Vendor Profile - Becky OH!

Becky O'Neil / Becky OH!
Website – www.beckyoh.com
Visit Becky at the South End Open Market
May 19 & 20 . June 3 . June 17 .  July 15
September 15 & 16

Becky O’Neil was trained as a sculptor at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and after a few jaunts around the globe, settled in Manchester, N.H. Now she spends her time creating stylish handbags out of beautiful fabrics.

As an artist, O’Neil is always seeing, feeling, and creating, but sewing has always been a favorite outlet for those creative energies. One of her earliest memories is of making little handbags out of her mother’s scrap fabrics.

O’Neil started Becky OH! in 2004 as a way to satisfy her own craving for unique handbags. Ideas for the bags are inspired by the fabrics and are then designed for function. “I like certain curvy shapes and I let the materials guide me: silks, wools, cottons.  My bags appeal to the hand as well as the eye,” O’Neil explains. She continues to amass a collection of interesting fabrics wherever she travels and always strives for eclectic combinations of pattern and texture. The result: each bag is one-of-a-kind.

O’Neil is a strong supporter of independent designers who she says, “are able to create products that are not only useful and fashionable, but also unique and with a quality that often surpasses mass-produced items”. She welcomes the opportunity to work with other artisans or to join with them for private sales events and group shows.

Though Becky keeps the names of her clients to herself, her designs have recently been seen at some very starry events. Her handbags, with their unique color combinations, have been called “works of art to carry your wallet and snacks in!”