In The Land of Muses, Clare V.

I remember when I first met Clare. It was in a Steven Alan store years ago between kid one and kid two. I was looking for a stylish purse that could carry a lot of my Mommy and Mara things without looking too weighed down. I also needed something light because I had been lugging around baby bags for a while, and the freedom to be chic but prepared and not too burdened was the order of the day. And therein that store on that day when I had a babysitter, I met a part of Clare in the form of the perfect purse.

I later learned that Clare started her company out of necessity. As a writer, she could not find the bag she longed for— something stylish but also not so heavy, given she needed to lug around her writing essentials to wherever she needed to be. We understood each other so well even before officially meeting. Her ethos allowed me to live my own beautifully efficient life.

And now, ten stores later and a successful brand that disrupted the luxury purse market with a more reasonably priced luxury, she has written her own story of success. And as a female founder and owner of her brand, she is doing so with a big heart, intentionally hiring a lot of dynamic women and partnering with other female founder brands to help expand her company.

That is what inspires me most about Clare — she writes her journey on this thing called life as a woman, a mother, a wife, a businesswoman, a philanthropist, an activist, and a friend. She is someone that leads by heart’s desire and folds her whole life into itself and enjoys it.