SF Bay Area Etsy Street Team: Rickshaw Bag Contest Winner 2014

Nearly two years ago, we met Rickshaw Bags' CEO Mark Dwight and since that first conversation and special thanks to Store Manager, Kendall Berardino, we've held two successful design contests and a pop-up market (more on that later) with our friends in the Dogpatch!

This year, our design contest began with two brainstorming ideas workshops held on the factory floor of Rickshaw Bagworks. Mark gave us a behind the scenes peek into the world of what he calls "micro manufacturing." We were inspired not only with the story of Rickshaw, but with all the possibilities of designing and creating a truly one-of-a-kind bag for ourselves and our customers!

Besides holding the workshops, the other new thing we did this year was to collect and promote all the voting for the bag entries online through Woobox. Using Woobox, allowed us to accurately collect votes, gain new followers to our Facebook fan page and know for sure the winner of our contest.

Participants in the contest, designed the front flap of their messenger bags using a wide variety of materials. We saw photography, crochet, fabric collage, painting and screen printing, mixed media and hand embroidery. I was sincerely impressed by the creativity of our team. It left me wanting to see what else our team members could design!

After nearly 2 weeks of voting, and a lot of last minute "vote for me" on Facebook, it was a very tight race between Lisa Spinella and Jim Tom's collaborative bag "The Traveler" and "running in Circles" by Fleurette Sevin. Fleurette nudged out the win in the end and we couldn't be happier for her!

CONGRATULATIONS Fleurette we cannot wait to see your bag and all the others when they are completed by Rickshaw Bagworks in a few weeks.

A BIG THANK YOU goes out to everyone that participated in this year's bag design contest. Be sure to scroll through all the entries below. Each one was very unique and shows off the talent we have among our wonderful team members.

Also, a BIG THANKS to Rickshaw Bags for sponsoring this contest and making these amazing bags come to life.

Do you have a great idea for a custom designed Rickshaw bag? OR If you weren't able to complete your bag design for the contest, but still want to make a custom bag - YOU STILL CAN! Bring your designed flap or mail it to by June 23, 2014:

Rickshaw Bags HQ

Attn: Kendall Berardino

904 22nd St,

San Francisco, CA 94107

All the designer bags will be showcased at Rickshaw Bags HQ in the coming weeks. You will be able to stop by and see all these amazing bags in person at an in-store gallery.

Thanks again for continuing to be the most amazingly talented team, I feel so lucky and honored to be part of it.

CONGRATULATIONS again to Fleurette Sevin - to see Fleurette in action and learn from her creative spirit, join us tonight at the Museum of Craft and Design in San Francisco for her jewelry making class. Sign up now! (PS, there's free beer!)