From Lawyer to Bag Lady

    NEW YORK, NY, May 15, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- "My journey from lawyer to bag lady has been an adventure," notes Quilted Koala's Founder, Stephanie Oppenheim.

"I always wanted to be a lawyer. So with tunnel vision I landed my dream job at at White & Case -- one of the nation's top law firms. I had the fancy office, a ridiculously big salary and a killer wardrobe to go with it. The problem. I hated it. Big corporate practices move at a glacial pace and the role of a junior associate can be soul sucking. So I changed gears."

Stephanie left corporate litigation at White & Case behind to start the independent consumer organization, toyportfolio.com with her mother, noted author Joanne Oppenheim. Most people know her from NBC's TODAY Show - where she has been a Contributor covering the best toys for kids.

"While I love reviewing products, I was craving a more creative outlet. That's how Quilted Koala started. Our family has been in the textile business for 95 years -- but we had never made finished products. Our mission is to create bags that are fun, pretty and don't take themselves too seriously. For example, our best-selling East West Bag is both classic and refined in design, but it also gets a little cheeky when we add a word or design in glitter. And who doesn't love glitter?"

Manufacturing products is a whole new world from being a professional critic. "There's the thrill of creating something that people respond to with excitement. And when something doesn't work -- you need to take a deep breath and move on, quickly."

"One of the best parts of starting a new business is our team and the number of truly amazing people who have adopted me on this journey." Oppenheim admits "At first being mentored, rather than mentoring others felt a little strange, but I quickly realized the vast amount of things I didn't know. I'm no longer shy about asking."

Quilted Koala's new Backpack Campaign can now be found on Indiegogo. "I'm obsessed with our line of super light backpacks. We decided to reach out to the crowd funding community for this project and the response has been terrific. We're learning that putting something out there isn't enough. We have amazing products -- so it's all about getting people to discover our brand. We know once they experience our products, we have a loyal customer."

"If you were to tell my 8-year-old self, who aspired to be a Supreme Court Justice, that I would be become a bag lady-- I probably wouldn't have believed you. But even then I loved a good bag!

And if I'm a cautionary tale, it's to embrace change, creativity and to follow your passion -- and, of course, always carry a terrific bag!"

About Quilted Koala Ltd.

Quilted Koala Ltd. is a New York based design company founded by Stephanie Oppenheim and David Weinstein.

About the Boy with the Koala:
There once was a boy whose grandma brought back treasures from all over the world. On one special trip, she brought him a koala bear. This little boy became completely attached to his bear, who he named Sugar Stuff.

Now while his siblings thought about becoming astronauts, firefighters,doctors - this little boy always wanted to go into the family business. In 1920, his grandpa started selling corduroy and his father offered fabrics for apparel.

Following in their tradition, he started a company that makes beautifully crafted fabric for quilters. You can see them all at Andover Fabrics.

That little boy grew up and got married. Together they just launched Quilted Koala with the mission of bringing those stunning and pleasing designs to a whole new audience. It's no accident that the first two collections are named Happy and Joyful. This is the spirit of the brand.

David Weinstein and Stephanie Oppenheim are the co-founders of Quilted Koala. David brings his experience from Andover Fabrics. Stephanie is well-known in toyland as the creator of toyportfolio.com and as a Contributor to NBC's TODAY Show.

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