Fans may have first met Shay Mitchell in 2010 on the TV show Pretty Little Liars, but with the success of her luggage brand, she has quickly become one of Hollywood’s fiercest businesswomen. We chatted with Shay at her BÉIS pop-up event at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel to uncover some sound advice and the future of her successful brand.
From the weekender bag to hard-shell luggage, Shay has truly carved out a niche in the luggage industry. Her goal was to bridge the gap between stylish, functional, and well-priced travel pieces—and she has done just that. The brand hit upward of $120 million in profitable gross revenue in March 2023, and is only continuing to grow.
Guests can also order bespoke BÉIS-inspired cocktails inside the hotel, including “Spritzing to the Gate”. The event marked the first time that BÉIS activated within Canada.
The brand has recently expanded into other travel accessories like cosmetic cases and packing cubes. When asked what is coming next for BÉIS, Shay said she isn’t looking to put any limitations on the brand. “There’s a lot more room for us to grow into different categories,” she shared. “The sky is the limit, and that’s the fun thing about this brand, is that we never put a cap on what we’re going to do. It makes it really fun with our design team, actually for the entire team, because nobody knows what’s going to come next.”
As far as creating kids’ gear, Shay noted that it happened organically. “I was pregnant, I was looking for a diaper bag, and I didn’t find anything that I loved so I created one.” The children’s’ products are created with the same thought and stylish touch as the rest of the line. She continued, “then my daughter got a little bit older and obviously she wanted her own bag, and I was sick of seeing these kids’ suitcases that she had.”
The brand has collaborated with supermodels like Elsa Hosk and just came off the high of an extremely successful collaboration with the Barbie film. “With Barbie, some people became collectors,” she gushed. The collaboration completely sold out, and the campaign starring Shay as Barbie went viral online.
BÉIS prioritizes staying social and feedback from customers, which can influence the design team’s choices when creating new collections. “We have this really beautiful two-way conversation with our consumers where I get to listen to what they want. For example, plaid may or may not be coming back very soon. We had 40,000 people on a waitlist.”
As far as new products go, Shay hinted that “there are some items that I carry with me all the time when I travel that I may want to start to develop.” From basics like beige and black to punchy green and orange, there is a colour and style for light travelers and those that pack heavy. The line is also totally unisex and is incorporating more menswear into its offerings.
BÉIS has succeeded in its mission to create functional and beautiful products that won’t break the bank. You can visit the pop-up experience at the Fairmont Pacific until September 4, and don’t forget to snap a pic in the BÉIS plane! —Maddie Clerides
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