New York - July 10, 2009

This Little Piggy Went to Market Bags

Dutzi Rescue Bags from Mexico

Ever since the paparazzi caught Speidi roaming the beaches of Mexico, tourists have been running for the hills, leaving locals desolate. (Fine, swine flu helped.)

Designer Ariane Dutzi is working on a bailout: Dutzi Rescue Bags. Identifiable by their sardonic and sweetly charming pig stamps, the totes are just one of the many styles handcrafted south of the border by a community of about twenty women, ages 17 to 70 (their lives are far from scripted).

Each piece of burlap is handpicked by the former Paris fashion editor, hand cut, and specially treated to keep the fabric from shedding. Leather details, colorful handles, cotton lining, and an interior pocket give the market bag some form.

All profits flow back to the Yucatán-based workshop, where women are encouraged to be aware of their own finances and independence.

A reality check even fake celebs need.

Available at Maryam Nassir Zadeh, 123 Norfolk Street, between Rivington and Delancey Streets (212-673-6405); Auto, 805 Washington Street, between Horatio and Gansevoort Streets (212-229 2292 or thisisauto.com). To see styles, go to dutzidesign.com.