INFLUENCER: Meet Beloved City Handbag Designer Kent Stetson

What drew you to creating handbags?

I was showing artwork in galleries and cafés in town, but in the meantime, while I was at Brown and after graduation, I worked at a shoe store in Wayland Square. The store had a few brands of artistic handbags which I was pretty good at selling. I inspected the pieces and realized that I could put my own handmade and fashion-forward spin on what those bags offered. The first pieces I made sold immediately and I continued to make and sell the bags at the store. Interestingly, my small company has lasted longer than any of these other brands, which are all now defunct. I liked the freedom that bags gave me to lean into the fun aspects of creating something.

You’re always creating new concepts. Where does your inspiration come from?

Inspiration has always stemmed from the practical reality that we have to make a living. I have a well-defined commercial product that has sustained itself because it can be translated infinitely.  As long as there are things that people care about, I will have a business focused on channeling those things into a dressy fashion accent. That said, I am an artist at the core of this enterprise. Because of my need to create and surprise, I play on the side with things that challenge conceptions, like my runway shows at StyleWeek, which have earned a reputation for being a little bonkers. 

Rhode Island themes often make an appearance in your work, does the state play a role in your design process?

We inherently identify with the David vs. Goliath story, being from the smallest state. Rhode Island cheers on the things that land us recognition beyond our borders. That has and always will be what gives me an edge in the gauntlet of making my work successful. Listen, The Real Housewives of Rhode Island is coming, a show that often challenges this idea of being “ladylike” and behaving. While I don’t like the thought of people being exploited for their personal tragedies, I do think this franchise presents a huge opportunity for a lens to show what makes our state deliciously scrappy.

What do you like to do during your downtime?

When I’m not dialed in, I enjoy being at home and puttering in the yard, spinning my legs on the bike until I forget what I was thinking about, and cooking fabulous meals with my very understanding and loving husband, Luis. That said, Pretty Snake on Brooke Street is a glimpse into the brilliant and zany mind of Joe Segal, a Rhode Island treasure of a designer who has a billion-dollar vision in a very modest farm-to-table version of Urban Outfitters. Track 15 is the latest dining sensation where the old guard and new kids on the block show off in a culinary casserole of options. For a moment of zen, Swan Point Cemetery is my go-to; I love everybody there, LOL! It’s also a reminder that we are here for our time, which isn’t forever. Learn more at KentStetson.com