Barbara Zabawa

CEO/Founder , Pursesuitz, LLC

I am a lawyer, educator and entrepreneur. I am launching Pursesuitz, LLC, a fashion tech business that adorns ambitious women with stylish clothes that have functional and secure pockets for necessities like your smart phone, wallet, keys and small cosmetics. Pursesuitz's mission is to support gender equality in the workplace without sacrificing feminine style. I currently operate my own law firm, the Center for Health and Wellness Law, LLC, and teach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I also co-direct the UWM Master's in Healthcare Administration program. I am a mother of teenage boy/girl twins, a runner (with my standard poodle), and a wife to a wonderful, supportive husband.

Women's workwear needs pockets for essential items like your smart phone, keys, wallet and small cosmetics, even on hot days when jackets with pockets may be uncomfortable. Pursesuitz's first clothing item will be a short-sleeve blouse with two layers: a shapewear layer with pockets near the belly, and a outer, fashionable layer to disguise the contents of the pockets so that the woman still looks crisp and professional. An entire line of professional clothing with functional pockets will follow. The target market is ambitious women who want to be free from worrying about or burdened by carrying a purse, particularly in professional settings. No more lost phone calls or keys because you can't find them quickly enough digging through your purse! No more awkward social functions wondering where to put your purse while trying to network and enjoy an event. No more gender inequality between men's and women's professional clothes.