Rachel Shelton makes eco-friendly bags and accessories as the owner of Sew Good and Trendy. She is also helping her daughters, Ella Rose, 2, and Sadie, 5, understand the importance of living green.
By Nicole Plegge
Forget the stereotype of the eco-friendly bag. Rachel Shelton has transformed reusable bags from dumpy and boring to stylish accessories for the fashion-forward and environmentally aware St. Louisan.
Shelton started Sew Good and Trendy, her line of bags, after noticing the market for fashionable totes and purses made from recycled materials was limited.
"It seemed like all I could find were canvas shopping bags," she remarked. "They weren't fun to use, they were very plain and half weren't even made from environmentally friendly fabrics."
Shelton began networking around St. Louis to find stylish recycled fabrics she could use to create chic, durable accessories that any professional woman would be thrilled to carry. Today, her tote bags, purses and other products are created from rescued textiles from Maryville University's Art and Design School and local upholstery businesses as well as from eco-friendly materials like bamboo and hemp.
"Recycling upholstery books and fabric samples is a cool way for businesses to be environmentally friendly and help me make something with beautiful materials that otherwise would be going in the Dumpster. Most people have received it very well - they're able to tell their clients they're making steps toward going green."
In addition, because many people often forget reusable bags when they head to the grocery store, Shelton includes coordinating shopping bags with many of her purses and totes. She and her husband also test-load the bags to ensure they're as durable as the company claims.
Shelton sells her designs at Home Eco at the Missouri Botanical Garden Gift Shop, on her Web site, www.sewgoodandtrendy.com, and on www.etsy.com. However, one of her strongest retail efforts - and one she recommends highly to other moms starting their own businesses - is one-on-one marketing at events throughout the area.
Since launching Sew Good and Trendy, she has been amazed at the number of green vendor opportunities and craft fairs in the region. The events she attends give her the opportunity to speak to potential customers about recycled materials and offer stylistas a chance to see and touch her reusable bags in person.
Sew Good and Trendy also ties together Shelton's love for sewing with her passion for teaching her two daughters - Sadie, 5, and Ella Rose, 2 - to become environmentally conscious adults.
"I really wanted to teach my kids how important it is to live green. If we start them young and show them how to make it their way of life, they will be able to make an enormous impact on our future."
By continuing to design her eco-friendly works of art and speaking about the importance of living green, Shelton is helping St. Louisans and others nationwide protect the environment around them while looking great doing so.
This story appears in the Fall issue of St. Louis Kids Magazine. For another story about a Mom Who Is Making It, click here
