I’m Bella Weinstein, founder of Handyma’am. I started this venture in 2014 when I found myself underwhelmed with the selection of well-made, durable clothing for women in the marketplace. Working as a hairstylist, with a ton of hands-on hobbies—woodworking, riding motorcycles, tearing down walls and building new ones—meant I needed workwear that could fit with my can’t-sit-still lifestyle. A kernel of an idea soon turned into a full-blown obsession, and so—with no design or fashion background—I dove straight into the process of creating a highly technical silhouette for women that didn’t exist yet.
I assembled a rag-tag group of friends, designers, and garment engineers—all definitely stretched to the edge of our know-how—and produced a small run of our very first coverall in 2015. That first run was followed by a wild hunt for the right production facility, a successful Kickstarter campaign, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. In January of 2018, I was finally able to shift my focus entirely to Handyma’am. And while it’s no walk in the park, I’m still committed to supporting local manufacturing and building strong, lasting relationships with our customers and clients. The support of our customers has made this imperfect process work, and we’re excited to keep hurtling over these roadblocks and bringing you the quality clothing that Handyma’am is known for. We’re proud of the work we’re doing—not just outfitting farmers, metal workers, landscapers, jewelers, hobbyists and jumpsuit enthusiasts alike, but working to bring visibility to women in these trades and broaden what it means to be strong and feminine. We’ve been blown away by the positive feedback not only from our customers, but from women who have followed along and shared our desire to bring light to an overlooked community. We hope you’ll be inspired, too.