The Quirk philosophy is pretty straightforward: Create timeless handbags with planet-friendly materials and people-friendly production methods.
Quirk was created by Devika and Alison, two women who shared two qualities: the belief that it is possible to build a successful business that is both socially and environmentally conscious, and the feeling that something was missing from their wardrobes - a simple, sustainable handbag. After searching far and wide, it turned out that finding great-looking sustainable, ethically made bags was a tall order; most leather and vegan polyurethane leather alternatives on the market are straight-up unsustainable and unethical. Frustrated by a lack of options, they decided to build their own brand.
Taking a leap
Driven by this new mission to develop an eco-friendly line of ethically made handbags, Devika discovered cork, our hero material, late one night in the depths of the internet. She read all about how cork was a vegan, renewable alternative to leather that literally grows on trees and was instantly hooked. She learned that the majority of cork was grown and manufactured in Portugal and not long after, officially brought Alison on board as her co-founder, packed up her life in Chicago, and flew to Portugal to start Quirk.
Building the brand
With Alison on the other side of the world in Sydney, Australia, the two navigated time zone differences to build Quirk brick by brick. After overcoming the obstacles posed by living in a new country with no connections in the middle of a global pandemic, Devika finally met a small, family-owned factory in Porto and got to work designing our first bag, The Lisbon. For the last few months, Devika and Alison have been working hard to bring their vision to life, collaboratively refining iteration after iteration of The Lisbon, crafting a brand identity, developing a website, and generally navigating all the ins and outs of setting up a new business. Now, after months of hustle, it's time for the world to meet Quirk.