By Shamar Blunt
Functionality, versatility, and style – these were the words used by founder and chief executive officer of Pmxpressions, Pauline Moore, as she spoke about her recently created hand-crafted bag business, which has been gaining traction on social media over the past few months.
Moore admitted that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic she would not have imagined having her own bag-making business, but at the same time, she always wanted to learn something new, and when the opportunity presented itself to get into designing items, she grasped at the chance with both hands. So far it has been a pleasant experience.
“I wanted to learn something new…so I did a two-hour class where we learnt how to make a shirt and an envelope clutch bag, and seeing how my skill level grew from there, I decided to create my own business.
“The response so far from clients has been awesome, I am really enjoying the responses I’ve been receiving. Some persons could not believe that I actually made these bags, they thought I had purchased them overseas, but I take my time daily and nightly to create these pieces.”
Though customers are able to purchase readymade bags that Moore might have in stock, from materials like faux leather, cane lily and burlap, the key to her success so far has been the custom-made items which clients have requested. For Moore, it’s these custom-made pieces which truly bring out her creative side, particularly with the local themed collections such as Bim Lily, The Oasis, and others.
“First I try to find out what sort of design and look they are going for. As it is a new business for me, I don’t automatically try to venture into what I have not made or practised with already, so I find out what kind of style the client likes, what sort of material they would prefer and we go from there.
“We have a bag made of cane lily which comes in many colours, but we have a blue one which we call the Bim Lily collection. This specific collection is made out of weaved straw, which so far has been very popular with clients.”
In many respects, Pmxpressions has been a relative success so far, however, for Moore there is always room to grow, this is why the entrepreneur recently entered the Prescription for Success competition held by respected PR specialist Michelle Doyle.
The competition, which targeted female entrepreneurs, was aimed at providing young business owners the tools and information necessary to help their business flourish, not only locally, but internationally as well.
Moore said though the prizes in the competition were very appealing, it was the training workshops available to the winner which caught her eye.
“I actually entered the competition because I saw the winning prizes included marketing, IT training and others. Yes, I saw the massages and the staycation and other prizes, but for me what was attractive was the elements that would help my business because I know having only recently started my business, I needed to have training in these areas.”
She added that the sourcing of materials from international markets continues to be difficult for her and other local craftsmen. Exporting her products to international customers will be an important area of expansion for her over the next few years.
“I currently source materials locally and internationally. It has been quite a headache for the international orders, and this is because of the logistics issues that have been plaguing us for quite some time now. However, the materials that I source locally have not as yet been in short supply.
“I recently sold a few of my bags to persons in the UK, and I received a lot of positive reviews after those purchases. I would like to see my business grow not only in the UK, but also in other countries and territories within the next two or three years,” she said.
