Helen E. Riegle is designer and principal of HER Design, which makes chic and sustainable handbags and accessories, each inspired by nature. After nearly two years in concept and development, Helen launched her first collection in 2004 with a clear goal: to promote greener living that embraces style. Helen is not your typical bag lady. Faced with limited options that suited her tastes and needs, Helen carried few handbags... until she fashioned her own.

Deciding to start an ethical business that features eco-friendly and cruelty-free collections was less an epiphany than the crossroads of her experiences and values. Helen grew up in the south of England. While she cites the pre-Raphaelites, William Morris, and Owen Jones as having influenced her sensibility to nature and its beauty, she was also influenced by her mother’s work as a floral designer, and by her brother, who expertly sketched landscapes and flora and is today a renowned wildlife filmmaker in Britain.

Helen studied graphic design in Preston and then forged a career as a designer and creative director with various agencies in England and the U.S. Through diverse international project work, most notably for museums, zoos, and aquariums, she gained a deeper understanding of natural history and the living world. From her travels—at times with a briefcase, at times with a backpack—she gleaned new insights into the world we share.

With her eyes wide open to the possibility of celebrating nature and making a difference through what we do, Helen resolved to do something truly original and unconventional and to do it responsibly. The culmination of these goals is making bags for people who want to both look good and feel good through what they carry.

Each day, Helen seeks to narrow the gap between her actions and her aspirations. As a working mother, she understands that children add to the challenge of doing better. But they also fuel her inspiration. Outside the design studio, Helen can be found—New England weather permitting—on walks or at the beach. She lives in Marblehead, Mass., with Oliver, Genevieve, and Christopher, her husband and business partner.

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