My name is Artina Slaughter and I am the designer and seamstress of MASHULU by Artina. In Swahili mashulu means "stitches". I am an ecclectic person at heart and I am inspired by many things. This is clearly represented in my line which ranges from wristlets, checkbook wallets, clutches, and shoulder bags. I also make crochet earrings and headbands. I eventually would like to start introducing belts and clothing items as well. I mainly use printed cotton fabrics and marine vinyl for a leather-look and to strengthen points that I think would wear out quickly. I like the marine vinyl because I don't feel so bad if I make a mistake, as it is not as expensive as leather. That also is appealing to many vegan shoppers.

I don't know if it's the most accurate marketing but my target audience is a mish mosh of folks! Sometimes I see fabric that makes me want to create something for punk rockers or skaters or goths...sometimes I want to make something for the more earthy or ethnic person. I have tried to keep one main audience in mind, but that's just not how my mind works. I am also in love with color and pattern so my designs are not for folks who don't want to get noticed! I like to think that what makes my bags special is my thought process. If I'm making a big bag, I want to put many compartments so that the customer doesn't have to dig around for things she would need to grab quickly. I also hate a floppy bag! I like to interline my bags so that they keep their shape.

As a fashion design student at Virginia Commonwealth University, I often found myself with chunks of fabric that were too small to make garments but too large for me to throw away. For no particular reason, I began making small purses out of the remnants. My roomate would offer to "model" them for me and I soon received a few orders like that. I didn't really realize that I had a nice little business opportunity at hand so I let it fizzle. I got started when a group of friends and I gathered annually a few days after Christmas to hang out and exchange hand made gifts. I would always make bags and after a while was strongly encouraged to start selling them. I made my first website and really tried my hand at it in 2006.

My most recent nightmare has got to be developing the handle for my HONEY style bag. I don't even want to think of the amount of materials I have wasted to get it just right, only to end up with a simpler construction that works perfectly!However, it's been said a million times, but seeing someone using one of my bags is so worth it. When people are in awe of how well my bags are made it makes me especially proud. I had a customer contact me for a custom order. One of my friends had boasted about me on a bridal website, that's how she was able to contact me. After she recieved her order, she wrote a long raving review about my process and about how she adored her finished product. The fact that someone would take the time to give me such an excellent review still makes me smile to this day!