When Toronto's Cynthia Villegas saw these bags on a trip to her native Lima, she simply had to have one. And she had a hunch lots of her Queen Street friends would want one too, so she decided to import them to Canada.
Designed by Peruvian artists Chivi Gonzales and Gabriella Hupiu, each of the purses, which come in dozens of colours, shapes and sizes, is crafted by hand from a durable felt-like material called "tapizon" in Spanish. These saucy clutches and handbags, which zip open and lie flat for easy packing, will have your friends clamouring to know where you got yours.
They're available at The Purple Thumb (1020 Queen St. West, in Toronto), a hip collective local designer shop specializing in hand-made, ethically produced, fair-trade products.
$43 to $45 at www.purseit.blogspot.com.
— Cecily Ross
