Drawing by Shelly Draven
Pansy Maiden is a company that creates fashionable, sustainable, cruelty-free bags. Laura Collins, creator of Pansy Maiden, was chosen as Vegan Mainstream’s September Exceptional Entrepreneur because of her ability to uphold her beliefs and standards while running a successful business. Laura currently runs Pansy Maiden out of a spare bedroom where she designs and creates her products personally and by hand. Laura recently talked with Vegan Mainstream about starting a small business, designing handbags, and maintaining ethical business standards.
Vegan Mainstream: How did you become interested in sewing and design work?
Laura Collins: I discovered the website Etsy.com, and I was working a job that I did not necessarily love. It was an administrative job that I thought would be a transition into a non-profit-type job where I could express creativity and help an organization. In a way I was having a mid-twenties crisis. So when I discovered Etsy.com and saw all the work that was going on there, it was really exciting. I used to hand sew a lot of bags in college so I decided to start selling hand-sewn bags on Etsy.com. I received good comments about the bags, and they were selling really well. The experience gave me confidence and encouragement, and I decided I was going to try my hand at being a handbag designer.
VM: When did you start Pansy Maiden?
LC: The idea started about 3 years ago. For the first year, I worked on research and development. I had to figure out what sort of direction I was going to take the company in and what sort of bags I was going to make. I also had to figure out how to sell the bags on the Internet. I made some connections at SCORE, which is run by the Small Business Administration. SCORE is a volunteer organization that connects new, small businesses with mentors from businesses that have been running for years. I also did a lot of sourcing materials and finishing designs. It was a test trial situation. I had no background in designing so I had to get things on paper and figure out how I was going to put together that particular design. Of course the first, second and third time never works so in the beginning I was making one design at least 10 times before I would get it right. I waited until I had all my designs ready and had a business plan. Then two years ago in March of 2009, I launched my first line.
VM: At what point did you decide to quit your day job?
Vegan Shoulder Bag in Chocolate Microsuede by Pansy Maiden
LC: I quit my day job just a few months after my first line launched. I still work a part time job at Massachusetts General Hospital as a floating admin, which is nice because it allows me to have some money coming in. Retail is generally up and down so during the slower times I can work more at my part time job. I knew there was no way I could grow my company and keep working full time.
VM: How did you come up with the name Pansy Maiden?
LC: Pansy Maiden was my grandmother. Pansy Maiden was her maiden name. I didn’t get to know her all that well because she passed away when I was 9 years old, and all my life she was in a nursing home. I did, however, hear a bunch of stories from my dad about my grandma and how she was very progressive even though she lived in the very small town of Thorntown, Indiana. Her name was always so interesting to me. When I was really little, I use to play pretend with dolls and had a fake restaurant called Pansy Maiden’s. Even when I was in high school, I wanted to create an all-female punk band called the Pansy Maiden’s, but that didn’t really work out. So when I wanted to create a business, it was just the first thing that came to mind, and I went with it.
VM: Tell me about the standards you uphold for your fabric sources?
LC: It is all vegan. I would love to use more and more organic and sustainable materials. The one hardship I face is that it’s hard for me to find vendors and distributors who will work with me because I can’t order a thousand yards of fabric at a time. Many vendors have a minimum order requirement. Fortunately, I have found a distributor who offers organic twill. So that is how I originally started out, with organic twill. It looks good, is very durable, and is vegan. Recently, I’ve gotten so many requests for vegan suede and vegan leather so I’m looking into getting the most sustainable faux suede I can. Unfortunately right now all my suede is 100 percent polyester. You can get polyester that is made with 70 per cent post-consumer materials, which is basically plastic bottles. Currently, I work with organic twill, denim and canvas, and I just introduced the faux suede this month. I also have a hemp tensel blend as well that I have gotten from a different distributor, and both distributors I buy from abide by fair trade standards. These standards ensure all the people who work at the mills for the fabric are paid a fair wage. They don’t work under dangerous working situations, and they have access to benefits like medical insurance. Purchasing from companies that uphold these standards is important for me. I’m cruelty-free for animals and cruelty-free for humans!
VM: What are your creative muses?
LC: I am definitely inspired by nature. What I loved about being in California for the San Francisco Vegan Expo was the fauna. Some of of the fauna have just beautiful leaves which makes me think from a design perspective about ruffles. These are definitely things I see, and store away for later. I’m not sure when they’ll come out or be used in my work. I also take into consideration feedback from my customers. I’m definitely a big bag lady. I tend to design bags that are big. Some customer feedback has shown that many customers prefer small bags. One thing that’s good about doing Indie fairs and markets is that I get direct feedback from people.
VM: You mentioned that you want to keep your business handmade, do you have plans of hiring employees or expanding in the future?
LC: Yes. I definitely do. Right now I’m working to the best of my ability. If I start to get busier, there’s no way I will be able to do this all on my own. During the holiday season, I do hire a few people to help me cut the fabric. I would like to have a larger shop in the future because right now I’m just in my back bedroom. Eventually I’d love to have a few people helping me.
VM: What are your interests outside of your work?
LC: I love to go camping and hiking. I have a dog so my husband and I love to take her out for walks. I used to do community theater, which I miss, but I just don’t have time right now.
VM: What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?
LC: Do your research and development. Definitely seek some sort of mentor who can help you figure out a business plan so you have a really good idea of where you want to go. I wish that I would have had a better idea of where I wanted to go. When I started to get busier, I didn’t know exactly where I was going so I felt lost. I joined some networking groups around Boston, and it was very helpful to have the support of people who had been through similar business experiences.
Also, be a storyteller. Buyers really want to connect with you as a a person. People want to hear the stories behind your process, be it your creative process or the stories behind the “process” of becoming a successful entrepreneur. And those stories will eventually lead to sells because the community you build around your stories really wants you to succeed!
