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PETIONVILLE, Haiti -- Lured by the hand-sewn gold sequins with hints of red and green, and the warm hues of brown and orange hanging off a stranger's arm, the stylishly dressed woman with the closely cropped hair plowed through the crowded hotel lobby like an entranced fashionista hot after a must-have.
``Is that? Is that . . . a Vè Vè?'' she asks, her voice tinged with a bit of uncertainty as if her curiosity could no longer withstand the suspense.
The Vè Vè handbag is more than a glittery fashion statement. Inspired by Haitian Vodou designs, it's an emblem of identity in the shape and scale of an open Birkin bag that is quickly making a name for itself and its Haiti-born designer.
``This is a good everyday bag,'' Phelicia Dell, 38, says modestly, about her traditional yet modern handbags, which retail between $70 and $120, and are winning accolades in and out of Haiti.
With bags large enough to carry to the market but sophisticated enough for an evening on the town, Dell's Vè Vè Collections (CollectionVeve.com) has become a statement of the ingenuity and creativity of Haitian artisans.
Her own journey from struggling artist to sought-after handbag designer in just four years is itself a story about life after tragedy, and about what women in poor countries can do once empowered.
Earlier this year, Dell was selected as the best emerging handbag designer after winning the Diane von Furstenberg global handbag design competition.
An American fashion icon best known as the creator of the ever-popular hip-hugging wrap dress, von Furstenberg asked thousands of women to create a bag reflective of their country's local traditions, based on identical patterns. She launched it through Vital Voices Global Partnership's artisan program. The nongovernmental organization, co-founded in 1997 by then first lady Hillary Clinton, works to empower women in 120 countries.
``Each bag is made by hand,'' von Furstenberg told The Miami Herald, ``and I think that makes each piece have a special emotional connection to its origins.''
Von Furstenberg said Dell's winning design, a handcrafted clutch in a neutral tone with a painted design paying tribute to the love and strength of Haitian women, was modern but true to Haitian traditions.
``She was able to perceive and translate the directions of our design team and that she showed a great attention to detail and was involved in the whole process are all important qualities for a designer to possess,'' von Furstenberg said.
Dell, who first competed among Haitian designers to represent her Caribbean homeland before beating out women from Guatemala, Nigeria and Cambodia, still is wowed by the fact that von Furstenberg ``fell in love with the design.''
``It feels good to have somebody recognize your work,'' says Dell. ``It helps me understand that I need to help others through my own work. I feel a bigger sense of responsibility.''
That need to help others has taken Dell from being a one-woman designer to an employer of 13 artisans who help craft her bags ``from soul by hand.'' Though she often seeks inspiration from Haiti's Vodou culture, some bags are inspired by love and nature.............See More
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