(sewing machine humming) - 22 years ago, if someone had told me I would be making purses from my artwork, I don't know if I would've been happy hearing that.

Now, I'm living the dream.

- [Pamela] The dream for Rhode Island artist, Kent Stetson, is being a designer of handbags, whimsical, colorful, topical.

They are all made by hand in his Pawtucket workshop and sold in hundreds of boutiques worldwide.

The purses are clutched by celebrities, such as Martha Stewart, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Megan Thee Stallion.

Not only do his bags star on the red carpet, they fly down the runway.

These are not your mother's pocketbooks, they are a fusion of art and accessory.

- I think in terms of art, it's interactive, it's modular.

I think it speaks in an interesting way - [Pamela] And an interesting twist carried Stetson into the world of high fashion accessories.

Stetson grew up in this cabin on a working horse farm in New Hampshire.

He studied studio art and philosophy at Brown University and started out creating these digital, hybrid paintings.

- So computer generated paintings at the time, we called it new media.

Today, I think it's just called digital art.

And so these are very colorful, abstract pieces.

- [Pamela] But Stetson admits he was unsuccessful selling his modern art, so he pivoted.

His plan B translated to in the bag.

- I worked at a shoe store at the time though, and I had a gift for convincing people to buy shoes and handbags that they didn't particularly need, and so I connected the dots.

- How did you land on purses as the frame for your artwork, of all things you could have picked?

- It was a way to package my art in a format that had some use.

A handbag gave me much more license to be fun than I ever felt I had permission to do with a piece hanging on the wall.

And so, almost instantly, I made pieces that were a little bit irreverent and tongue in cheek, and funny.

- [Pamela] Funny, as in notoriously tasteful.

Stetson's popular confections made in Hope Artiste Village, feature donuts, animal crackers, sushi, and even our state's famous wieners.

- [Kent] Three all the way, New York system is an iconic Rhode Island comfort food, and so we had to translate it into a bag.

- Stetson says, when you carry one of his designer handbags, it starts a conversation and might make a friend, whether it's one of his doggy bags or a selection from his bar cart of popular cocktails.

They're a statement piece.

- It's an exclamation point on your outfit.

I mean, it does not get the silent treatment.

When you carry one of my pieces, it gets acknowledged.

- [Pamela] And sometimes, it can initiate a complicated discussion, which was the case with this attention-grabbing bag.

- On October 7th, I was really struck by the fear that my Jewish friends were expressing to me about antisemitism, here and abroad, and so we created a piece with the Israeli flag on it, and we still make that piece, and we are donating the proceeds to Amnesty International.

And so, I wanted to make it very clear that our company is very opposed to antisemitism and Islamophobia as well.

- Can Stetson's signature handbags, which sell for between $150 and $300, support a number of charitable causes.

One style references the lace collar of late Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

- When she passed, Mariska Hargitay used this bag on "Law & Order: Special victims Unit."

- I just got an alert, Irena's building.

(dramatic music) - Okay, Kat, you and I will go up.

- The sales for this piece sort of went haywire, and so we donate the proceeds to the ACLU.

- [Pamela] Others may tote an alligator handbag, supporting Everglades preservation.

- Everything start to finish is done right here.

- Stetson says making each purse takes 50 steps and three days to complete.

First, he creates an image, formats it on his computer, prints and laminates the canvas.

But while the process begins with high-tech innovation, the rest is old world craftsmanship, hand tracing and hand sewing.

In general, Stetson's signature bags are slim, envelope styles.

A lot of people look at it and say, "I can't get anything in this bag."

What do you say?

- It's a fun little going out bag.

Listen, if I made a larger bag, I'd have to leave Rhode Island.

We're the smallest state in the country, I gotta be making small bags.

- Describe what it is you want people to see in this form of art.

- Well, I think I want people to know that I made this with love and a sense of joy, and I know that it's going to make an outing just that much more fun.

It's come from my hands, my studio.

I sign inside each piece as we sew them up.

And so I want people to feel like they have a real connection to the creation of this piece, where it came from.

And I think this is like the farm-to-table version of personal accessories.

- [Pamela] Accessories that will do all the talking.

- People are gonna say something.

You're gonna light up the room.

So if you wanna be left alone, if you wanna chill, low-key evening, do not carry one of my pieces.

(laughs) (bright music)