Wendy Stevens (USA)

WENDY STEVENS began designing handbags in 1983 "as a process of survival and experimentation.” New to New York, she began exploring her artistic potential, which she found in the very substance of the city. "I hunted through endless available materials on Canal Street, in hardware stores, and in the industrial venues of the city," she explains. "Then came the hand tools: punching holes, cutting, sanding sheet metal in my apartment by day and working in a nightclub by night, where I noticed an enormous need for small, durable handbags - just big enough to fit some change, a driver's license and lipstick." That was the genesis of Wendy’s first metal handbags. She continues to make each piece by hand, with the help of a small staff. And just when you thought Wendy has exhausted all possible combinations of materials and designs, she surprises you with yet another new one. The originality of her work has garnered attention in top fashion and design magazines around the world.