MEET MICHELLE 

I grew up in Cicero, Illinois, just outside of Chicago, in a close-knit Italian family.  My grandparents' home was on our walk home from school, so my sisters and I were there almost every day. I can still remember walking in, smelling my grandmother’s homemade ravioli and seeing it spread across the bed because there wasn’t enough room anywhere else. But my fondest memory is being seven years old when she taught me how to crochet. 

Years later, after losing my sister, I found my way back to crochet. It was the most difficult time in my life and what began as a creative outlet became something much more. Crochet gave me a place to slow down, clear my mind, work through grief, and reconnect with a part of myself I hadn’t realized I missed. They say some things are like riding a bike. You never really forget. For me, crochet was one of those things.

I’ve always loved the artistic and very personal expression you get through style and fashion. Designing crochet handbags allowed me to tap into cherished memories, heal and share my two favorite loves with the world: creating and crochet. The idea that you can take something as simple as yarn and transform it, stitch by stitch, into something beautiful, modern, and unexpected is a gift.

HOOK is rooted in everything I love about crochet: the craftsmanship, the history and the feeling that comes from buying something made by hand. Cozy does not have to mean less chic; fashion can still feel like a piece of home. Today, I get to take my grandmother's tradition and share it with other women and I know she would be proud of that.