The Betty Blog » travel

Betty Belts Owner Donna von Hoesslin in Wall Street Journal Magazine

donna — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:42:34 +0000

I always wanted to be in Fast Company Magazine, and I’m pretty sure that will still happen one day.

But for now I’ll have to settle for the Wall Street Journal Magazine. Full page. Me. Surfing. With a big smile on my face.

Life is good.
Life needs a LIKE button.

Photo Copyright David Pu’u

What We Do.

donna — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:47:02 +0000

David Pu’u is, as you probably already know, a very gifted photographer of beautiful things. He and I are both blessed to work with some amazing people, including twins Hailey and Sierra Partridge. Here is his most recent blog about what that means…

Model Models

by David Pu’u

Recently, NYC based production company Silent Crow was in Ventura. Two writers with the company happened to have connected with Donna Von Hoesslin of Betty B and learning a little bit about her female inspired Eco Fashion line. They came up with an idea.

Producer Matt Bennett showed up to do a little bit of discovery work, and honed a reality show concept that deviated from the norm, in that it endeavors to look at the personalities and lives of the women in both my and Donna’s lives. Silent Crow named the show Bonafide.

Donna and I have long exchanged working relationships with people who we see as unique, and able to be involved in both the editorial market, and branding process, both for the model as a product, and for Betty B’s unique, ethics based, fashion accessories line.

What Matt discovered is that each one of these women is a story unto themselves. Tricky thing to formulate a show upon. I just saw the teaser reel that Silent Crow Produced, and that I contributed footage and stills to. I think they get it. Not an easy thing to do, getting something that is a world unto itself… (continue reading and see more gorgeous shots)

Note From Bali: Enchantment (from August 30th)

donna — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:01:14 +0000

Enchantment is the word that flows through my mind throughout this trip. Bali is incredibly enchanting.

Inspiring…

Gorgeous…

The land of the Gods.

We are almost done here. I’ve been working on new designs with my artisan friends and also with each of the young women from Team Betty who joined us for a portion of the trip. Mary Osborne, Jeanette Ortiz, and Sierra and Hailey Partridge. We surfed, we designed, we created beautiful images. David Pu’u and Aaron Marcellino are along documenting everything in stills and motion for several editorial features and, very excited about this, a film.

Below are some of the images from the trip. Please also read David’s blog, as he has been posting several chapters of our adventure here.

Smiles from Bali!

Donna

Welcome Message from David Booth of East Bali Poverty Project. Copyright David Pu'u

View from the upstairs bedroom at the villa. David shot time lapse of the rice field harvest for an entire day. copyright David Pu'u

Breakfast: Nasi Goreng. Copyright David Pu'u

On the boat to Kuta Airport Reef. Copyright David Pu'u

Sunset at Kuta Reef. The girls are surfing. Copyright David Pu'u

East Bali Poverty Project School Students Line Up for Independence Day Ceremony. Copyright David Pu'u

Mary Osborne and Jeanette Ortiz of Team Betty with the kids from East Bali Poverty Project. Copyright David Pu'u

David filming East Bali Poverty Project festival with his Canon 5D.

One of the students of East Bali Poverty Project weaves Vetiver grass, which is the miracle plant for many of their sustainability projects

Hailey at the edge of infinity. The drop below her is several hundred feet down to the Agung River. Copyright David Pu'u

Sierra modeling a Stewart+Brown dress and the Betty B. "Bo" leather hoop earrings. Copyright David Pu'u

Hailey Partridge looking stunning with Stewart+Brown. Copyright David Pu'u

Sierra Partridge looking sexy in an O'Neill bikini at the pool. We did a lot of shooting in this pool. Copyright David Pu'u

Sierra at a ceremony at Gusti's house tasting the blessed rice cakes. She is wearing the Betty B. Sea Glass drop earrings. Copyright David Pu'u

See more images and read more about this trip on David’s Blog www.davidpuu.com/blog

Anxiously Awaiting Finalist Results in Intuit’s Small Business United Contest

donna — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:52:38 +0000

The judges are judging, the votes are being tallied. Tomorrow I will find out if my video submission won my company a small business grant from Intuit.

You can’t vote on it any more, but please come watch my video and be inspired!
Fingers crossed, my friends!

SMiles and Aloha,
Donna

Article About Donna in Green Issue of DEEP Magazine

donna — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:38:42 +0000

DEEP is a wonderful magazine about the Ocean and those who pursue its pleasures.
I was fortunate to be featured in their Green issue this year with a profile about my business and ethics lovingly written by the man who knows me better than anyone, David Pu’u. Click on the page below to enlarge and click again to make large enough to read.

Thank you for letting me share this with you!

Smiles,
Donna

Mermaids Anyone?

donna — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 23:36:06 +0000

Happy New Year with a treat from my hyper-talented BF David Pu’u's new blog.

Underwater fantasy and inspiration like nothing you’ve ever seen.
No digital effects were used in creating those images, just lots of pure talent of all parties involved in the shoot along with some top of the line equipment from Canon.

Holly Beck in Bali

donna — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 04:46:37 +0000

Here’s a Body Glove clip of Betty Belts surfer, the lovely Holly Beck in Bali, getting some beautiful waves and turning a lot of heads with her insane surfing skills.

Surfing Mary Osborne: Location Costa Rica

donna — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:27:04 +0000

Here’s our own lovely Mary Osborne surfing warm water waves in Costa Rica, all smiles, as usual!
LOVVVE that yellow bikini!
Check it our on her GO211 profile along with some of her other clips.

On our way to Bali

donna — Wed, 07 May 2008 01:01:39 +0000

It’s a wonderful feeling going on a trip with the one you love.
I am on my way to Bali, David at my side. We are currently in Tapei on a stopover.
Within six hours we will land on the dreamy lush tropical paradise where my designs are made by talented artisans.

The trip plan is to work on new designs, spend time with the artisans I work with there and also to work on the clean water project I started there two years ago, which is now getting additional support from Waterkeeper Alliance.

We also hope to catch a few waves!

Stay tuned for more!

Smiles from Taipei,

Donna

Sierra and Hailey Partridge’s Teach Surfing in Europe with O’Neill

donna — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 21:47:47 +0000

Betty Belts team rider Hailey Partridge shares with us her story and photos from her summer trip to Spain and Holland, where she and her twin sister Sierra and other O’Neill team riders taught surfing to hundreds of eager Eurogroms.

Sierra and I were given the opportunity to go on the trip of a lifetime this summer; both of us along with Joey Hutson, Chris Lynch and Travis Nicolet from Santa Cruz would fly to Holland and Spain to be surf instructors for the Oneill Surf Academy. The Surf Academy was started back in the 90â€™s by Richard Schmidt, Jay Moriarity and Robert â€œWingnutâ€ Weaver in conjunction with Oneill Europe. The â€œSurf Academyâ€ is a surf school that travels through a few countries in Europe every summer and teaches kids ages 6-16 how to surf. Since the program was started, very few girls were chosen to be instructors so it was a huge honor for Sierra and I to be a part of it.

After those three spectacular weeks in Europe I wasnâ€™t ready to leave at all. The trip had far exceeded my expectations and was way more than a trip of a lifetime. We met so many amazing people, got to surf some epic waves and most importantly we taught over 600 children how to surf for the very first time.

The gratification I felt after each day of teaching those kids was almost indescribable. Just seeing the smiles on their faces after they stood up on their very first wave was amazing. I was able to see firsthand how incredible it is to pass on the gift of surfing.
â€œThe journey has ended but the dream will never die.â€ -Chris Lynch (on the last day of the Surf Academy)

By Hailey Partridge, Betty Belts Team Rider