She’s a mystery. We never know when she’s going to show up, but when she does, the news spreads across campus like wildfire. She’s on campus for only 2 days, but everyone notices her. And when she leaves, everyone who’s lucky enough to encounter her somehow looks a little bit more fashion-forward.
No, this isn’t Gossip Girl, and I’m not talking about Serena – it’s Trish Jenkins, founder and owner of Bella U, the company responsible for the uber-popular jewelry that we all bought in front of the Pit just a few days ago.
After graduating from Boston University, Trish backpacked around the world for a whole year (so cool), and then returned to the States 10 years ago to start her own jewelry line geared specifically towards collegiettes™. In fact, the name of her company, Bella U, is a play on the word University – clever, right?
Bella U comes to Wake just four times a year, once in September, once for the holidays in December, once for a sale in February and then finally with the summer collection in April. Each time, collegiettes™swarm to nab all of her stunning jewelry. But it’s not just for Wake girls; Trish sells her jewelry at a couple dozen schools, mostly small college campuses all over the east coast, she says. She’s also launching her website, BellaUshop.com, by the end of this summer.
Trish told me that one of the best parts about her company is that a group of girls who are friends from home who all go to different colleges can come home for Christmas break and all be wearing her stuff; it’s something that they can have in common, even when they are away from each other at college. “It shows that it’s such a small world!”
Trish also loves that she’s bringing fashion to girls whose colleges are a bit more isolated. At Wake, we’re lucky to have some pretty good shopping and cute boutiques close by, but other schools aren’t in such great locations. Girls at schools like those (that only have a Wal-Mart in town) are always craving a fashion fix, and Trish is thrilled to help out!
Another part of what makes Bella U so special is that Trish makes and designs a lot of the jewelry herself. Originally from the Jersey shore, (“Deep shore!” she says. “Not like Jersey Shore, like the show!”), Trish says her style is really influenced by the shore. “It’s a lot of beach gear,” she says, and definitely “very wearable for college girls.”Her jewelry has something for everyone, from her signature flower earrings—the first pieces she ever designed—to her super popular wrap bracelets to her chunky animal rings.
Though she doesn’t backpack all over the world anymore, she does go overseas once a year to Thailand. The trip definitely influences her designs, especially those animal rings we all love. “Elephants are good luck with their trunks up,” Trish told me. Some pieces are preppy, like a lot of her stud earrings; some are very boho, like her beaded necklaces and bracelets; and lots are a mix of styles.
Not every school has benefited from Trish’s outstanding collection like we have, thanks to Student Union. But Trish says she’s happy to work with any student group (such as sororities) to come to other campuses. She loves doing charity sales, in which a portion of the proceeds from her sale would go to the student organization that sponsors her on their campus. So show off your Bella U jewelry to all your friends from other colleges, and let them know to contact Trish (tgiova@hotmail.com) in order to get some Bella U for themselves. In the meantime, enjoy all of your brand-new jewelry, collegiettes™!
*Photography by Elise Wallace