Fair Fashion

Shara Porter Hand Printed and Vintage Bags and Clutches

sp3

Shara Porter gives new life to vintage accessories. Under her eponymous company, the designer makes her mark in “hand-printed fine found objects.”

I visited Shara Porter’s booth at the Union Square Holiday Market this past Saturday while doing some Christmas shopping and a gorgeous navy blue vegan bag caught my eye. So I selfishly decided I’d indulge in a pre-Christmas gift for myself. I’m not feeling so bad about the purchase because it looks like I’m not alone.

The National Retail Federation, the dispenser of all holiday-­related data, said that in 2012, nearly 60 percent of shoppers would engage in the practice. 

See. There’s no shame in self-gifting. The only thing really up for debate while I was making this purchase for myself was what stamped object I wanted on this beautiful vegan Shara Porter bag. After mulling over either a honeybee or an anchor for far too long, I went with the bee. (I have a newfound appreciation for honeybees after my experience beekeeping this summer and thought the bag would serve as a lovely reminder.)

sp bee bag
My new, vegan Shara Porter bag in navy blue.

“I have always liked finding discarded items and seeing their potential with some sort of alteration,” Porter told Ecouterre. “I love the hunt—and rescuing items that have been passed along.”

Union Square Holiday Market 2012: Shara Porter
At the Union Square Holiday Market.

Visit Shara Porter at the Union Square market or find their bags of all sizes and styles, wallets, clutches, coin purses, and passport holders at select stores throughout the country.

sp2

sp4

sp1

Lindsay has spent her career at the intersection of media and social change. In her role at Eco-Chick, Lindsay has established partnerships and campaigns with some of the world’s most-recognized companies committed to sustainability and CSR. She co-created the popular interview series “Heroines for the Planet” that features groundbreaking women who share courage and a deep passion for protecting people and the Earth. Lindsay is the Marketing and Sustainability Manager at Health-Ade Kombucha and previously served as Director of Communications at the social enterprise CBS EcoMedia. There she directed corporate advertising dollars to the nation’s most effective non-profits tackling urgent social issues in local communities and was awarded CBS Corporation’s prestigious Share-the-Vision award. She has written for Whole Living Magazine, Edible, Cottages & Gardens, From The Grapevine, EarthHour.org, Eco-Age.com, and for environmentalists Laura Turner Seydel and Susan Rockefeller. Lindsay holds a BS in Global Business Studies and Marketing from Manhattan College, and received the 2012 Honors Award at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.