Adeela Hussain Johnson on Béis' next phase: 'We haven't even scratched the surface yet'

Adeela Hussain Johnson has watched her own product move through airports for the better part of a decade, and it has not worn off. "Seeing a Béis bag in an airport still humbles me," the chief executive officer of the American travel and lifestyle brand told FashionUnited, "because I know what it took to build this from nothing." Eight years after she joined a start-up with no revenue, Béis is a 250 million dollar business — and, she argues, barely started.

But before moving forward, Béis decided to rebuild its foundation. In July, the company relaunched its Core Collection, updating its viral Weekender bags, in a commercial decision that meant transitioning out the brand's best-seller at the height of its success. "Our consumer told us it was the right time," Hussain Johnson said. Since launching in 2018, The Weekender has sold more than two million units and achieved an average year-over-year growth of 70 percent, according to the company.