Style & Design.