Sarah Jessica Parker Judges Fifth-annual Etsy Design Awards, Gives Style Tips on ‘Cactus Leather’

Kaley Roshitsh
·2 min read
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Etsy called in a special set of style eyes for its annual design competition.

“And Just Like That” star Sarah Jessica Parker joined Etsy’s trend team, led by Dayna Isom Johnson, to handpick 150 finalists and category winners from thousands of entries around the world. The winners of the fifth-annual Etsy design awards included grand prize winner and Venezuelan-born designer Maria Gabriela Duque. A former electrical engineering student, Duque’s passions led her to create modern, sustainable handbags from vegan cactus leather.

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Parker didn’t hesitate when asked about how she’d incorporate the winning design. “I’m obviously quite impressed with Maria Duque’s grand prize-winning convertible cactus leather bag and all of the creative ways you can style it. It could be worn as a crossbody with a pair of jeans, or by the wooden bangle as a clutch to a more formal event. No matter how the bag is worn, all of the intricate handcrafted details can add a lovely pop of color and personality to an outfit,” she said. Parker will not be part of the mentorship for the awards.

Duque takes home $25,000 and a suite of perks, including an Etsy gift card, listing credits, ad credits, a winner shop badge and the like. The two other award winners received $1,500 and the marketing perks. Winners included the cotton and hemp sweatshirt from Object Apparel, in men’s design, and embroidered sailor pants by Sweet Allene, in women’s design. Additional finalists included Lauren Winter Co.’s knot jumpsuit, Justin Duance’s gold signet ring made using a sandstone mold for a more natural look, and a botanical dyed wool beret from ElizaDotDesign, among others.

Though a robust prize package, Etsy design awards winners and finalists don’t receive any boost in search placements under Etsy Ads. Etsy said it will promote the winning sellers on-site and across marketing. Today, Etsy counts 5.9 million active sellers.

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