I am a fashion designer, educated in NYC at the Fashion Institute of Technology and I spent many years in NYC as a designer as well as a model. I also have a degree in Film and TV from NYU and have spent many years on film sets. I dressed John Mellencamp for his only feature film starring role. I have a little 6.5 pond Maltese dog named Fellini who is the motivation behind the BagPack. My BagPack line is available in a few stores and online as well. I am currently researching sustainable fabrics and working on a GirlBackPack with laptops in mind in a non-porous fabric such as nylon or vinyl.

I use cotton duck material for its strength. I like to use bright colors and theme fabrics, like camo. There are no cute fanny-packs on the market that girls would want to wear for fun. My target audience is young 12-70 and hip and very fashion savvy. They are also interested in the environment and most things in life.

I walked out of my house one day with Fellini, my dog and had on a pair of pants with no pockets and a t-shirt. I had the keys in one hand and the dog in the other. My dog is very energetic and pulled me, as he usually does, this way and that on our walk. I went to a coffee shop called Stumptown, near my house and got a cup of coffee. As we were walking back home and I was unsuccessfully trying to hold and drink from my coffee cup, holding money and a set of keys in one hand and the dog leash in the other I realized I did not have a wallet with no need for hands and that I would really like one. So I sketched the BagPack and made a few samples.

Only the "coolest" stores in Portland want to carry it! The small stores with more conservative merchandise are just not interested! At first I was disappointed to find that not EVERY small store in town wanted it but I quickly realized that was a really great thing. The stores I REALLY LIKED myself liked it.

I never really had a design nightmare with my bags although my dog Fellini does like to chew on my pattern paper! My greatest achievement has been sending out samples to worldwide editors and figuring out the packaging was lots of fun! Also the first time I wore a sample bag and a girl stopped me on the street in Portland, around the corner from Stumptown coffee asking "Where did you get that cute fanny-pack?" I was so excited! My greatest achievement was getting it into stores in Portland. It was hard to face possible rejection but it taught me to be fearless. It is all worth it because I can see the creativity in it and others can too. Also there is always another bag around the corner to discover. Just like shoes girls love bags, I love designing things people enjoy wearing. My line of custom womenswear available on modernvictorian.com has always had a large internet audience and I hope the same for my BagPack line. I am an artist first and then a businesswoman. I can see the day when people will be wearing them all over the world! My cousin said she had a dream where it was being worn all over Europe, that made me really happy!!!! Dreams CAN come true!