Introducing: Fourth Fridays!

As the founder of Purse & Clutch, I’ve recently narrowed our company focus to three core areas: custom branded leather goods, nonprofit fundraising partnerships, and intentional community engagement.

That decision required streamlining our artisan production partnerships in Ethiopia. Fewer production relationships. Greater depth. Stronger consistency.

But something unexpected happened when we chose that boundary.

I realized I missed collaborating with new artisan groups.

In ethical fashion and sustainable manufacturing, expansion often feels like the answer. More artisan partners. More countries. More products.

But growth without focus can dilute impact.

So instead of expanding our core production network, we designed a new model: Fourth Fridays.

What Are Fourth Fridays?

Fourth Fridays are monthly, limited-edition artisan collaborations. Each month, we partner with one artisan group outside our primary Ethiopian production team and place a single, significant order designed to create meaningful work opportunities.

This allows us to:

• Maintain long-term stability with our Ethiopian leather artisans
• Provide dignified work to additional artisan groups globally
• Avoid operational complexity
• Offer our community exclusive, curated products

Our first Fourth Friday collaboration features handwoven crossbody purse straps from a small artisan group in Peru. These straps pair with our upcoming spring leather crossbody collection, blending global craftsmanship with intentional design.

Why This Matters in Sustainable Business

Sustainable fashion isn’t just about materials. It’s about systems.

It’s about asking:

• How can we create consistent, fair-wage work?
• How can we avoid overproduction?
• How can we scale impact without sacrificing focus?

By placing one intentional bulk order, rather than adding ongoing production partners, we can create concentrated economic impact while preserving operational clarity.

Sometimes boundaries don’t shrink your mission.

They refine it.

If you’re interested in ethical leather goods, artisan partnerships, or nonprofit fundraising collaborations, I’d love to connect.