The Charleston Carry Story
Oh my goodness.... where do we begin to explain how all of this started? A wedding, a search, an idea, an inspiration, a sketch, a raw prototype, (sewn on a sewing machine we got from Santa Claus in 1979), a bit more research, a name and many logo doodles later, we were officially on our way to creating something very special.
Here's how it all started... Two Sisters, best friends… twins in taste…daughters of design. .. Two Weddings, and a search for
... the Perfect Heirloom Wedding Purse...
Charleston Carry started as pure and unexpected as a simple sketch of a wedding purse design for a “Sweetgrass & Seersucker Wedding” in the Lowcountry.
The first sister unfortunately never found the perfect wedding purse to reflect her Island wedding. By the time a date was set for the second sister’s Lowcountry wedding, they were both knee deep in sketches of designs.
The Bride wanted to capture the beauty and heritage of the Lowcountry and Charleston proper (her fiancé’s birthplace), while also including her love of all things Southern.
The Bride chose sweetgrass to represent the heritage of Charleston and her groom and married this sweet detail to her love of seersucker, linen and pearls.
The petite Southern purselets were also hand stitched for the bride’s flower girls that she affectionately referred to as her darling Wedding Belles.
The next quest - finding authentic artisans at the famous “Charleston City Market” and along the “Sweetgrass Corridor” of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina to weave their sketched bangle design.
The design collaboration ultimately developed into an heirloom quality reversible wedding purse that would gracefully accompany a Southern bride from the Wedding Aisle to the Honeymoon Isle of her dreams.
The perfect name for this purse? The Aisle to Isle™ Heirloom Wedding Purse.
The design process quickly evolved, gathering local favor as The Original Southern Social Purse™ and officially launched on National Seersucker Day as Charleston Carry™.
The beauty and heritage of the Lowcountry are reflected in the Aisle to Isle™, The Wedding Belle™, The Southern Sipper™ and The Soirée Sipper™ purse designs.
The purses are adorned with sweetgrass handles hand-sewn by the Gullah artisans from the markets of the Lowcountry, the same artisans who hand-sew the iconic Sweetgrass baskets that have become highly sought after objects of art. 100% of the proceeds from the sweetgrass handles go directly to these artisans to continue to nurture this heirloom art form.
We wanted a way to celebrate the handicraft and cultural heritage of these artisans while encompassing the beauty and charm of the Lowcountry. With this inspiration, Charleston Carry was created.
Other features of Charleston Carry purses include, Dupioni hand beaded scattered pearl silk, classic Southern seersucker, and Belgian linen tailoring accented by vintage-inspired baguette buttons.
Charleston Carry purses are perfectly poised for popular Southern occasions, sunset sails along The Battery, and cobblestone shopping strolls in the city. Just to name a few...
"Charleston Carry social occasion purses allow you to keep your hands free for more important things like hugs, cocktails and conversation perfectly poised for popular Southern occasions, sunset sails along The Battery, and cobblestone shopping strolls in the city. Just to name a few..."