ABOUt us
Designing, developing and manufacturing so many different products for our clients is a natural extension of everything Laura has been doing during her design career over the last 20 years in New York City. She started as a fashion stylist here and has always found Manhattan to be the perfect canvas on which to create. She feels that there is always a hum on the streets here, a hum that gets into your veins, and motivates you to bring to fruition a dream. She shares that passion with every new client she meets.
Her experience styling for clients like Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, In Style and Oprah as well as a bevy of similar fashion brands has taught her that sometimes the trends being depicted are not what consumers really want over time. By being able to shape the fashion trend of the moment in her styling career, she has learned how to work with our clients to tailor and develop products that have tremendous appeal in the marketplace. As a manufacturer herself of her own line of handbags found at ClutchBags.com, she has learned the trade secrets in sourcing materials, designing products, and creating good profit margins. This expertise has our clients returning to us again and again with their manufacturing, design and product development needs. Made in USA pays!
Laura Dotolo
Principal
Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Luane has been interested in fashion since she was just a kid sewing doll clothes. This passion intensified while living in New York City and studying Fashion Design at Parsons.
For her, fashion and accessories are a way to express yourself and communicate without words. When she’s designing something, Luane goes for a feminine yet simple aesthetic, inspired by the possibility to make someone else’s day better with pieces that bring beauty and practicality to women. Even though she loves everything related to the fashion industry, her favorite part is production, where you can take a drawing and a piece of fabric and make them come alive.
Besides fashion designing, Luane also loves to explore the city with her friends, hang out with her dog and order takeout to eat while binge watching her favorite shows.
Luane Miguel
Project Design Manager
Srishti Dhawan
Designer
Born in Delhi, India, Srishti has always loved designing. She has a dual degree in fashion design, graduating Summa Cum Laude from the Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY, as well as being an award winning gold medalist from The National Institute of Fashion Technology in India.
Living in the global fashion capital of New York City has helped Srishti discover the nuances of fashion while being amongst the best of global talent.
Designing for Srishti means getting inspired, imbibing and expressing her emotions within it. She loves designing accessories, which she feels go beyond apparel and add essential value to the overall ambience, mood and occasion of dressing. Accessories that accentuate the overall fashion ensemble is what she strives to accomplish when designing. With a minimalistic design approach, she intends to convey her ideas in the “less is more” style.
Ever since she was a five year old child, the sense of balance, rhythm, proportion and symmetry were instilled in her through the practice of ballet.
When she’s not working, she loves spending time exploring the city streets and enjoys taking peaceful walks in landscaped parks under the bright sun.
Mariana is a Brazilian designer passionate about transforming day-to-day life through design. With experience in designing for branding, packaging, stationary, products, and magazines, she has recently completed a Master's in Sustainable Design at Kingston University London.
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In her free time, she can be found watching cheesy Christmas movies, baking, or crafting. Mariana is a co-founder of Clube das Miçangas, a non-profit initiative that encourages young women to connect through collaborative skill-sharing events in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil. She has organized over 50 workshops since its inception in 2016.
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Interested in exploring the intersection of design, sustainability, and social innovation, she has had her work recognized by the Dieline Awards, Tomie Ohtake Leroy Merlin's Design Award, Chevening Awards, and TedX.
Mariana Costa
Branding Project Manager
Mariana Bier
Marketing Project Manager
Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Mariana has always loved fashion. As a journalist, she is interested in researching new brands which leads to new ways in creating fashion content. She has also been a fashion researcher, studying the history of fashion photography and the influence colors have in the world of fashion photography.
Being a content producer for Mariana is an opportunity to show the world the main secret of fashion: authenticity. As a Marketing Project Manager, she believes that online media is the best way to connect with people who have a passion for fashion, communication being the key in presenting to the world the values of a brand.
Also, as a South Brazilian woman, she understands how culture influences the way a brand is built, emphasizing the visual content of it. Mixing different cultures and ideas is always a smart way to changing it up, while staying consistent.
Besides her fashion content work, Mariana loves art, photography and drawing in her free time. She enjoys visits to museums, riding her bike, sunny days and exploring the city with her friends.
Our master artisan Young Choi comes to Clutch Made from South Korea where he worked as an engineer before moving to New York to pursue his artful profession.
A family man with two children, Young Choi is a natural leader at our New York City factory. Apart from his knowledge of mixing the finest colors of paint for precise edge painting, Young Choi is our very own Jack in the Beanstalk, having nurtured an ivy plant that drapes the entire length of the Clutch Made factory.
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What Young likes best about this city? "New York has given me the opportunity to develop and master my craft. I love the diversity within the city, and my Korean community in Queens. And of course, Korean barbecue!"
Young Choi
Master Artisan
A man of few words and many talents, Mr. Kim has mastered the art of sewing leather handbags throughout his 40 + years in the craft. His expertise and vigilante attention to detail have earned him the accolade as one of the key contributors to our Clutch Made Team.
When not at the factory, Mr. Kim spends his time in Flushing Queens, where he enjoys his church and restaurant communities. If you have any questions about where to eat in Flushing, Mr. Kim is the go-to man. He knows all of the spots and secret hole-in-the-wall restaurants for everything Korean.
When asked what he enjoys most about New York City, Mr. Kim immediately replies, “taking walks with my lovely wife”.
Mr. Kim
Master Artisan
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Patty, as she is known at Clutch Made, is all Pace University business mixed with a large splash of fun! A Jersey Girl through and through, Patty enjoys the Jersey Shore, staying fit, beaching it and reading all! When not making plans to go to the movies, it is most likely she is out on the town heading for Italian food instead.
On the business side, Patty keeps all our accounting records in impeccable order so we can maintain our everyday schedule at the factory and keep all services moving along in a timely and efficient manner. If ever a question arises in regards to invoicing and billing, Patty is your go to Clutch Made Team member.
Patty’s take on the energy of New York City” “Always something to do at anytime of the day or night”.
Patricia Saggio
Comptroller
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