OUR STORY
Our story starts with our mom, Rosa—strong, independent, and passionate about fashion.
In her early twenties, she left home with a dream: to become a fashion designer and to support her younger brothers and sisters. She started out as a seamstress and tailor, even made her own sewing patterns, and did some modeling too. Rosa was on her way — chasing her dream one stitch at a time.
But in her thirties, everything changed. Rosa began struggling with mental illness, and it became too difficult for her to keep going in the fashion world. That chapter of her life came to a pause, but her love for style never faded.
Fashion was how our mom expressed herself. She didn’t teach us how to cook, but she did teach us how to sew. And no matter where she was going — the grocery store, the doctor, anywhere — she showed up in style: clothes perfectly put together, shoes and purse to match, makeup done, and sometimes even a wig (which was totally in back then!).
As little girls, we’d go into her closet where deep inside there was a wooden chest that held her patent-leather clutch purses. We’d seen them in old black-and-white photos of her modeling days. Holding those purses felt like holding a piece of her story. We’d dress up, imagine her younger days, and dream a little ourselves.
When we got older, our summers were spent in fabric stores — Beverly’s or Betty’s in downtown Santa Barbara. We’d flip through pattern books for hours, looking for the perfect one. Mom would help us choose the right fabric and all the little extras — thread, buttons, zippers. Then we’d head home, bags full, and spend the afternoon around our avocado-green kitchen table, preparing, pinning, sewing… sometimes late into the night.
Those memories became the foundation for Rosa Designs.
We started this to honor everything our mom passed down to us — not just her love for fashion, but her creativity, her resilience, and her care. Every purse we make is sewn by hand right here in California, with quality fabric and thoughtful touches.
We’re sisters, inspired by our mom, and we hope our purses become part of your story — something you’ll use for years, on days filled with meaning and joy. Maybe even something you’ll pass down one day, just like Rosa’s clutches.
With love,
Maria & Sylvia
We donate a portion of our proceeds to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), in honor of our mom and others living with mental health challenges.
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