Our Story – PRISM Bags

Hey, we're Rachel & Helen-Sage, founders of prism. 👋🏼

We're identical twins, professional changemakers who've traveled thousands of miles on buses and trains to fight injustice, and lovers of beautiful design. Throughout our work fighting the “Pink Tax” and promoting women’s rights, we've traveled across the nation, prepping for legislative hearings while watching the early morning sunrise, getting ready for press conferences in Amtrak bathrooms, and interviewing for Teen Vogue at the steps of the Capitol building.

While commuting, we've hauled multiple, heavy bags—including a Dora-the-Explorer-type backpack, a nondescript canvas tote bag, and a Kate Spade handbag—due to the lack of a bag that could do it all.

The spirit of PRISM was born at the intersection of mission-driven work and a simple resistance to compromise. We wanted to look and feel like we had it all together (like we didn’t nap on the 8 hour train ride or pull an all-nighter preparing). Our designer “work” bags felt like heavy, all-too-familiar black holes that lacked the organization we needed for our busy days (we’re talking receipts and hair ties that will never see the light of day, pens and laptop chargers doing the tango, and crumbs of granola plastered onto the bottoms of our books). A bag that simply looked nice wasn’t enough to feel our best (while fighting the patriarchy) when we were fighting ourselves to find what we needed in our bags. After all, looking good and feeling organized makes you feel like you're at the top of your game.