Co-founders Tere Stevens (seated) and Barb Kulesz
After years in the corporate world, Darien residents Tere Stevens and Barb Kulesz turned to handbag design to channel their shared love of travel, fashion and fine craftsmanship into something tangible. The creation of The Furies Collective is an inspiring example of how reinvention in midlife can be both challenging and deeply rewarding.
The two women met years ago through a local tennis program—but it was over countless coffees and candid conversations about reentering the workforce that the idea for a business began to take shape. Both founders arrived at fashion through unconventional paths. Stevens, who grew up in France while her father worked abroad, built an early career in banking before stepping away to raise her children. After years of volunteering and a brief return to consulting, she found herself drawn back to a long-held passion for style and design.
Kulesz brings a complementary, global perspective. Raised by European parents who exposed her to diverse cultures from an early age, she earned an MBA and enjoyed a successful career in software marketing during the early tech boom. In the early 2000s, she left the corporate world to launch a leather handbag business in Argentina (her husband’s native country) gaining hands-on expertise in sourcing, manufacturing and small-batch production. The project was put on hold while she raised three daughters, but her dream of creating a brand never faded.
Effortlessly bohemian: the Talitha tote in Grey Clouds.
The Carolyn tote in Champagne is a modern classic—soft leather, everyday elegance.
Sleek silver paired with bright blue for effortless, modern organization.
Both women decided it was the right time to reenter the workforce. As Stevens recalls, “It became clear that getting back into the workforce in your late 40s and early 50s was challenging,” and the duo began developing the handbag line. They identified a gap in the market: bags that rejected “quiet luxury” and logo-driven pricing in favor of quality, color and personality. Produced in limited quantities by a third-generation, family-run workshop in Argentina, each bag is crafted with meticulous attention to construction, using quality leathers and hardware.
Stevens says, “The women I know want a little personality. They don’t want to spend a fortune for a bag that they might eventually spill an entire water bottle or hand sanitizer all over— both of which I have done.”
The brand’s name reflects that ethos. “We loved the idea of reclaiming something powerful that had been misunderstood,” says Stevens. “The Furies felt like women who have lived, learned and aren’t afraid to take up space.” For Kulesz, the name also signals duality: “There’s strength and beauty in experience. That’s what these bags—and this chapter of our lives—are about.”
For more, visit thefuriescollective.com.