With so many cause related Kickstarter campaigns, it's easy to get lost in the sea of well intended entrepreneurs, all with their claims to change the world one retail product at a time. However, every so often, you might stumble upon a cause that resonates in a slightly more personal way and is connected to a cause that may not often be associated with retail give-back campaigns.
A brand new campaign has just launched this summer from Arizona based company Soul Carrier with a new line of leather, handmade handbags with the goal of bringing awareness of conscious fashion to the forefront of handbag design. These Southwest inspired designs featured cowhide and brown leather finishes, seemingly appropriate for a fashion startup coming out of the Southwest.
Soul Carrier's new Kickstarter campaign highlights the designer's connection to her local community with a give back campaign tied to helping Crisis Nursery, a local children's shelter in Phoenix, Arizona.The cause for these stylish bags is even more personal for founder Jennifer Boonlorn who lost her parents in a car accident as a child and wants to bring attention to this worthy organization. Crisis Nursery is an organization that provides shelter, foster care and more to countless at risk children in the Phoenix area.
Soul Carrier is a great example of an American Kickstarter campaign with plans to support their hometown and within it, their local community in need. Sometimes it is the companies with a commitment to small but deeply impactful change at the local level that deserves our dollars of support.
Another Kickstarter recently launched takes an entirely different view on the power of a handbag to change lives. Graphic designer Monica Vesci is an emerging handbag designer on Kickstarter living with Diabetes Type 1. Unable to reconcile the challenges of maintaining her daily diabetes routine with her bottomless purses and fast, on the go lifestyle, she decided enough was enough and began reimagining a handbag that would meet the needs of diabetic women. Surely, women living with diabetes deserve the chance to manage their health, incorporating fashion, discretion, and keep those insulin needles organized. The concept here is simply brilliant.
After multiple drafts and designs created with the help of her manufacturers, Monica created the Camino Clutch; a stylish and colorful clutch made in the United States. This ladies' purse is specifically designed for women living with diabetes and has all the bells and whistles to prove it. The clutch truly innovates with unique pockets and features enabling diabetic women to dispose of their used sharps and strips safely and discreetly. The bag is designed to carry all necessary supplies, store trash, and also have enough room for your iPhone and credit cards.
According to Monica Vesci's website, the bag takes into account for "insulin pens, needles, syringes, lancing supplies, test strips, glucose meters, extra batteries..." and so many more daily necessities that your typical handbag designer is not taking into account for the millions of women living with diabetes.
The Camino Clutch is probably one of the most stylish fashion clutches on Kickstarter right now with it's bright, multicolored body and smart black flap, while it's function and purpose is even more impressive with the potential to impact the lives of millions of women living with diabetes who struggle to balance their health needs with the demands of daily life.
Both Soul Carrier and the Camino Clutch are newly launched Kickstarter campaigns which have not yet reached their Kickstarter goals but have great promise. Their unique paths for making an impact on local children in need and women living with diabetes are worth a look-over for Kickstarter enthusiasts looking to change the way we think about carrying change.
Elana Joelle Hendler is a creative entrepreneur and founder of EJH Brand, an eco-luxury candle and home decor company based in Los Angeles. Follow her on Instagram @elanajoelle