About

Paula Bjerketvedt

Designer

With a passion for art history, design and fashion, and a soft spot for vintage fabrics, Paula hand makes each bag in the couple's home studio near Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Paula's design aesthetic was informed as much by her fashionable grandmother Ilaverne's amazing collection of bags, shoes and jewelry as by her six years as a Senior Visual Manager with retailer Anthropologie.

Paula has a Clothing Design degree from the University of Minnesota.

Brian Bjerketvedt

Creative/Art/Design Direction + Marketing

Brian brings over 14 years of branding and marketing experience to ila Handbags as an Creative/Art/Design Director. His past positions working for a creative lifestyle agency and a business-to-business marketing firm have helped shape his balanced thinking.

Brian’s brand experience includes Target, ING, City of Atlanta, Under Armour, Lifetime Fitness and PepsiCo.

Brian brings a multidisciplinary skill set to ila Handbags — handling photo art direction, product photography, writing, interactive design and brand identity.

Details

  • ila Hanbags is named after Paula’s eclectic, fashionable grandmother, Illavern (ila) Gregory,
  • The company started the fall of 2010.
  • Unable to attend her close friend‘s Paris wedding, Paula dusted off her sewing machine and made her first handbag in the spring of 2010.
  • All ila Handbags are currently handmade in the couple's home studio outside Minneapolis, Minnesota.
  • Our most popular bag, the Frenchie, was the first bag Paula made – getting its name from her friend's Paris, France wedding.
  • Dresses provided by Flutter Boutique. wwww.flutterboutique.com

Locations

    Minnesota

    Flutter Boutique
    720 West Lake Street #107
    Minneapolis, MN 55408

    Posh Bridal
    810 Lake Street East
    Wayzata, MN 55391

    Louisiana

    Emma's Shoes & Accessories
    3904 HWY 22
    Mandeville, La 70471

    Maryland

    Garnish Boutique
    1515 Labelle Ave #3
    Baltimore, MD 21204

    Singapore

    nana & bird
    Tiong Bahru Commons,
    79 Chay Yan Street Unit 01-02
    (entrance along Yong Siak Street)

    Soon Lee
    73 Haji Lane, Singapore

    Shanghai

    nana & bird pop up
    GOODS, No. 1417 Huai Hai Road
    (M), near Fu Xing Road