At the age of 19, Ms. Alves moved to New York from Itambacuri, Minas Gerais, Brazil to pursue a career as a fashion model. After working for four years as a house-cleaner and waitress, she successfully learned English and decided to make the United States her home. She and her artist-designer mother design the Muxo line of handbags,which were conceived after experimenting for three years with styles and designs.