On April 23, 2010, Verniese Lorielle Moore was given six months to live. She was told over the phone that “the biopsy came back as Lymphoma”. She was just two years into medical school and was now facing death. She described this period as the “toughest, yet the most purpose-defining time” in her life.
“It was at this point, that I learned the difference between truth and facts,” she said to Bold Journey Magazine. “The fact was ‘I had stage 3 cancer’. The truth I accepted was ‘I am going to live.’ Growing up as a Christian, I was taught about healing and miracles. It was the only force in my life that I heard of, that promised a supernatural manifestation in the natural realm.”
After an intense chemotherapy regimen and an adjusted schedule in medical school to cater to her new health challenge, she was ultimately declared cancer-free in August of 2015. This victory was also thanks to her faith, persistence and optimism.
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“My healing journey really defined and made my purpose as a physician clear. It has given me great empathy, compassion, and love for my patients,” she said of becoming a physician after her health challenge.
Recently, while still practicing medicine, she decided to pursue her passion and love for handbags. Moore explained in December 2023 that she had spearheaded a highly specialized team of industry leaders who were creating a luxury handbag line in Italy to be launched soon.
“Given its reputation for excellent craftsmanship, quality, and exclusivity, I decided to manufacture Vie Lorie’s handbags in Italy which often gives luxury products an automatic credibility in the fashion industry,” she told Canvas Rebel. “My journey took me to the artistic talents of Florence, Italy where I visited several factories to explore the detailed process and precision in luxury handbag creation.
“With the assistance of an Italian luxury product consulting agency and a great designer, who has designed for several mega brands, I carefully chose the most elite factories to manufacture the various details of each Vie Lorie bag based on their craft specialty,” she said.
“We are creating a brand where women feel empowered, sophisticated, accomplished, and sexy while donning our bags,” she indicated ahead of the launch of her luxury handbag brand, VIE LORIE.
“We are driven by the mission statement ‘To Ignite Women Through Purpose, Passion, Beauty, and Fashion.’ The name of the brand is VIE LORIE which was derived from my name Verniese Lorielle. This name has a powerful meaning that truly defines many pivotal events in my personal and professional life and is uniquely tied to my desire to empower women. The ‘VIE’ means Life in French and ‘LORIE’ means Laurel or sweet bay tree, which is the symbol for Victory,” Moore explained.
Now, just six months after the launch of VIE LORIE, Moore will make her New York Fashion Week debut this September.
This achievement is rare, considering the fact that most designers take years to get to this level. Brown has done it in six months without big corporate backing or traditional advertising. Since its launch in February 2025, the brand has been flourishing largely thanks to word-of-mouth marketing, and today, Moore has built a loyal client base through personal connections, with most of her clients being style insiders and celebrities like Cynthia Erivo, Black Enterprise reported.
Each bag from her debut “Tryumph Collection” features “ethically-sourced crocodile-embossed leather and bespoke hardware.” Every purchase comes with the brand’s signature laurel wreath charm—a mark of distinction and personal triumph.
At the New York Fashion Week in September, Moore will unveil VIE LORIE’s newest collection, where every bag will tell a story of victory and dreams realized.
“This is more than a show; it’s a statement,” Moore said, according to Black Enterprise. “As a Black woman designing in the luxury space, I want to show that we can create at the highest level without compromise—and that our stories belong on the biggest stages.”
