According to Sarah Jessica Parker, the next big devices designer isn’t in Paris, New York, or Milan, however on Etsy. Her name is Maria Gabriela Duque and her cactus leather convertible Emma Bag just won the 2023 Etsy Design Award Grand Prize. Selecting a single piece from thousands of entries was no small feat, however in a sea of artisanal devices, Duque’s bag stuck out to Parker.
” I tend to move toward vintage, which is why someone like Maria is exciting,” she specifically tells InStyle. “The design is ingenious. It doesn’t look like other things.”
Duque’s piece– which can be used as a belt, crossbody, or top-handle bag– hit every box on her individual devices checklist. Parker also included that she does not like to see “a lot of stuff” on bags. “Maria’s bag is truly clean.
As a former electrical engineer turned independent designer, Duque blends technical prowess with imaginative vision and sustainability. According to Parker, it was this unique approach that assisted Duque cinch the $25,000 Grand Prize.
” The technical parts that make a bag functional are extremely essential. Anyone that’s moving from engineering to become a self-taught designer [will understand] creating shape, size, and volume,” she says. “But to have such an imaginative part of her artistry be so evident, the 2 aren’t always suitable. She does every thing herself, which is a substantial undertaking. The method she works, what’s important to her, the occupants of sustainability– it’s engaging.”
Etsy Trend Expert Dayna Isom Johnson, who judged this year’s Etsy Design Awards together with Parker, agrees completely. “What I enjoy most about this bag is how flexible it is,” she informs InStyle. “From using it with the chain as a crossbody for a night out, converting it into a belt bag to dress up your jeans, and even simply wearing it on your wrist, this bag has limitless options.”
Like Parker, Johnson also appreciated that sustainability was front of mind for Duque. “Vegan leather is undoubtedly the direction fashion is moving into [and] what I value a lot about Maria Gabriela Duque’s approach to her work is she’s guaranteeing her consumers comprehend the whole lifecycle of her pieces, which is a trend that never heads out of design.”
Throughout her education and career in engineering, style has never ever been far from Duque’s mind. Fast-forward to today and Duque is still making functional, gorgeous pieces by hand.
In the case of the Emma Bag, Duque wanted to produce something non-traditional. “I found an old wood bracelet of mine that was a crucial element to release the style,” she states. Other crucial aspects included sustainable products and visual references to the natural world.
Duque was able to purchase just a few lawns of cactus leather in a shade of green that satisfied her requirements, however still wasn’t rather satisfied. “I felt [the green] wasn’t enough so I added the shape of the leaves. It was one of the things that took the longest to define,” she shares. Nevertheless, it just took two models, constructed in about a week, before Duque had the last Emma Bag in her hands.
Even after sending to the Etsy Design Awards, Duque says she “never ever envisioned” she would win. “I had actually lost hope [in] my shop. Being an immigrant, a single mother, and a small business owner has not been simple,” the designer states.
The predicament of small business owners who not only market and offer, but handcraft their items by hand, is something the Etsy Design Award seeks to reduce by highlighting the very best that Etsy’s craftsmens have to provide. The strength of these developers was something that resonated with Parker.
” As a business owner, it’s simply truly difficult. It’s actually hard each and every single day and I have a decent quantity of facilities,” she states. “I was so satisfied at how many gifted people are producing organizations by themselves. Among the very best parts of this entire experience was finding unique and gifted, ingenious people producing companies that are particular and inspired.”
