Newport Beach, Calif. — For startup Stelle Audio Couture, sales opportunities lie in appealing to fashion- and decor-minded women who shop at home decor stores and fashion-oriented stores.
Stelle (an Italian word for stars pronounced stel-lay) is building distribution for two Bluetooth portable speakers, one designed to look like a ladies’ clutch, and the other taking the shape of a foot-tall cylinder. All products are available in different colors or finishes.
The company is also developing Bluetooth ear buds that look like jewelry and a Bluetooth speaker that can be attached to a baby’s crib or stroller.
The company was founded by CEO Anna Perelman and president Wayne Ludlum, audio-industry veterans who are focusing on Bluetooth speakers targeted to females and the places they shop.
The Audio Clutch and cylinder-style Pillars are sold online at StelleAudio.com and in Fred Segal clothing stores in West Hollywood and Santa Monica.
“The only CE store that we want to be in is Apple stores for the credibility” and because women like to shop there for the experience, he said. The company doesn’t want to place its products in CE specialty chains on the same shelves as a multitude of black boxes, he said.
For the Bluetooth ear buds, the company will target fashion-oriented stores such as department stores. And for the stroller speaker, the company will target “mommy spaces” such as juvenile stores, he said.
The Clutch, which retails for $349 to $399 depending on color and ornamentation, can be carried like a clutch or worn with a strap around the shoulder. The 9-inch by 2.2-inch by 4.7-inch fashion accessory pops open to reveal two 1.5-inch drivers that play back music from a Bluetooth-equipped mobile device or from a device connected via 3.5mm aux input. It also features hands-free speakerphone capability and lithium-ion battery that lasts for 15 hours at “nominal” volume levels. It’s available in red snakeskin and black weave at $349 and in fuscia and navy blue with crystal-like embellishments at $399.
The foot-tall Stelle Pillar, priced at $349 in four finishes, measures 4.5 inches in diameter and packs a pair of 1.5-inch drivers and a 3-inch woofer. It also offers 15-hour battery, speakerphone capability and 3.5mm aux input but adds ability to charge a USB-connected mobile device when the speaker is plugged into AC power. It’s available in high-gloss white, brushed aluminum, matte black and pewter.
