Why I care about the Handbag I carry #bagsonamission

This post contains affiliate links. I am a brand Ambassador for R.Riveter. I have received products in exchange for my role as as a brand Ambassador for R.Riveter.


Labels have never meant very much to me. I wore a uniform all 13 years of schooling, and then I joined the Army and wore a uniform. I really didn’t like non-uniform days growing up. I didn’t have stylish clothes and hated trying to figure out what was “in.” For a long time I didn’t carry a handbag, and then when I did I would buy something under $50 and use it daily until it literally fell apart.

So, it is as much a shock to me as it might be to you that I am so passionate about a brand of accessory as I am about R.Riveter.

What you should know about me is that brand loyalty is hard won. I almost don’t have any. Unless a brand has earned it over the long term.

First, the product would need to be high quality, including being hard wearing. Hard wearing is essential because I am notoriously hard on things like bags.I need something with material that doesn’t mark or stain easily, and that has a pretty classic aesthetic. I am a pretty practical and am not looking for a high fashion product only useful in one context. I am looking for something that will fit right in during a meeting on capitol hill as much as when i’m traveling in a remote location, to a drinks meeting after work, and on the side of a dirt road somewhere in Colorado or Utah crewing for an ultra marathon. My life is pretty active and diverse and i’m just too low maintenance to have a closet full of handbags!

This is the Otto I have had for 2 years now! I recently added a Hobby to my collection and it is great – an in all black perfect for any occasion.

As a business owner who serves social impact businesses by helping them with their communications strategies, including strategic planning, advocacy and policy initiatives, I am especially interested in for-profit models that are executing creative economic models with substantial social impact. R.Riveter is doing just that. They are forging new paths in distributed and remote manufacturing within the USA. They are providing real employment opportunities for military spouses, both as employees and independent contractors.

The Rosies (named after Rosie the Riveter) work across the US to produce pieces of the final products – which are then assembled into the final products at their assembly facility in Southern Pines, North Carolina. You can read the stories of each of the Rosie’s – identified by a stamped number on pieces of the final product – on the R.Riveter website.

Their larger mission, in conjunction with a hard wearing product that meets my needs, is why I not only have a R.Riveter I use on a daily basis, but am a brand ambassador for this military spouse owned brand. This is good news for you too – I have a discount code that gives you 15% all R.Riveter branded products! Use RRANNAR at checkout!

Speaker. Reader. Thinker. Writer. Traveler. Advocate

Anna Blanch Rabe, founder of Anna Blanch Rabe & Associates, works with Law Firms, Socially-responsible businesses, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations to develop and effectively execute strategic, digital, and narrative initiatives to gain exposure, develop community-capacity, and reach new customers. Anna is an Australian-born speaker, writer and advocate. Connect with Anna on Instagram, facebook page, & Twitter.