![\"Tyler](\"\/cgs\/files\/2016\/09\/Tyler-Ellis-200x300.jpg\")
Tyler Alexandra Ellis (CGS\u201905, COM\u201907) designs gorgeous, high-end bags for women\u2014exotic luxury leather purses hand-made in Italy and sold around the world. Building a business in fashion takes energy and confidence\u2014both of which Ellis fostered at Boston University.<\/p>\n
At BU, Ellis entered and loved the College of General Studies, soaked up the college\u2019s programs, and made and kept strong friendships that have lasted through the years. She then headed to the College of Communication, hoping\u2014inspired by her mother, who worked in film and television\u2014to make a career in LA. But soon enough, she realized that the media industry was not where she wanted to be after all. Thoughts about a career in design had taken root, and high-end purses were her passion. Tyler was shy about using her last name as a company brand\u2014the late, renowned clothing designer Perry Ellis was her father\u2014so she launched her brand using her own first and middle names. \u201cMy company was first called \u2018Tyler Alexandra,\u2019\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Despite her early worries about that famous last name, she consulted her father\u2019s friends and associates in fashion, whose advice proved invaluable as she developed her business. She moved to New York and went to work for the designer Michael Kors. Along the way, she learned a lot more about her father, who had died when she was just 18 months old. \u201cIt\u2019s a neat story,\u201d she says. \u201cI found an envelope addressed to me, and it said \u2018Miss Tyler Alexandra Ellis,\u2019 in his own script. I used that as my logo for the initial name of my company, and now I use it with the new name of our company, \u2018Tyler Ellis<\/a>.\u2019\u201d The logo is printed on Tyler\u2019s signature cobalt blue purse linings.<\/p>\n She has also spent plenty of time traveling, seeking inspiration for her collections. She says she especially loves being in India because the colors worn by Indian women are so vivid and varied. \u201cI carry a sketchbook and draw thumbnails of my designs wherever I go, and then the factory develops the true-size models,\u201d she adds. Her search for a skilled manufacturer led her to Italy, where craftsmen in a family factory today hand-make each of her leather bags.<\/p>\n Today, Tyler credits her experience at CGS and COM, along with her travels, for the confidence and inspiration on which she has built her business. \u201cI loved being at CGS,\u201d she says today. \u201cI credit my years at BU for teaching me to be open to learning and confident about exploring my own interests.\u201d<\/p>\n