Colorado Cool Stuff: Barbara Sears Nelson handbags

Eric Peterson //May 1, 2009//

Colorado Cool Stuff: Barbara Sears Nelson handbags

Eric Peterson //May 1, 2009//

Barbara Sears Nelson was first entranced by the potential of fiber optics in fashion in the late 1980s while she worked as a ski instructor in Aspen. But her idea sat on the shelf for 20 years.

After jobs in interior design and nonprofit administration, she launched her eponymous handbag line from Denver in 2005. “The handbags are made with really nice Italian leather, and there’s a panel woven with fiber optics,” Nelson says.

The luminescence of the latter emanates from an LED inside the bag powered by a rechargeable battery.

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Nelson also makes fiber-optic table linens and sells other fiber-optic products through her business Zeralinks, and she’s not stopping there. “I have a lot of other ideas in mind,” she says. $350 to $370 retail.

Made by Barbara Sears Nelson, Denver, (303) 881-0630, www.barbarasearsnelson.com.

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