As a young girl, Sharon Richardson remembers her mother, Hazel, sewing clothes for her and her sister Carol to wear. With whatever fabric was leftover, Sharon would play for hours coming up with her own designs. A love for sewing and manipulating fabric into beautiful designs early on is clearly evident as Sharon is HDS MEDALLION’s creative mind behind the company’s ‘look’ for the entire collection of 35 carryall bags.

Even as an adult Sharon would make many of her own clothes.  After about 20 of her adult years, she put away her machine and took a break from sewing.  Then her mother moved into an assisted living facility.  Her mother was not shy stating there were no acceptably stylish bags available to carry her belongings around on her walker. And neither Sharon nor her sister Carol could find one for her.

Sharon dusted off her sewing machine and made a colorful and cheery bag befitting of her mother’s elegant taste.  Soon all the other women in the facility wanted a bag of their own so she made another 40 bags.  It’s with this group of women that a lot of the information on bag size, strap size, pocket locations, how users used the bag (holding mail, small oxygen tanks, etc.) that helped Sharon adjust bag features and Carol to kick start the company. Although Sharon remains independent of the business, she is an integral part of the company’s success with her innovative, diverse designs.

What is her favorite bag in the entire collection? 

All of them she said.  “That’s like asking a mother which child she likes best.” But she did put away one of the Classic Silver & Onyx Damask bags just in case she ever needs a walker bag.

Where does she get her inspiration for a new bag?

The sisters attend textile shows and look for top quality fabrics to identify possible selections for new bags.  “By simply taking the time to look at a fabric, its story emerges and tells me what needs to be done with it to make a beautiful or fun bag,” she explains. Sharon then makes a sample bag for manufacturer to use.  She also helps at many of the tradeshows so she can hear directly from customers

Sewing doesn’t end with making new designs for HDS MEDALLION®.  In her spare time, she also sews clothes for teddy bears for the Salvation Army at Christmas.