Jewellery designer Belle Watters’ business started when she was nursing her baby.
Camera IconJewellery designer Belle Watters’ business started when she was nursing her baby. Credit: Supplied/Martin Kennealey

Baby blues and belle Bijoux

Staff ReporterEastern Reporter

The mother-of-two started her label Belle Bijoux Australia when her eldest daughter was just a baby and the once-solo jewellery designer has become a fully-fledged accessory entrepreneur.

Watters said it all began when she was nursing her baby, spending sleepless evenings creating jewellery for her friends.

‘I started out creating jewellery for friends and family as it was a way to pass evenings as a new mother, where there were moments of frustration and isolation,’ she said.

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‘Eventually that jewellery line grew and I had never imagined I’d end up with an accessories label back then.

‘As the handmade jewellery became a hit, it sparked the ideas I started to have with starting a label and designing other items.’

Watters said a friend’s visit to Thailand immediately sparked an idea to look at expanding the label by creating leather accessories including belts, handbags and shoes.

‘My original idea was for, what is now known as our signature, leather lacing on the leather surface of the garments and it was a really special time to be in control of my dreams,’ she said.

Having gone down the track of a shopfront years ago Watters now prefers to deal with her customers one-on-one via private viewings, her online shop and by way of social media, saving her on overheads and bringing her closer to her clientele.

‘Although there’s nothing like the tacticity of touching leather goods, its smell, trying it on in person, online is lower overheads and easier to manage when it is a one-Belle-band,’ she said.

‘Online also means customers are able to view products in a less intrusive environment.

‘I try to maintain a social media presence and personalise those online interactions and because I’m the face of the business, I do absolutely present myself in that arena as honestly as I can.

‘I’ve had full-time staff in the past which has its plus points but right now it’s just me doing the entire thing.’

Watters said her day involved spending mornings reviewing online orders and preparing packages for postage as well as juggling mum duties, researching and designing.

‘It is imperative that I know what is going on and that I understand the detail in the day-to-day operations, because I need to direct the broader picture,’ she said.