Cushette

Creative career paths are often a long and winding road. This was certainly the case for Catherine McCavanagh, the founder of the handbag brand Cushette. Back when she was a teenager at Notre Dame Academy, she knew she had a passion for fashion, but opted to follow a more traditional academic route, majoring in English at St. Michael’s College in Vermont. After college, McCavanagh had a series of corporate office jobs, but found the work to be unrewarding and she longed to find a way to express her creativity. It wasn’t until she was in her 30s and living in Hingham with her young family that she finally felt empowered to follow her heart and start her own business.

Known for her keen sense of fashion, McCavanagh’s first venture was as a personal shopper and wardrobe stylist. She called her business “The Honest Eye,” and served South Shore clients who needed help curating their wardrobes.

During this same time period, she was busy raising three young children and working as a stylist for the Boston-based agency Anchor Artists, dressing models and assisting on fashion shoots for a variety of retailers (she also helped style and accessorize gymnast Aly Raisman for a profile in People magazine).

McCavanagh’s entrepreneurial spirit really kicked into gear one fateful afternoon when she was flipping through the pages of a coffee table book produced by Vogue, which showcased the interiors of celebrity homes. She found her eyes drawn to a handbag that was resting on the floor of director Sofia Coppola’s office.

“The photo showed a messy artist’s office, with a bag tossed haphazardly on the floor,” McCavanagh recalls. “My eyes went straight to the bag, and for some reason I couldn’t get it out of my head.” McCavanagh started scouring stores to find something similar, but all she found were leather bags, which she knew could easily become damaged. “I’m the kind of person who always spills her water bottle in her purse,” she says.

For McCavanagh, this was an epiphany moment. She decided that if someone like her—with a proven flair for shopping—was unable to find the perfect bag, she would just have to design one herself.

She began sketching out a design for her dream handbag–a luxurious and oversized carry-all with a stylish D-shaped handle. She then started searching for unique cruelty-free fabrics, eventually settling on a durable velvet, normally used in upholstered furniture.

McCavanagh added a crossbody strap to her design so she would have the option to either carry the bag or sling it over her shoulder, and she placed pockets and zippers where appropriate. She also selected an incredibly soft faux suede for the lining of the handbag to ensure the interior wouldn’t tear under pressure.

“All my bags have the same dusty-pink lining,” she says. “Because when the lining is too dark, you can’t find anything, and if it’s too light, it can look dirty. My bags are almost softer on the inside than the outside. Everyone who touches them loves the lining.”

McCavanagh hired a company to create a prototype for her design and after months of fine tuning, she finally had a completely customized bag. McCavanagh officially launched her business in April of 2021 and named her new line of handbags Cushette, which was a nod to their soft, velvety fabric patterns. She started taking her new accessory everywhere she went and named it The Duchess, after a childhood nickname her father gave her. McCavanagh also started posting photos of Cushette bags on social media and before long, orders were pouring in. “A lot of my early purchasers were friends,” she says. “Then the word got out.”

McCavanagh has since created more handbag designs, each with the same distinctive style and fabrics. There’s The Midgie, a petite belt bag named after her mother, and The Jane and The Bryce, which were named after her children.

McCavanagh currently sells her designs on her website and through a few select retailers. On most days, while her kids are at school, she fills orders from a sunny workspace in the corner of her living room. McCavanagh takes the time to personalize each package with a handwritten thank-you note. “I write, ‘thank you for purchasing your Cushette, I hope you have fun with it!” she says. “I figure I can take a few minutes to do that.” She also stashes a tiny mesh bag with a pyrite gemstone inside the pocket of each Cushette bag that goes out the door, for good luck. “I always carry it around with me,” she says. “And it turns out, people love it.”

For more information on Cushette, follow @shopcushette on Instagram, or visit shopcushette.com.