Laura Collins is living the dream - that is, if your dream is working extremely hard to manufacture and promote a vegan sustainable brand. (Also if your dream is to pet a donkey). Pansy Maiden was her grandmother's name, but now graces her line of handbags. She personally crafts all of the bags in Medford, MA. 

Despite having spent the weekend jetsetting to Chicago for a large vegan festival, she was more than happy to give me the morning to grill her with questions. We were meeting sight unseen, but having perused the Pansy Maiden collection, I figured I would know her by her handbag. (This method totally worked and may be a good basis for making friends in general.) I began by asking her how she got her start in the labor intensive business of independent handbag design.

Laura: I made a couple of bags in college - I hand-sewed them, I didn't have a sewing machine - just because I couldn't find a bag that I liked. So I went to Goodwill and found one of those 70s embroidered denim shirts, so I just cut it up, kept the embroidery and some of the pockets, moved them around, and designed my own bag that way. But that's the only experience I really had. I'm totally self-taught.

Proxy: When I was in college, I didn't want to get rid of my favorite pair of jeans, so I made it into a bag, but it did not look as good as yours.

Laura: My first ones didn't look like mine do now. Everything takes practice.

Proxy: So is it just you making the bags right now?

Laura: Right now it's just me. I have someone on standby to help me when I get a rush, like around the holidays, but right now it's just me.

Proxy: And you're just selling through your website?

Laura: I'm selling through my website. I'm going to start wholesaling around 2012, I'm all set up and ready for that. I'm actually going to approach a few shops before the holidays. I've realized that for my business to be sustainable to me, sustainable to my sanity, sustainable for trying to build a family, I need to diversify my income. I'm going to keep on selling through my website, but I'm trying to get into wholesale, trying to get into boutiques. Wholesale is nice because you just make it, and you ship it out, and it's done. You just put a link to the shop on your website.

Proxy: How long does it take you to make your bags?

Laura: It's hard to quantify it, because so much more goes into it besides the actual construction. Because with my 100% twill fabric, I wash it first, than iron it, then I cut it, then I re-measure it, then I cut it again. And then also how long it took me to design the actual design. Now construction varies between two hours and five hours at this point. And that is because I've got it down to a process. I don't usually make just one at a time, I usually make, like, five at a time, and do the whole production line kind of thing. So that brings down the time a little bit for each individual bag. It takes awhile.

Proxy: The manufacturing part seems to be where most people drop off when they're trying to expand.

Laura: You know, I'm always going to keep Pansy Maiden made in the U.S. I haven't decided for sure, once I busier, if I'm going to hire people to work out of my own studio, or if I'm going to send it to, like, the garment district in New York, or somewhere here in Massachusetts. I haven't done the research for that. And also, it's hard to give that up too, because I have total quality control over the bags.  And so it's hard to trust someone...

Proxy: You're putting your name on it.

Laura: Are you going to make this right? If someone puts this in the machine is it going to stay intact for years and years? That's why so much goes into trying to figure out a manufacturing route. And also, sourcing the proper materials and getting those materials to the person who is manufacturing. That's a whole new ball game that I haven't delved into yet.

Proxy: I'm curious, how does your vegan leather wear?

Laura: It wears really well. Actually, you can touch it (pulls out her purse), it's really buttery soft. And it's not made with vinyl. You know how vinyl can crack if it gets wet or too cold? So there's no vinyl in it. It's polyurethane, which is PVC free, and there are no toxic chemicals. Actually, the adhesive that is used is totally recyclable.

Proxy: How long have you been carrying that one?

Laura: I've actually been carrying this one just a few months, the vegan leather is still new too me. [Ed note: The bag still looks brand new. That vegan leather seems like good stuff.]

Proxy: And you also use waxed canvas?

Laura: That's new too. The waxed canvas and the leather are what I'm going to try to wholesale, so I wanted to use really luxe fabrics. And also it's really durable and I can say a lot of good things about it. Because when you're thinking about sustainability, you also have to think about how long the bag is going to last for somebody. Because you don't want to think that it's going to get a hole in it, and someone is just going to throw it away. You want to think in terms of slow fashion, of things that are going to last a long time, and even not to get too trendy with it either, something that goes season to season.

Proxy: How many different styles of bags do you have now?

Laura: I think right now there are nine or ten. I'm always experimenting with a couple other different styles that I'll make available at shows, just to see how they go over, and to hear people's impressions of them. I usually have a few smaller bags that I don't offer on my site at shows.

"When you're thinking about sustainability, you also have to think about how long the bag is going to last for somebody. Because you don't want to think that it's going to get a hole in it, and someone is just going to throw it away. You want to think in terms of slow fashion."

Proxy: That's good to know. Do you have any shows coming up in Boston?

Laura: Actually I do, I have the Bazaar Bizarre the first Sunday in December at the Cyclorama, December 4th.. And that's a really, really good show. It's juried, so it's only the top crafters, and it's 70-75% local people, and then there are some people who come from far away because it''s such a good show. It's a really good place to get your Christmas gifts, or a wish list. Grab an artist's card and give it to your boyfriend. I'm also doing SoWA Holiday Market on December 10th. I've never done that show, so I'm not sure what to expect, but I hear it's a really good, busy show. I also wanted to mention that at my shows I offer artist direct pricing on my waxed canvas and faux leather things, so everything is marked down by 30%.

Proxy: Did you have any business experience before you started this whole handbag venture?

Laura: No, none. First of all, I think I have a really good intuition, and second of all, I think I really believe in myself, because you have to believe in yourself, otherwise no one else will. So, it's a combination of going with my gut, and doing a lot of research. I did a lot of research at the beginning on different websites and forums. I sought advice from people who were already doing it.

Proxy: Would you have any advice for people who want to start their own small business?

Laura: Believe in yourself, and be totally confident in what you're doing, do a lot of research. Also, don't expect results right away. It takes a long time to build a following and figure things out, it takes at least two to three years. And have a strong online presence. Social media, marketing, is really important. But you don't have to be everywhere. You just have to pick one or two, and focus on it. 

P.S. If you are interested in purchasing one of Laura's bags anytime soon, be sure to sign up for her newsletter. She's sending out some exclusive holiday deals very, very soon! It's also a great way to find out about her upcoming shows.