Rochester designer Raquel Lowry is making a statement, one handbag at a time

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At her kitchen table one Saturday night in 2018, Raquel Lowry thought she was starting a side project. By sunrise the next morning, she had launched a business.

Lowry, founder and creative force behind Raquel Denise Handbags, laughs when she tells the story now. At the time, she was finishing a master’s degree in management and leadership at Rochester Institute of Technology and looking for something creative to fill the gap after graduation.

“I love planners and agendas,” Lowry said. “So, I started designing some planners and agendas.”

Her older sister, a longtime business owner herself, immediately challenged the idea.

“She said, ‘Where are these customers coming from? How are you going to sell these?’” Lowry recalled. “She started asking me all these questions, and I was just like, ‘Oh, my goodness. Just enjoy this moment with me.’”

Then came the suggestion that changed everything.

“She said, ‘You love handbags. Why don’t you start with some totes?’”

The advice clicked instantly. Lowry connected with a wholesaler through her sister and moved quickly.

“It was 8 o’clock on a Saturday, and by 7 a.m. the next day, on Sunday, my business was birthed,” she said. “And I fell in love, and I never looked back.”

Today, Lowry’s Rochester-based business ships handbags, tights, luggage and accessories across the United States and internationally, including to Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Her signature “I Am The Bag” collection has become the centerpiece of the brand, blending bold messaging with practical design.

The slogan itself grew out of a difficult period during the pandemic in 2021, when Lowry began designing her own original bags after years of sourcing boutique items from other manufacturers.

“I remember all of these things were happening,” she said. “I started looking for another job and it became like a mantra to me, like, ‘I am the bag.’ Like, I can do all of these things.”

For Lowry, the bags are meant to work for real life, not just sit on a shelf looking pretty. Before releasing a design, she carries sample versions herself, testing straps, compartments and materials.

“What does it look like for somebody to carry a bag every day?” she said. “What color does it need to be? How many compartments does it need? How many straps does it need?”

That attention to function and detail reflects the broad range of customers she serves. Some are entrepreneurs and working professionals. Others are moms juggling busy schedules. Then there are the playful statement pieces — including popcorn-themed bags — designed for concerts, festivals or nights out.

Asked which television character would carry one of her bags, Lowry answered without hesitation: Olivia Pope from the TV drama “Scandal.”

Still, building the business has required far more than creativity.

Lowry works a full-time job while running the company, and in the early years handled nearly every role herself — designer, photographer, model, accountant and marketer.

“You’re the owner, you’re the designer, you’re the model, you’re the photographer, you’re the accountant,” she said. “Taking on all of those jobs, that can really become draining.”

She said one of the hardest parts of growth is learning to trust others with a brand she built from scratch.

“I want to protect my brand,” she explained.

Lowry also spoke candidly about the challenges of being a Black woman entrepreneur navigating spaces where people sometimes underestimate her.

“One of the things I say is, ‘I’m actually the Raquel Denise of Raquel Denise Handbags,’” she said. “When I’m saying something, it’s not a suggestion or a recommendation. This is what is true.”

She described moments when others tried to dictate how she or her products should appear publicly, particularly in magazine features and collaborations.

“This is my brand,” she said. “There has to be some collaboration with that.”

Lowry is certified as a minority- and women-owned business enterprise, or MWBE, a designation she said helped create opportunities and connections. But she also said being a small business owner sometimes means pushing back against expectations that exposure should come before compensation.

“I sometimes have to say, ‘No, that’s the price,’ and have to be okay with walking away from some business,” she acknowledged.

Despite the challenges, Lowry says the most rewarding moments have been seeing the business gain recognition and watching her original designs resonate with customers. Two milestones stand out: launching the “I Am The Bag” collection on her birthday in April 2022 and securing her trademark.

Those accomplishments came after years of what she calls “equity hours” — the unpaid work that goes into building something from the ground up.

“No equity hour is in vain,” Lowry said. “Every connection, every email, every Google search is worth it.”

Much of her drive, she said, comes from the women in her family. Lowry credits her mother and older sister as her biggest influences and strongest supporters.

“They already think I’m amazing,” she said with a laugh. “But they always tell me that it’s okay to keep pushing and achieving more.”

That support system helped shape the approach she now gives to aspiring entrepreneurs.

“Be patient with yourself,” Lowry said. “The process is definitely a metamorphosis.”

Velvet Spicer is an account executive for LaLew Public Relations.