When Seattle Seahawks punter Jon Ryan spotted Sarah Colonna on the TV show “Chelsea Lately”, he had an immediate crush. Wanting a chance to meet the witty and beautiful comedian, Jon approached a mutual friend (Ross Mathews) and asked him to introduce the two. Ross, who was also on Chelsea Lately at the time, just happened to be a big Seahawks fan. Ross made a deal with Jon – he would introduce the two only if the Seahawks won their next game.
Needless to say…Jon Ryan won more than just a game that day.
Two years later, Ross Mathews officiated the wedding of the NFL star and the actress/comedian/best-selling author. The nuptials added another role to Sarah's busy life – that of an NFL wife.
Sarah has embraced her new role as the spouse of Seattle's favorite Canadian. She has a deep love for the loyal and (very) loud fans of the Seattle Seahawks. In fact, she has embraced all aspects of being a 12…..except one. Sarah, just like every other football fan, had to comply with the NFL's clear-bag policy.
Putting her entrepreneurial skills to use, Sarah decided to come up with a solution for the female NFL fan…a solution that would fit the size requirement and allow them to take a regular purse to NFL games. She calls her new line of purses “Clutch Women”.
Sarah was gracious enough to answer questions about her life with Jon, and the inspiration behind her new line of hand bags.
What's it like being an NFL wife?
It's fun. I wasn't sure what to expect from the other wives and what not…but they're all so nice and welcoming. It's definitely not like what you see on TV (like on the show “WAGs”) with everyone flying private jets and getting into fights. Sometimes I wish it was, lol.
Your thoughts on Seattle? The 12s?
It's the best, truly. I'm blown away every time I am at a game and see the energy of the 12s. They're also such a great fan base…always so nice and you can truly see their love of the team.
Is Jon as funny as you?
I swear Jon is funnier than I am. He just doesn't get paid for it.
Tell us about Clutch Women. How did you get the idea?
I was carrying my stuff in a plastic bag one day last year, and to be frank it was smack in the middle of my “time of the month” as one might like to call it. I was so annoyed that I can't have privacy or something nice to carry to a game that I might want to also use outside of a game. So, I came up with the idea to make a nice, sporty but fashionable clutch that is the exact size they'll allow for a non-clear bag (‘no larger than 4.5×6.5' as they state in their policy).
That size is hard to find, and when you do find it it's usually a little thing made of cloth and/or has logos all over it. I thought why not make a nice purse, out of great material that also won't get ruined at a game (you can see all the material features on our website clutchwomen.com under “FAQs”—it's even stain resistant!).
Many concert venues are even enforcing this policy so it's a purse you'd want to carry on a night out, not just a game day purse. They're made in the USA, too, which was important to me. The factory is about 5 miles from my house in LA…it's so cool to go by and be hands on with the entire process.
Then, the final idea was to add the inspirational messages inside.
Do you design all the purses?
Yes, along with a woman who has her own line (shout out to M. Andonia!). I hadn't done this before, so I came to her with my ideas and she helped it come to a reality. I love that it can be worn on the shoulder or around your hip (there's a secret sleeve on the back if you wanna go hands free). It was so fun to have a part in the design.
Was it your idea to have the inspirational message inside?
It was! I wanted something extra special about the purses, and women lifting each other up is something I find really important. So, the idea came to me of the different meanings of the word “clutch.” I thought: if a player can be “Clutch,” so can we. And I feel like what makes you a “Clutch” woman, friend, wife, etc…are certain things about your personality. So that's what I wrote in the lining: You're strong, You're loyal, you're Independent, you're fearless…you're clutch.
It's fun to open the purse and see a little reminder of why you're a bad ass.
The purses are selling out quickly. Will there be more in stock
soon?
soon?
Yes. We have a new stock of the solid navy, which is the perfect compliment to the Seahawks Navy jersey. We had a limited amount of the Blue with the green sides, which were really popular as well. Those will be back in stock end of October. If anyone wants to stay in the loop on that, subscribe to the website. I'll be emailing that list when they're back.
Will you expand this to other teams' colors?
My hope is to expand to every team color. I had to start small, since it was a big investment and I'm learning as I go. But the feedback has been so amazing. I can't wait to have every color combo. Obviously I started with Seahawks first.
And finally….what is your prediction for the Seahawks this season?
SUPER BOWL CHAMPS
With the Seattle home opener just a week away, get your Clutch Women purse right away. After all, if Sarah is right about her prediction for the season, we have A LOT of games ahead of us. GO HAWKS!
To purchase a Clutch Women purse, visit their website:
www.clutchwomen.com
