CLUTCH, $110, BY NELLE HANDBAGS
Who: Laura Nelli of Minneapolis.
Back story: Nelli has been making and selling handbags for five years. She did a capsule collection for Juut that includes clutches and headbands with flower buds.
Claim to fame: Jill Biden carried a navy Perfectly Petersham clutch to the November state dinner for India's prime minister.
Buy it: Juut locations (visit www.juut.com). Additional products available at www.nelle handbags.com.
Petal handbag, $170, Spike-Studded bracelets, $30 each, and Study bug wallet, $95, by Christopher STraub
Who: Christopher Straub of Shakopee.
Back story: A self-taught designer who has been working locally for years, Straub made his name nationally known by making it to the top five on "Project Runway." In 2010, he'll be adding women's and men's ready-to-wear and launching a major project.
Buy it: Online at www.christopherstraub.com and selections at Shoppe Local (813 W. 50th St., Mpls., 612-827-3071).
Bow tie, $59, and Two-tone tie, $79, by pierrepont hicks
Who: Kat and Mac McMillan of Minneapolis.
Back story: Kat worked at Ralph Lauren in New York and had the idea for the company for a while. The ties and bow ties are manufactured in New York; this is their first collection.
Buy it: MartinPatrick (121 N. 1st St., Mpls., 612-872-8552) and online at www.pierreponthicks.com.
POCKET SQUARE, $12, AND MEN'S SHIRTS, $95, BY HAMMER MADE
Who: Jason Hammerberg of Golden Valley.
Back story: He has been designing another line -- Humble -- for three years and recently changed his branding and opened a shop that carries his line of shirts, vests, scarves, pocket squares, socks, ties and cufflinks.
Buy it: Hammer Made(Galleria, Edina, 952-681-2534).
CORDUROY SHIRT FOR BOYS, $48, BY CIAO MARCO
Who: Tricia D'elba and husband Mir Shahidullah of Edina.
Back story: The couple spent the summer of 2004 in Italy with their son, Marco, who was then a baby. They started their kids' clothing company, with Marco as muse, five years ago and have been focusing just on boys, an underserved market, for the past year.
Buy it: Online at www.ciaomarco.com.
QUARTZ EARRINGS ON 14K GOLD, $58; STERLING SILVER AND 18K GOLD EARRINGS, $30, AND AMETHYST AND PEARL NECKLACE, $109, ALL BY STACEY JOHNSON JEWELRY DESIGN
Who: Stacey Johnson of Golden Valley.
Back story: Johnson started making jewelry in New Zealand six years ago and recently opened her own boutique.
Buy it: Stacey Johnson Jewelry Design (5005 Bryant Av. S., Mpls., 612-825-1130).
Sara Glassman • 612-673-7177 sglassman@startribune.com
Whale cashmere and silk sweater, $88, by Oscar & Belle
Who: Anna Gustafson of Watertown, Minn.
Back story: After friends and relatives started having babies, Gustafson couldn't find any cute unisex clothes, so she decided to make them. Everything is 100 percent SKAL or GOTS certified organic.
Buy it: Oscar & Belle (2812 W. 43rd St., Mpls., 612-216-3738) and online at www.oscarandbelle.com.
"THINK GLOBALLY" HAT, $26, AND GINKGO HOODIE, $48, BY HOLY COW COMPANY
Who: Owner Justin Barrett of Edina and designer Sandy Swan of St. Louis Park.
Back story: The organic-clothing company was launched in 2008 with an unusual accountability feature -- you can enter a tracking code into their website and it will show you the origin of the material used in an item (which farm!) and trace its creation through the supply chain.
Sterling silver cuff, $325 to $375, By ann lambrecht
Who: Ann Lambrecht of Minnetonka.
Back story: A designer for more than 10 years, Lambrecht worked with silversmiths in Bali to combine her modern aesthetic with their traditional techniques.
Buy it: Gallery 360 (3011 W. 50th St., Mpls., 612-925-2400), JV & Company (Gaviidae Common, 555 Nicollet Mall, skyway level, Mpls., 612-341-2094).
Buy it: Online at www.holycowcompany.com.
laptop bag by urban junket t.o.t.e. (to observe the earth), $143
Who: Tracy Dyer of Minneapolis Linden Hills neighborhood.
Back story: She created this line of bags with 70 percent recycled materials -- 100 percent cotton canvas gets it color through an eco-friendly dyeing process.
Buy it: Online at www.urbajunket.com and Local Motion (2813 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls. 612-871-8436).
LAPTOP BAG BY URBAN JUNKET T.O.T.E. (TO OBSERVE THE EARTH), $143
Who: Tracy Dyer of Minneapolis' Linden Hills neighborhood.
Back story: She created this line of bags with 70 percent recycled materials -- 100 percent cotton canvas gets its color through an eco-friendly dyeing process.
Buy it: Online at www.urbanjunket.com and Local Motion(2813 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., 612-871-8436).
