My friend Nathalie Waldman recently started making and selling hand-made leather purses that were inspired by her Dene heritage - she is a member of the Dene First Nation Dogrib Tribe located in the Northwest Territories. Her bags are embellished with long flowing fringes, beaded rosettes, and fasteners made of silver, bone, and shell. Most of the purses have adjustable straps that can be detached, allowing the purse to be hooked to the belt loops on your jeans. They come in colors ranging from very bold (hot pink, turquoise, and purple), to more subdued or natural hues (such as tan, white, brown, and black).
You can find her purses in boutiques throughout Santa Fe, and she launched her first full collection at the 2010 Santa Fe Indian Market last August.
(Me and my friends Alisse Ali and Amber-Dawn Bear Robe try on some of Nathalie's purses.)
You can also find her purses online at the Keshi online store.
