Bags to Butterflies

Michelle's roots have been planted in Detroit since she was a young girl. Growing up on Detroit's Northend neighborhood, she has always had a desire to give back to the community in which she lived. Nine years ago, Michelle founded Bags to Butterflies, a Detroit-fashion brand that creates luxurious, one-of-a-kind, decorative art handbags and accessories constructed from reused material. Each piece is just as bold and bright as our customers and will help elevate and express your personal style. Michelle also has a social mission to empower women who are formerly incarcerated with transtional employent. She teaches the women to handcraft the products using reused wood and mistint paints and stains.. The concept of empowering women returning home from prison began in 2014 when the daughter of a close friend was incarcerated. As a result, Bags to Butterflies became the impetus for employing formerly incarcerated women and also providing resources to help the women better their lives. Michelle is also a stained and fused glass artist. In 2007, she was commissioned by the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to design the 2007 Legacy Awards. She was the first African American to have such an honor. The prestigious awards were present to 14 local individuals and businesses including Chrysler LLC, Kellogg and Comerica Bank. Michelles professional career spanned over 20 years in Corporate Communications at Ford Motor Company where she communicated the companys business objectives to hourly and salaried employees through strategic internal channels.