This Black Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating Magic Makers making bold moves in entrepreneurship, entertainment, and education, and handbag designer Cameo de Boré Phillips, the creative force behind Cameo de Boré clutches, is a perfect fit.

Cameo didn’t set out to be a handbag designer, but if you ask her now, she’ll tell you it was always in her.

“I’m a fashion girl,” she told BOSSIP. “While I’m not formally trained, I’ve been a student of fashion my whole life. I grew up with a very fashionable mother and grandmother. Just watching them, they had this eye for color, silhouettes; everything.”

What started around 2014–2015 as sketches and trial-and-error DIY projects became something real, a bag that wasn’t just stylish, but bold and made for women like her.

“I was watching Girlfriends and Sex and the City, and I kept seeing Joan and Toni with these beautifully structured handbags. I couldn’t find anything like it in stores. So I started crafting. I probably made a hundred terrible versions before I finally got it right,” she said.

That “right” moment came unexpectedly.

“I had one sitting on the bed and my husband walked in and said, ‘Yeah, that’s dope.’ That was all I needed. I wore it to church and the girls went wild. From there, it spread—locally, then regionally, and now nationally and internationally.”

Her brand, Cameo de Boré, is known for its bold, oversized clutches. But the bags aren’t oversized just to make a statement, but to actually work for women.

“I’m five, eight and a half [and] I’ve got some curves on me too,” said Cameo. “And so for me, it’s important to have a piece that does not get swallowed up by my frame and not get lost in my collective outfit and everything I got going on.”

She continued,

“I’m a big fan of being able to wear a bag and not have to hold your cell phone or your key fob in your hands,” said Cameo. “And so my bag is structured, it’s going to be classc, but there’s a little bit of a unique component there. It’s going to carry your cell phone, your lipstick, your credit cards, your key fob, all of that with ease.”

Everything about the brand is personal, from the sizing, to the structure to the spirit of her hometown, East St. Louis.

“My city shaped me. It’s small but full of stylish, fearless people. We had modest means, but we showed up in furs, in Louis luggage before it was trendy. Our fashion was how we took control.”

That influence shows up in every bag she makes, but never more so than in the special collection she created in honor of her late mother, Sherry.

“She was the most ladylike woman I’ve ever known. She was always put together, always polished, even until her last day.”

Cameo paused her business when her mother was diagnosed with cancer, becoming her full-time caregiver. After her mother’s passing, she wasn’t sure she’d return to fashion at all.

“But something shifted in me,” she recalled to BOSSIP. “Taking care of her and helping her transition gave me so much perspective. I became fearless. I thought, ‘If this didn’t break me, what am I really afraid of?’”

So she relaunched stronger, more intentional, and surrounded by love, including a special My Sheri Amour collection.

“Her name was Sheri [and] she loved the song by Stevie Wonder,” she said, noting how deeply every detail was personal. “I was doubting getting back into things… and then we were received so well.”

“That collection was for her. My daughter, my mom’s nieces, my sisters—they were all the models. Even the background of the shoot had my mom’s pieces in it. It was personal. And it was so well received. I had been afraid to get back in, but the moment I did, doors started opening.”

Cameo told BOSSIP that one thing that never gets old is seeing her bags in the hands of other women, noting that it still gives her butterflies.

“I scroll Instagram and see someone rocking my clutch, and it never feels normal. It’s wild to think someone spent their hard-earned money on something I made with my two hands. I pray over this business day and night.”

But Cameo’s impact goes far beyond fashion. She’s been a mentor for over two decades, guiding young women since they were tweens and now watching them become leaders, moms, and businesswomen in their own right.

“Some of them are 30 now, and I’ve known them since they were 11. I treat them like my own. I make time for them no matter what.”

That belief in sisterhood goes both ways.

“I have my mentees, but I also have my mentors,” she told BOSSIP. “Women in their 60s and 70s who tell me when I’m out of pocket. I love that. I tell my mentees, ‘I’ll be your bridge, so you don’t have to trip over the same stones I did.’ But I expect the same honesty in return.”

For Cameo, the real win is thriving as a Black female entrepreneur, something she carved out herself, unapologetically and brilliantly.

“I’m just honored to take up space. I didn’t come from a family of business owners. I had to figure it all out, no roadmap. And for years, I was clapping for everyone else: my brilliant kids, my husband. But this? This is mine. This is my time to be celebrated.”

From East St. Louis to women around the globe, Cameo’s clutches are more than accessories, they’re a reflection of legacy, love, and unapologetic style.

The post BWHM: Cameo de Boré Creator Cameo Phillips Details Her Clutches’ Chic Climb To The Top [Exclusive] appeared first on Bossip.