Recharge, Rebuild, Reinvent: The Story Behind Krokus Bag Kollection

Introduction

Hi, I’m Michelle, the founder, owner, designer, and creator of Krokus Bag Kollection. I create handmade, boutique-style handbags using eco-friendly jute or burlap fabric. In Jamaica, this fabric is called “crocus bag”, and it holds important historical and cultural significance. By turning this simple material into beautiful bags, I celebrate my heritage while helping the planet by promoting sustainability.

Early Years

My love for sewing started when I was a child. I was just so captivated watching my mom work on her old pedal sewing machine. She wasn’t a professional seamstress, but a school teacher, and she only sewed for my younger sister and me—school uniforms, church dresses, and even graduation outfits. She was creative and patient, cutting patterns on the mattress, basting, sewing, and adjusting, paring, over and over, until everything fit, but, not always just right. I remember some school uniforms that were too big as my mom thought I would fill them up as I grew older, which I never did. I wanted to sew like her, but back then, I could only manage to thread the machine and sew a straight stitch.

College

Years later, in college, I studied Nutrition and Dietetics. To my surprise, I had to take a basic year-long fashion design class. That’s when I learned how to use commercial patterns, draft my own patterns, cut fabric, and sew soft furnishings and garments. I fell in love with the craft  all over again and became a hobby sewist for many years.

Company Birth

Life changed when my marriage fell apart, and my husband left. Suddenly, I was raising my young son alone. It was one of the hardest times in my life, but it also made me stronger. I decided to rebuild my life and create something meaningful. That’s how Krokus Bag Kollection was born.

Sewing became more than a skill—it became my way of recharging, rebuilding, and reinventing myself. I wanted to inspire other women to do the same, no matter what challenges they face.

Holistic Living

My passion for natural living also played a big role. I love natural remedies and alternative medicine, which I use in my own life to stay healthy. Creating eco-friendly bags feels like a perfect extension of my values, blending my love for the earth with creativity.

Join me and my team on this journey as we Recharge, Rebuild, and Reinvent our lives, one stitch at a time.