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Purse & Clutch
We choose to care how things are made.
Overview
| Founder | Jen Lewis |
| Industries |
E-commerce & Retail
Fashion
Sustainability
Entrepreneurship
Manufacturing
Nonprofit & Social Impact
Retail
|
| Website | http://www.purseandclutch.com |
| Social |
|
About
We believe that good fashion is as much about the maker as it is about the finished product. By working directly with artisans in India, Mexico & Ethiopia, we're producing thoughtfully designed & ethically made handbags to help end the cycle of poverty - to be a part of changing the fashion industry for good.
Our model is to pay our artisan partners upfront. We purchase the raw materials before production begins & then paid a mutually agreed upon fair wage for their time & craftsmanship so they don’t have to take on any risk of production. That way, too, they can count on consistent paychecks to support themselves & their families.
We offer our thoughtfully handmade handbags direct to consumer, wholesale, custom branded and through nonprofit partnership fundraisers. We invite anyone in our community to join us on our upcoming trip to Ethiopia to visit our artisans in Spring 2027!
Founding Story
In 2013, at Figure 8 Coffee in Austin, I had a meeting with a woman from Ethiopia who shared my vision for ethical fashion. We both needed to start small & grow slowly: her group of home-based leather workers needed consistent, small orders, and I wanted to design practical handbags that met my customers' needs.
This encounter sparked a beautiful partnership. Over the past decade, we’ve grown sustainably from a group of nine to 23 artisans and expanded our collaborations to include workshops in Mexico, India, and another partner in Ethiopia.
Last year, we proudly became a Certified B Corp!
Along the way as Purse & Clutch is growing, so has my family. It’s so important for me that my daughters see a woman running her own business from a place of strength while also being a present mom.
My 8 year old, Grey, loves coming to my studio in an incredible artist collective and sketching out her own handbag designs - when she’s not popping in & out of other artist studios, seeing beautiful examples of following your passion.
My 5 year old, Paige, spreads joy wherever she goes. She has Down syndrome & when I think about how one day I can create a job for her at my company if she wants it, my heart swells.
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