It should come as no surprise that Gretchen Bauer—who was voted “Best Dressed” in high school and whose favorite pastime is poring over her collection of rare vintage Vogue magazines—would become the founder of a luxury handbag brand. Even so, the path to get there wasn’t obvious. After a decades-long career in interior design in Philadelphia, Bauer wanted something new. “I had lost my ‘why,’” she recalls. Then, in 2016, she met a family who had been making handbags in a Texas sweatshop. Inspired by their skill and frustrated by the lack of ethical craftsmanship standards in the U.S., Bauer began to collaborate with immigrant artisans in a creative approach to luxury handbag making. A decade later, BSWANKY has five local employees, an almost seven-figure annual revenue, and its bags can be found on Broadway, runways and major television shows, such as Killing It. This February, BSWANKY unveiled handbags for Christian Cowan—who has dressed Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Paris Hilton—and his collection at the New York Fashion Week runway.

Giving Back, Built In

The ‘B’ in BSWANKY stands for “be the difference.” During the pandemic, the team pivoted to producing masks for hospitals, first responders and local organizations. In the years since, they’ve helped raise more than $1.3 million for nonprofits through auctions. “Giving back leads to everything that matters,” Bauer says.

Collectors, Not Customers

Some BSWANKY customers commission deeply personal designs, like a wedding anniversary handbag inspired by Breakfast at Tiffany’s, complete with Tiffany blue alligator-embossed calfskin, vintage pearls and an engraved Audrey Hepburn quote. Bauer’s team has also crafted everything from a python pistol holder for an admiral at the Pentagon to a custom bike seat for a leader in NASA’s Coast Guard.

Appraisal Value

The bags are appraised by Graham Westbarger, an expert in the authentication of luxury goods, who has valued them as high as $20,000.

Handcrafted Luxury

Before joining BSWANKY, Oksana Ol (above, top) was part of an award-winning haute couture team out of Moscow that catered to celebrity clients. Brian Hilla-Barris (above, bottom) worked in the fashion world with renowned houses like Chanel and Longchamp before joining the team.

Bespoke Bags

The journey of each bag begins long before it reaches the atelier. It often starts with a hard-won discovery: a vintage crystal brooch from an international market, hand-stitched pearls lifted from decades-old garments and rare exotic animal skins that yield just a single piece. Pictured below: a custom bag made with a Bentley Continental bonnet emblem that’s encrusted in Swarovski crystals.

For more information, visit bswanky.com