Larisa Barrera has been working within the Jose and Maria Barrera company throughout her life. While designing jewelry for the Barrera brand, Larisa also created her own brand of intricate jeweled collectible evening handbags. Larisa gained fame as the preferred designer for red carpet stylists, creating custom handbags to match the gowns. Larisa, now a torchbearer of her family's legacy, is forging her own path while honoring the traditions that shaped her.
Larisa attended Rhode Island School of Design. Throughout her time at RISD, she would return to work in the family business during summers and vacations. During the summer of 1990, Jose was requested to design jewelry for Vanity Fair Magazine for a story on Cher. Because of time constraints on Jose, Larisa designed and assembled the iconic necklace which ended up being featured on the 1990 Vanity Fair cover. This increased her excitement in creating beautiful special pieces of artistic jewelry.
After graduating from RISD, Larisa was hired at the fashion house of Badgley Mischka where she worked for three years as a design assistant to Mark Badgley, designing the beadwork and purchasing fabrics for their beautiful, beaded gowns. In 1996, Larisa rejoined the family jewelry business as a co-designer alongside her father Jose, helping her parents to grow their family business.
A new business is born: Introducing Larisa's Modern Vintage Bags ....
Halle Berry carrying Larisa Barrera custom made handbag the year she won her Oscar at the Academy Awards 2002
Larisa combined her expertise in jewelry design with the experience she gained in her time in fashion particularly in the realm of beautiful hand-applied beaded fabrics . Larisa had always been a collector of vintage treasures. However, it was the request of Dawn Mello, the esteemed fashion director of Bergdorf Goodman, that truly set Larisa on a path of creating something uniquely enchanting. With a firm determination to revive the techniques used for crafting handmade evening bags of the past, Larisa embarked on a mission to infuse a modern twist. Instead of simply replicating the antiquated designs, she began by conceptualizing her own patterns, giving birth to entirely new bag shapes that were both nostalgic and fashion-forward.
Britney Spears carrying a custom Larisa Barrera handbag and Jose and Maria Barrera jewelry with Justin Timberlake at the VMA's - The finishing touches for the iconic denim and diamond outfit
Larisa and Jose designed and fabricate the frames for the bags in-house at their NYC jewelry factory. These frames were unlike anything seen before - unique and special, just like the bags themselves. Adorned with jeweled clasps meticulously fashioned to reflect the intricate details in the beadwork, the frames became an integral part of Larisa's vision. Completing the bags are the matching beaded handles, meticulously woven to perfection. Larisa gained fame as the preferred designer for red carpet stylists, creating custom handbags to match the gowns. Larisa’s handbags sold at Bergdorf Goodman NY, Neiman Marcus stores nationwide, specialty stores across the country as well as in Russia, France, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia
View some other Iconic milestones Larisa was a part of in photos below.
