FAQs – POOLSIDE

We offer a core selection of stock and custom bags, which we will always have until they are retired. In addition, we have four collections each year, which we offer to retailers. Any of the non-core bags on our website are made in EXTREMELY small quantities and are all limited edition.

POOLSIDE's founder, Ashleigh Stone, started the brand in 2015 when she opened a multi-brand boutique called "Poolside Collective" in Montauk. The boutique stocked up-and-coming brands from around the world, all of which were extremely appropriate for vacation and poolside lifestyle. The brand quickly grew with a cult-following of locals and visitors from around the world, who would look forward to shopping at Poolside Collective each summer.

The one thing Ashleigh didn't sell in her store was straw beach bags, because she could never find ones that she loved. Ashleigh launched the POOLSIDE collection of handbags in Summer 2016, via her store, her own website and an exclusive global distribution partnership with Moda Operandi.

Ashleigh's store, Poolside Collective, was located next to a 1950's vintage pool at a boutique hotel in Montauk. The POOLSIDE brand was launching within that store. Inspired by the nostalgia and lifestyle that swimming pools represent, Ashleigh hopes to create a brand that is both classic, fun, and inspiring.

We currently produce our bags in Morocco, India and The Philippines. In Morocco, we work with a women's cooperative, where artisans weave and embroider each bag by hand. Similarly, in India, we work with a female-only weaving school, which creates work and financial independence for artisans.

Our products are made 100% by hand, using natural materials and sustainable processes. Different types of straw are woven to create our bags. The bags are finished with lining, finishings, leather, shells and more.