I became a mum at 32, and for a decade I carried handbags that were either beautiful or useful — never both. The pretty leather one that couldn't fit a water bottle. The "mum bag" that made me feel invisible. I kept telling myself it didn't matter. It mattered.

It wasn't really about the bag. It was about the slow feeling of being flattened into a role and wondering whether the woman I used to be was still in there somewhere.

One Sunday, I was moaning about it to my sister Rachel over a cold cup of tea, and she said the thing that changed everything:

"Sophie, you've been complaining about this for a decade. Make the bag yourself."

So we did.

We called it Maisify — after Rachel's daughter Maisie, who was seven at the time and had just asked, "Why are all your bags either ugly or really expensive?"

We didn't have a good answer. So we built one.

The Maisify Original is roomy enough for nappies, snacks, your phone, your keys and your lipstick — yes, all of it. Beautiful enough that you don't feel like you've given up. With a strap that fits every body — petite, tall, curvy, pregnant, postpartum. All of us.

I still read every review. I still reply to emails myself. And I still get a bit emotional every time someone tags us wearing Maisify on the school run, at a festival, or chasing toddlers around the park.

So if you're here — welcome. You're one of us now.

Sophie — Co-founder, Maisify
P.S. Rachel says hi. And Maisie — now nine — says she wants a pink one.