64 | AUGUST 26 • 2021
ARTS&LIFE
FASHION
A
n old pair of boots that she didn’t want to waste helped
artist and fashion designer Sigal Levine, 52, of Waterford,
find her passion and launch a growing business.
Levine, the owner of Badass Bags, makes one-of-a-kind purses
of all shapes and sizes. Her wristlets, crossbody bags, clutches,
satchels and totes are made of high-end leather or fur and embel-
lished with tassels, rivets, fringes, buckles, clasps and even paint.
Many have interchangeable guitar strap handles, a signature ele-
ment of her designs. Sigal says it all started in 2016 when she was
cleaning out her closet.
“I like to recycle and upcycle things I have around the house.
I had a pair of boots that I never wore, but the leather was
beautiful,
” she recalls. “I decided to see if I could make
something out of them.
”
She took the boots apart and got
two perfect leather squares. Sigal
thought the material would make
a great bag, so she punched holes
in the leather and figured out
how to put it all together on the
fly. For the handles, she attached
a strap from her husband’s guitar.
After posting a photo of the fin-
ished bag on social media, it sold
immediately.
“I couldn’t believe somebody wanted to buy my old pair of
boots,
” she says. “That’s how the business was born.
”
Sigal grew up in Israel near Tel Aviv. Her family moved to
Michigan when she was 10 years old. They belong to Keter Torah
Synagogue in West Bloomfield.
After high school, she attended the David Pressley School of
Cosmetology and quickly made a name for herself as a celeb-
rity hair and makeup artist doing makeup for weddings and
videos and photo shoots with rock stars, professional athletes,
Olympians, television personalities and others.
While she has no formal training in manufacturing and design,
Israeli-born designer Sigal Levine
creates unique and stylish
leather purses and gear.
In the
Bag
ROBIN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Sigal Levine
and some of
her creations
PHOTOS BY ROBIN SCHWARTZ
I had a pair of boots that I never wore, but the leather was
beautiful,
” she recalls. “I decided to see if I could make
She took the boots apart and got
two perfect leather squares. Sigal
thought the material would make
a great bag, so she punched holes
how to put it all together on the
fly. For the handles, she attached
a strap from her husband’s guitar.
After posting a photo of the fin-
ished bag on social media, it sold