Nationwide — Kelly Katrina is a mom of two children, ages 13 and 7, and also the founder of Kelly Katrina Collections, a Black-owned luxury handbag brand founded in 2022. Her brand is quickly making its mark with distinctive designs that combine creativity, craftsmanship, and personal meaning. Born and raised in Chicago, she built her company while working in an entirely different industry. She is also a CDL-licensed commercial truck driver, a career she began in 2021, one year before launching her handbag business, and her husband is also a truck driver.
The inspiration behind the company is deeply personal. Kelly lost both of her parents in 2017, and their passing motivated her to build something meaningful that could honor their memory while creating a legacy for her own children. What initially began as an effort to generate additional income ultimately developed into a passion for fashion, handbag design, and entrepreneurship.
At the center of the collection is her signature pyramid handbag, a design that holds special meaning because it was inspired by her late mother. She says the shape, uniqueness, and strength of the pyramid represent many of the same qualities her mother possessed. While the pyramid bag has become the brand’s signature piece, customers can choose from more than 20 designs, including handcrafted bags that Kelly remains very hands-on with throughout the production process.
Interestingly, Kelly says more men than women purchase her handbags, often buying them as gifts for the women in their lives. This has helped the company attract customers beyond the traditional audience for women’s fashion accessories while positioning the bags as distinctive gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and other special occasions. The entire collection is sold exclusively through the Kelly Katrina Collections website, allowing the company to maintain a direct relationship with its customers.
Kelly’s journey is especially meaningful in an industry where Black women have tremendous influence as consumers of fashion, beauty, and luxury products but remain underrepresented as owners of the brands benefiting from that spending. Her story represents the importance of moving from simply being consumers to becoming designers, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and owners who can build wealth and create opportunities within the fashion industry. Supporting independent Black-owned brands like hers can help these entrepreneurs expand production, introduce new products, create jobs, and build businesses that can potentially be passed on to future generations.
From driving commercial trucks to designing luxury handbags, Kelly’s unconventional journey demonstrates that a person’s occupation does not have to define the limits of what they can create. As a mother, designer, entrepreneur, and truck driver, she is building a company that connects her past with the future she hopes to create for her children. Through Kelly Katrina Collections, she is honoring the strength of her late parents while turning creativity, perseverance, and family legacy into a growing Black-owned fashion brand.
Learn more about her company on her official website at KellyKCollections.com
Also, be sure to follow her brand on Instagram @KellyKatrinaCollections
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