Purse for the People

What are the most important issues facing modern generations? This is what I find myself asking after watching your YouTube feed. And especially the Millennials, your generation, because 1. You have seriously felt the negative impacts of some of the previous generation’s decisions and mindset and 2. Your generation is the first to have the technology to solve some the most difficult issues plaguing the planet.

This very same question is where my journey began when Purse for the People was incubating. I had no idea what I was creating but I knew that this was the most important question we face. How do we not let this golden moment in history slip by? The conversation inside my head went kind of like this: “OK so we have reached the point in our technological advancement that we truly possess the ability to solve every problem that faces us today. How then can I best be part of this golden moment and how can I make the greatest impact with my singular life. So from this big picture view I knew I would have to get very specific to move forward, which was really a lot of work, but after enormous amounts of research and contemplation my conclusion was that business was the greatest force for change on the planet. (in both good and bad ways)

I soon realized that my idea was not exactly an original one. Embarrassing awkward moment, but I began to engage with the conscious capitalism / sustainable business / social entrepreneur movement and that’s the place from which Purse for the People was created. For me our business is most importantly a platform to promote a way of doing business that nurtures the planet and its people and research has shown that doing business this way is more profitable over the long term.

Our Tagline:Made in the USA, Sourced From Mother Earth, Designed by You

1. Designed by you: This is kind of like build a bear only with a purse online. Why is this important? Because it means we only make what customers buy, conserving resources, inputs and maximizing efficiency. There are entire books written about this manufacturing process known as “Mass Customization” Plus it’s a way for customers to get what they really want and be the source of the creative process. Customers who don’t want to design their own bag can select someone else’s design from our crowdsourcing platform.

2. Sourced from Mother Earth: The outer portion of the bag is rattan, a wild growing species of climbing palm from the rainforest. The beautiful thing about this is that the trees must be present in order for the palm to grow. We are working with the Rainforest Alliance to promote sustainable management of the forest, and promotion of the rattan industry as an indirect way of insuring forests are left standing. In Indonesia this industry is thousands of years old and traditionally performed in sustainable ways.

3. Made in the USA: The outer rattan body is imported and the remainder of the handbag is constructed locally. My hometown, Butte, Montana like many others, Detroit, New Orleans, Baltimore: all with issues of what technically has been identified as Urban Blight. You may get a picture of what this means but for me it’s an opportunity to do better, creating local jobs, a better economy and pride in making high quality handmade US products.

Our campaign on Indiegogo is about connecting with transformational movers and shakers who want to see their purchases make a difference ie Millennials. Here’s our link.