In 1882, Joan and Bill Martin began Brahmin Leather Works which was a small entrepreneurial enterprise in Massachusetts. The company began in their home where they were to create handbags that would capture the imagination of high society women in Massachusetts. The term Brahmin originally comes from the caste system of India where the elite class, the highest caste, were called Brahmins. The term also means learned one, and denotes one of the highest societies of the Indian caste system of the 1800's. In Boston, the socialites of those days who were of high standing were called Boston Brahmins. The term was embraced by Bill Martin and stuck ever since.
As the years went by, the Martins realized that the company would amount to much more than a small Boston handbag shop. They soon began working with others to create a brand name and the Brahmin name took off like a shooting star. The high quality of Brahmin bags coupled with their fashionable designs are what made the company a symbol of fashion and the finest craftsmanship. Made of Italian leather and polished with a unique sheen, the bags became popular with the well to do of the New England area very quickly.
Today, while operations are large scale, there remains only four Brahmin handbag retailers. All of these are in the New England area. The company is still very much family owned, but has cooperated extensively with sales professionals from all over the country to promote their products. A recent big step for Brahmin was to collaborate with Dillards to sell their handbags. You can now find Brahmin hand bags in Dillards along with all your favorite high end brands. The only difference is that their handbags will be at a surprisingly low rate compared to other high end brands.
There are literally hundreds of styles and colors of hand bags to choose from. Brahmin has come up with a unique style of naming their purses to categorize them for easy reference. They use girls names like Rosaline, Alyssa, and Dana, to name a few to tell styles apart. You can find a variety of wrist purses, cross body bags, business bags, as well as party hand bags. The list is endless to what you can find. If you would like to locate a specific color and style you can do so easily by logging on to the Brahmin web site which is the official site for the renowned handbag.