Island Style
Born out of wanting to make a larger change, Rebecca Stirm’s bags are also a celebration of Belize at its best.
Born out of wanting to make a larger change, Rebecca Stirm’s bags are also a celebration of Belize at its best.
Belizean Rebecca Stirm has gone from designing wedding dresses to making burlap bags with bananas on them — and she couldn’t be happier. Here’s the story of how one woman found her purpose and is promoting sustainable fashion, one tote at a time.
Triple Threat
I was born in Belize to a Canadian mother and an American father, so my childhood was a mix of Central American, Caribbean, and North American influences. I was surrounded by Garifuna, Maya, and Hispanic traditions; listened to jazz, dancehall, and reggae; and ate tortillas, beans, and rice every day. I looked like a white kid, but dressed, ate, and spoke like a typical Belizean village girl.
Form and Function
My parents always encouraged us to pursue our creative interests, and I remember, as a two-year- old, finger- painting on newsprint my mother would tape to the shower wall. But I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset as well, using money I earned from chores for paint and sewing supplies. I love to solve problems with design, so I place equal importance on the utility and marketability of my products as I do on their beauty. Just call me a creative entrepreneur!
A Brand is Born
Before TWIG & PEARL, I designed bridal gowns and eveningwear. But I began to feel the need to be more purposeful in my work, and to tackle a problem that had been bothering me for some time. I felt it was adding to all the environmentally unfriendly clothing that ends up in landfills after being worn just once. So I took some time off and that’s when TWIG & PEARL was born. It would be a brand that would celebrate the things I love about Belize; be based on a sustainable, waste-free, small-batch production process; incorporate at least 75 percent natural materials in each piece; and employ Belizean women. I chose the name because both twigs and pearls are created by nature. Twigs are rustic but temporary, pearls are refined and last forever, and I loved the juxtaposition of both concepts. The name was easy to remember and rolled off the tongue. So with zero capital and lots of goals, I launched the business.
The Backstory
Most of my inspiration comes from my daily life here in Belize: shopping at the market; swimming in the creek; and my connections with local people. Each of our handbags has a story behind it, and some (such as Mona and Emerson) are named after people I know.
From Pattern to Production
I can create an entire bag around a small spark of inspiration. It starts with a sketch, then a flat pattern from which we make a prototype. I use the prototype as my handbag for two months, wearing it daily to identify any design flaws. After my “test drive,” I adjust the pattern, and then we start production. In line with our values, we use materials that are locally and sustainably sourced, such as food- byproduct leather and strips of local hardwood. Even our handbag linings are unbleached cotton. Our last collection featured bananas, which are a gorgeous bright yellow and grow here naturally. Everyone’s obsessed with pineapples right now, but I felt it was time we celebrated a fruit that’s really worth getting excited about!
Real Rewards
In the beginning it was hard to convince retailers to carry our pieces. But now that we have an online store, we can control our customer’s experience from purchase to unboxing. It was one of the best business decisions I ever made! Building a business here in Belize has taught me to be resilient, determined, and focused. And the relationships I’ve built with the women who work with me — seeing their personal growth and the effort they put into perfecting their craft — makes everything worth it. Our customer appreciates the same things we do: sustainability, uniqueness, and the beauty of natural materials. When they buy from TWIG & PEARL, they’re buying more than just a handbag; they’re buying into a better and more sustainable future.
I chose the name because both twigs and pearls are created by nature. Twigs are rustic but temporary, pearls are refined and last forever, and I loved the juxtaposition of both concepts.