BRIGHTON HISTORY
Brighton is known for designing products with a message. Many of the items in the collection have a defining detail that gives them special meaning. Whether it is love notes engraved on a bracelet or a handbag adorned with a treasured photo, Brighton products help create lasting memories.
Brighton was launched in 1991 with a single collection of belts. Over the years, Brighton has become an accessory company with something for everyone. Handbags were added to the line in 1993, followed by small leather goods, watches, jewelry, home accessories, eyewear and most recently,luggage.
Today Brighton is the only major accessories line featuring products that coordinate from head to toe. A customer might choose a lipstick case that matches a wallet, jewelry that matches a pair of sunglasses, a handbag that matches her footwear, or an entire coordinating collection consisting of multiple accessories.
The company prides itself on the “Brighton Difference,” which is rooted in the philosophy that the difference is in the details. Brighton is one of the few remaining design houses where designers sketch each creation by hand and then follow the product from concept to fruition. It is a decidedly traditional process that seems more in keeping with the Renaissance era than the high-tech 21st century.
Brighton’s design team travels the world seeking inspiration for the products and their exquisite ornamentation. A host of artisans also are involved in the intricate process that captures all the detail and beauty of the designer’s original pencil drawing, using skills perfected and handed down through hundreds of years.
The hand assembly of Brighton leather accessories – many of which are made of fine Italian leather – often requires as many as 140 individual manufacturing steps using up to 40 different parts. What results are timeless creations that women have come to love, and in many cases, even collect. It was in tribute to this devoted collector that the term ‘Brightonians’ was born.
Brighton products are sold through a network of nearly 6,000 largely family-owned specialty stores nationwide, as well as more than 100 Brighton Collectibles stores from coast to coast. Brighton is committed to its specialty retailers, and hosts on-going seminars throughout the year that are designed to educate and motivate them. Events like Brighton on the Road, Brighton Across America, and Brighton Week are all aimed at helping storeowners and their employees improve on their success.
We have a business that is based on more than pretty products. It’s built to last,” said Brighton’s Laura Young. “We have sales associates who are passionate about our products, and we have consumers who appreciate our high quality and love to collect Brighton. It’s a sort of love story.”
It is fitting that Brighton is known for its heart logo. A silver heart dangles from every handbag, and adorns many of the products in the collection. “The heart logo is so appropriate because we put our heart and soul into everything we do… from the attention to detail in the designs to the sales associates who sell our product (and even serve you a warm cookie!) to the way we stand behind our products,” Young said.
The Brighton brand has grown over the years through a strategy that Young calls Girlfriend Marketing. “Since we only sell to small stores run by nice people, women buy our products at stores where everyone knows their name and make them feel like they matter,” Young said. “They, in turn, tell their girlfriends about the cute Brighton handbag that they bought, and so on and so on and so on!”