A year later she is still suffering the effects of treatment, she still is on medications, she still has doctors appointments upon doctors appointments. Yet, despite all of that. Despite cancer. Despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles, she has chosen this moment to rise above. She has chosen to find opportunity in the midst of heartbreaking challenge. Jess chose this moment to launch her own line of bags on top of running her boutique and raising two young children.

But Jess isn’t just designing bags. As she’s done with her children’s clothing brand, Pip & Squeaks, every step in her creative process keeps labor ethics and environmental impact in mind. Leather is beautiful and durable, but the tanning process can be detrimental to the people who are doing it, and the process can be bad for the environment around the facility as well. So Jess honed in on leather alternatives that were visually interesting and durable. One such product is made from Piñatex, a natural material manufactured from the leaves of pineapples. The leaves are a natural agricultural byproduct that farmers would otherwise have to dispose of or burn. Instead, now the leaves are processed, so waste turns into income for farmers, providing them an additional revenue stream and creating another life for what would otherwise be refuse. The look and feel is certainly different from leather, but the durability, visual and physical texture, and ethical roots make it the perfect choice.