This week marks 2 years since we got the first @be.samara samples! When I got the first bag made, it wasn’t with the intention to start a company - it was because I personally couldn’t find a handbag that I liked, that was sustainably made, simple, elegant, minimalist and affordable. I looked online and in stores, and found no luck. I wore the handbag to a conference a few weeks later and a few people asked me where I got it from. I then realized that other people were in the same boat as me.
We started with a tiny production run of 10 pieces, and sold out within the first two days. Then, we ordered 25 pieces of each colour, and spent that Christmas packing and shipping over 200 boxes out of my friend’s apartment in LA.
I think it’s always nice to reflect on what’s changed and the people who’ve literally held us up. We started SAMARA with $500 and are still as resourceful and spend as little money as we did when we first started. We still place small orders and test every design to no end. We’ve been to Asia twice and we outgrew our first small factory, but we still produce what we can with them. We also started working with two more factories that are incredible and that work with some brands that we really look up to! We’ve worked with some amazing individuals and companies. We still turn our apartment in Toronto into a warehouse on a regular basis. My sister Samara joined me and has brought so much more love and conviction into building this. Today, we just completed a production run of 50,000 bags. We had no idea how we would do this, but we did. We made bags out of apples and we’re only getting started.
As I was questioning purpose the other day, I was told that purpose is built. Every day, we get more obsessed with building something that matters, that will create a change in fashion, and that will light up lives with @thesoularbackpack . Thank you for being a part of us ✨