My name comes from my mother. So does this brand.

My name is Janice Stevia. Two names my mother gave me, Stevia, inspired by a flower, by natural sugar, and by the name of the uncle she loved. For as long as I've been able to put words to what I wanted to do with my life, the answer has always been the same: to create.

As a child, I spent my summers watching my uncle work. A stylist, pattern maker, and haute couture tailor in his own boutique on a street in Paris's 9th arrondissement. Clients would come in. He created for them, with precision, with care, with that attention to detail that turns a fabric into a style you never want to take off.

And in my heart, something kept confirming itself: I wanted that. To dress women with elegance, with intention.

And something changed. My son, the way he looks at me, gave me a permission I had stopped granting myself. If he ever asked me why I do what I do, I would want to be able to answer him: I built something that has an impact. For you. For the world you're growing up in.

That's where the Joyce was born. A bag born from one specific evening: coming home from daycare, my son's hand in mine, a work bag on one side, shoes on the other, and the realization that neither one should have to be sacrificed for the other.

I decided to create what didn't yet exist. A piece designed down to the smallest detail, from the interior lining to the shape of the handles, from the depth of the compartments to the choice of every closure.