OUR STORY

A fateful event that changed everything 

In November of 2017, a tragic car accident left Cecilia Cho a widow and single mother to three young children. This tragic turn of events brought her back to her roots and led to the launch of her company, Anscel.

Starting a designer handbag company seemed like a natural fit for Cecilia, as she spent her childhood attending trade shows and learning the family business in Korea, a luxury handbag manufacturer. 

Cecilia grew up in South Korea, where her family ran a luxury handbag manufacturing business. Trade shows, sketching designs and other aspects of the handbag business were just a part of her childhood. So, when it came time to step up to provide for her family, starting a luxury handbag company was a natural choice for her.

In many ways, Cecilia feels it was destiny tapping her on the shoulder, inviting her to mend her broken heart through creating something beautiful and lasting for our world. Starting a handbag company in Canada isn’t easy; it requires significant capital, expertise, resources and integrity. Thankfully Cecillia had some “angels” who helped launch her idea and produce her first line of designer handbags.

The name Anscel is born out of two parts: firstly, the ANGELS that responded to her call for help; and secondly, CECILIA herself needed to dig deep and find the strength of resilience in her own heart to move forward after her world crumbled. 

ANgelS + CEciLia = Anscel. 

And so, the brand was born. A brand that’s very essence shines with Cecilia’s resilience alongside the generosity and beauty of the angels that helped her turn her destiny into a reality. 

Anscel’s story is woven into the company's founding principles, and every handbag we make is intentionally created with:

Couture beauty. 

High fashion quality that’s buttery soft, ultra-lightweight with jewelry-like hardware. 

Conscious generosity. 

Consciously priced handbags that pay-it-forward by keeping kids in school. 

Canadian craft-woman-ship. 

Born out of Cecilia’s resilient heart, she fashions handbags that stand the test of time.