NORTH CAROLINA WOMAN LAUNCHES BUSINESS DURING PANDEMIC SUPPORTING FEMALE ARTISANS
GREENSBORO, N.C., Dec. 3, 2020 — While the pandemic continues to shatter businesses and the world is urged to stay at home, Allie Petrova, founder of Bellani, a luxury merino wool blanket maker, decided to bring warmth into people’s homes and lives. Like many other professionals, Petrova, a North Carolina tax attorney, replaced in-person, client meetings with virtual ones. And, whether working at her home office desk, or unwinding while watching movies in the living room, she wished for a natural blanket to wrap her in comfort and coziness.
With an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to help others, she set out to create the perfect blanket made of luxuriously soft fine merino. The name “Bellani” was an intuitive fit: it comes from the Italian words for beautiful (bella) and wool (lana). The blankets are made in Europe from pure, natural and sustainable materials.
Petrova sought to support female entrepreneurs and artisans, many are single mothers or sole breadwinners for the family. Bellani’s major supplier is a partnership owned by two women. Women artisans hand finish the fringe on each blanket from the Luxe Collection, which offers a combination of classic and contemporary designs that elevate spaces and bring delightful warmth. The blankets are crafted at wool mills with traditions in the making of wool products, particularly blankets.
“While so many businesses were shutting down, I worked to plant a seed that would grow something new and beautiful,” Petrova says. “Despite many challenges and disruptions caused by the pandemic, I found the right mill to weave the blankets, chose from tens of colors for the right patterns, and located the perfect, fine merino supplier.”
In addition to adult blankets in the Luxe Collection, Bellani offers fine merino baby and pet blankets. They come in delicate patterns and timeless colors. People are met with softness beyond compare, when they run their hands over the Bellani blankets.
“Our baby blankets have been very popular with grandparents who are buying them as gifts as well as for baby showers,” Petrova says. “And pets are a very important part of the family too – we didn’t want our furry friends to be left out.”
Bellani is unveiling its Royal Blanket – exclusively on mybellani.com. This blanket will be the ultimate in luxury. The fabric is made in Italy from fine Australian merino wool and comes in a generous size to fit a Queen-sized bed.