OUR STORY
OUR MANIFESTO
The Lie of Neutrality
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Somewhere along the way, we were taught that good style should be safe.
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Choose something neutral.
Make sure it matches everything.
Don't make it too loud.
Don't draw too much attention.
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I disagree.
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I believe fashion can be expressive, sophisticated, colorful, unexpected, and unapologetically personal.
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A handbag doesn't always have to quietly complete an outfit.
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Sometimes, the handbag is the outfit.
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Color can speak. Texture can speak. Shape can speak. And the woman carrying it gets to decide what she wants to say.
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That is The Lie of Neutrality—my rejection of the idea that beautiful things must be subdued to be sophisticated.
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There is room in luxury for personality.
There is room for color.
There is room for art.
And there is room for you.
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Every Josanne Murer New York piece is created to stand apart because I believe the woman carrying it should feel free to do the same.
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We don't just make bags.
We make statements.
And in this space, we step into the light.
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— Josanne Murer
Founder • Artisan • Veteran Entrepreneur
JOSANNE MURER
Hi, I’m Josanne Murer, the artist and maker behind Josanne Murer New York.
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My journey into handbag making began while serving in the United States Navy. Between deployments and the challenges of military life, creating became a way for me to decompress, work with my hands, and find a little peace. What started as a creative outlet eventually became a way to support my family and continue investing in a craft I had grown to love.
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Some of my earliest pieces were deeply personal. I transformed leather coats belonging to loved ones who had passed away into handbags for the families they left behind—turning something familiar into something they could hold and carry again. Those pieces taught me that a handbag could be more than beautiful. It could hold a story.
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That belief remains at the heart of my work.
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Every handbag is designed and handcrafted by me, and each is named after a woman I’ve encountered somewhere along my journey. Some stayed for years, others only briefly, but each left an impression. Naming my work after them is my quiet way of saying:
You were here. You mattered. I remember.
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I am self-taught and still learning, experimenting, and growing with every piece I create. I don't mass-produce my handbags, and I don't repeat designs. Once a bag is made, that design belongs to its owner.
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To me, that is luxury: something thoughtfully made by human hands, carrying the marks of an artist and created for only one person.
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One bag. One owner. One story.