Tabelina is a popular handbag and accessories brand launched with passion and creativity by Miami-based Founder and Creative Director Isabel Cancela. Her gorgeous selection of bags and jewellery has been hugely successful amongst celebrities and in stores from Miami to New York. We ask Isabel why she quit her lucrative career as a Telecom Executive to create and launch this fabulous brand, and about the distinctive symbol of the dragonfly.
Tell us about your background and how the Tabelina brand came about?
I was born and raised in Camaguey, Cuba. I left the country with my family as a teenager and lived in Spain and Dominican Republic and thereafter to Miami for college. I was a telecom executive for many years managing the Caribbean and Latin America region for different Telecom companies, and though I enjoyed it and was good at it, I knew it wasn’t my calling. I am married and have four wonderful children. Turning 40 was pivotal for me… I just realized I was putting so much energy and time into something that was not giving me pleasure. And so, in June this year, I took a leap of faith and created Tabelina and the design of the dragonfly logo, which is now the symbol of the brand.
We love your dragonfly logo. Tell us more?
The Tabelina logo is a dragonfly in the shape of a woman’s body with the heart in the place of the head because women think with their heart. I chose a dragonfly because these magnificent insects are an example of living your life to the fullest. The dragonfly lives most of its life underwater during their nymph stage. Once they reach their mature life they come out of the water and last only a few months. I felt the same way with my life; it wasn’t till I reached my mature life that I decided to do what I really wanted to do and enjoy it! This empowered dragonfly woman thinks with her heart, discerns with her mind, and lives from the very core of her being at all times. Our lives, like the lives of the dragonfly, are but a fleeting moment in time… so we must dream without limitation, live with intensity and authenticity, and fly like the Tabelina!
What has inspired your latest collection?
Nature is my number one source of inspiration. I love the natural color combination of flowers and orchids and try to replicate this in my pieces, combining natural stones with gold and silver accents. I get inspiration from anything… people, situations, places. I am constantly thinking about my next piece.
What sort of customer do you design for?
I make accessories to make women look beautiful and most importantly feel beautiful. I love when my customers tell me why they love my pieces and they say different things about the same piece. I don’t create my pieces for a specific type of person, rather to allow women to feel anything in the realm of happy, fun and elegant.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m currently working on adding new lines of accessories and planning fashion shows and trade shows. Very excited indeed!
For more information, head to www.tabelina.com
