Miche Bags

Miche started with an accident. In 2004, Michelle Romero spilled a drink on her handbag and wished she could replace just the outside. She took the bag apart and made a new cover with scrap fabric and super glue. In 2005 she and her friend Annette Cavaness founded the company to turn that prototype into a product. The name came from Romero's nickname.

The company was based in South Jordan, Utah, near Salt Lake City. Most bags were sold at home parties run by independent Representatives. In 2009, ABC7 reported that the company was “focused on helping other moms generate income for their families through at-home parties, where most of the purses are sold.” The same report said Miche bags were sold in 34 countries, online, and in a few retail stores in the Midwest.

Around that time, under CEO Corbin Church, Miche launched its Hope program. Specially designed Hope shells raised money for the Huntsman Cancer Institute, and the company set a goal of raising $1 million for cancer research.

“As a company, we needed to do something that would benefit the communities where Miche is sold.”

Corbin Church, CEO — ABC7, July 2009

By 2015 the company's website named a new executive team led by CEO Dell Brown. The line had grown to four bag sizes plus wallets, specialty bags and accessories, and the company described itself as a social selling business. Its own site later gave 2007 as the year Miche was “born”; outside sources date the company to 2005. Less than a year later, in March 2016, the US business closed.

The heart of the line was the base bag. Miche made it in four sizes: Petite, Classic, Demi and Prima. Each base had a plain body, handles and a lined inside. The look came from the shell, an outer cover that slipped over the base and held on with magnets. A customer could swap a work look for a weekend look without emptying her purse.

• Base bags: Petite, Classic, Demi and Prima.
• Shells: many designs for each size, in solids, prints, faux leather, woven textures and animal prints. A premium range was sold as Miche Luxe.
• Handles and hardware: swappable handles, chains and straps.
• Accessories: wallets, wristlets, coin purses, organizers, scarves, key chains and phone cases.
• Specialty bags: crossbodies, clutches, travel bags and a men's collection.

Prices were moderate. The old Direct Sales Aid profile listed base bags from about $22 to $45 and shells from about $18 to $50, depending on size and style. In 2015 the company also sold “Take Two” bundles, a base with two shells at a saving. Hope products raised money for cancer care: that year the company said it gave $5 from each Hope product to the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Sellers were independent Representatives. In 2015 the company also promoted the role as becoming a Miche “M-Bassador.” Representatives sold at home parties, through a personal Miche website and person to person. The company described it as a social selling business where you could “do a little or a lot.”

Hostess Rewards

Hosts earned free and discounted products. The old Direct Sales Aid profile described hostess credits worth 10% of party sales once a party reached $200, up to four shells at half price, and hostess-only shells for parties of $800 or more. A 2015 company promotion offered any Miche Luxe design at 50% off with a $350 party.

Starter Kits

In 2015 Miche offered three ways to start. The Master Starter Kit cost $199 and, the company said, held about $600 in retail value: one base in each of the four sizes, two Classic, Demi and Prima shells, one Petite shell, accessories, business supplies and a personal website for a year. The Success Starter Kit cost $99 and held a Classic base, a Demi base, two shells for each and business supplies, which the company valued at about $300. Existing customers and hosts could start with a $49 Business Starter Kit of supplies and a website. Earlier, the old Direct Sales Aid profile listed a $199.95 kit and a $499.95 Deluxe kit.

Pay

In 2015 the company advertised commissions of 25% to 40% on personal sales. Representatives who built a team could climb seven career levels, from Representative up to Executive Director. Team commissions ran from 6% to 13% on the first level, up to 8% on the second and up to 2% on the third, with advancement bonuses of $100 at Director and $500 at Executive Director. Each level set its own personal and group sales requirements. Earlier versions of the plan, described on the old Direct Sales Aid profile, paid 20% to 35% on personal sales, up to 6% in sponsorship commissions for recruiting, and a 90-day quick-start reward of free products.

Miche closed its US operations in March 2016. The company did not issue a press release. On March 30, 2016, the trade site Business for Home reported that several sources said Miche was closing, and that Miche had announced a liquidation sale on its Facebook page. It quoted one Representative's message to her customers: “It’s with a very heavy heart that I pass on that Miche has decided to close operations effective March 24th.” The company did not give a public reason.

The miche.com shop became a “complete inventory liquidation event.” Archived copies from April 2016 told shoppers “All sales final!” and asked them to allow 20 to 25 business days for orders because of high volume. The last archived capture of the shop dates from April 17, 2016. By 2019 the miche.com address was listed for sale, and in October 2026 it showed a domain-for-sale page.

The brand did not vanish completely. Wikipedia reports that Miche's international partners, including Miche Canada and Miche Europe, kept producing and distributing the bags after the US closure. In November 2016 a business called Purse Schwag was set up “to keep Miche alive,” according to the brand's current owners. In 2021, four former Miche Representatives, working with Parsons Purses and Purse Schwag, bought Miche's patents and trademarks. They now sell bases, shells and accessories online as Miche Lives, also called Miche 2.0, along with wholesale accounts and a program for social media creators. There is no Representative or party program. The new owners say older shells, bases and handles fit the new products.

Former Representatives kept whatever stock they had bought but could no longer order from the original company. If you miss the party format, live companies such as Paparazzi still sell accessories through independent consultants. You can still see the Miche products page from our archive, and this Miche profile stays up as a record of the company.