Susan Power

Susan Power is the designer and maker behind SuMe Bags, a collection of one-of-a-kind market bags, purses, wallets, and backpacks crafted from reclaimed leather and hand-waxed canvas.

Susan holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with majors in Drawing and Printmaking and has also worked in drafting and design. Rather than pursuing the traditional "starving artist" path, she spent more than thirty years building a successful business alongside her husband in the sporting industry, promoting two lifelong passions: downhill skiing and tennis.

After retiring early, Susan returned to her creative roots. Combining her design background, a passion for repurposing and sustainability, decades of experience as a professional racquet stringer, and years spent sewing clothing for her two exceptionally tall and athletic children, she discovered an unexpected artistic direction.

The journey began with a fifty-dollar bill and twenty-one discarded leather coats found at a flea market. Around the same time, Susan inherited several World War II-era canvas bags from her father-in-law. He had waterproofed them using melted candle wax, creating a distinctive texture and patina that immediately captured her imagination. Through experimentation and persistence, Susan learned to recreate that rich character in her own hand-waxed canvas.

Today, she combines reclaimed leather, waxed canvas, and durable construction techniques to design and build functional works of art. Every piece is unique, thoughtfully crafted, and tells a story through the materials from which it was made.

Materials & Process

Susan sources much of her leather from thrift stores and charitable organizations that directly support their local communities. She incorporates high-quality industrial hardware and works primarily with natural-fibre materials, including cotton canvas, linen, and cotton linings.

Although she once vowed never to stitch another thing after thirty years of racquet stringing, stitching has become a defining element of her work. Each piece features carefully selected waxed threads and durable construction techniques designed to create bags that are both beautiful and built to last.