Kelly Frye Debuts the Kelly Campbell Collection, One-of-a-Kind Handbags From Artists’ Drop Cloths

For years, the idea lived quietly in the background of Kelly Frye’s life, filed somewhere between ambition and timing. In her twenties, while pursuing acting in Los Angeles, she imagined upcycling retired Broadway and ballet backdrops into handbags: pieces that could carry not just personal style, but the history of performance itself. “I loved the idea of getting to wear a unique, chic bag that was also a piece of art history,” she says. 

But like many early ideas, it waited.

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A finished bag reveals the gesture and color of the artist’s original process. (Photo by Baptiste Despois, Zenko Photography)

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A detail of the paint-stained canvas that gives each bag its singular character. (Photo by Baptiste Despois, Zenko Photography)

An unexpected canvas

The turning point came years later in Austin in a completely different creative context. Now married to art advisor Nick Campbell, Frye found herself immersed in artists’ studios  —  spaces layered with process, texture and the kind of behind-the-scenes material most people never see. During a visit to Sara Carter’s art studio, something clicked. Carter was describing a new series built from the remnants of her practice, and Frye says, “It was then that I thought, ‘Oh! Maybe I can create upcycled handbags with artist drop cloths!’”

In that moment, the concept evolved: not performing arts backdrops, but art studio drop cloths — canvases already alive with gesture, color and movement. Austin, with its growing art scene and spirit of collaboration, became fertile ground. 

Working with a local seamstress, she refined a pattern through trial and error, and wore one to the Aspen Art Fair. The response was immediate. “I had at least a dozen people come up and ask me about my bags. This was before I had a name for the company, a website or price point,” Frye says. A second test run at Untitled Art, Houston confirmed it: this wasn’t just a personal project. It was something people wanted to be part of.

Made by hand, signed twice

Today, each piece in the Kelly Campbell Collection begins the same way: with an artist. Frye provides a blank canvas to be used as a drop cloth during the artist’s process. Once complete, she steps in, not as a traditional designer, but as an editor. “I’m not designing but rather listening to where the canvas speaks to me,” she says. Each bag is then constructed from four carefully selected pieces, assembled and finished by hand, and signed by both Frye and the artist — a true collaboration in every sense. The roster of artists has grown organically, from early collaborator Carter to artists like Alexis Sones and Aaron Parazette, each bringing a distinct visual language to the work.

That spirit of collaboration extends beyond aesthetics. Artists receive 20% of proceeds, with an additional 5% directed to a nonprofit of their choosing. “It was important to me that the artist got as much as I could give them while giving the business enough room to grow,” she explains. 

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Frye carefully selects the sections of each canvas that will become a bag. (Photo by Roger Ho)

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Frye poses in the studio of artist Sara Carter, whose work sparked the idea for the collection. (Photo by Roger Ho)

The story it carries

For Frye, whose career as an actress has long centered on storytelling, this new medium feels like a natural extension. Launched under her married name, the collection also marks a personal shift. “It felt like the perfect time to use my married name and honor our union,” she says, while still holding space for the career that came before. The result is something that exists between worlds — art and fashion, object and story, past and present.

That sense of story is embedded in every piece — not just in its origin, but in its future. The canvas softens with wear, developing a patina unique to its owner. No two are alike, and that’s the point. “Not very much feels one of one in fashion these days,” Frye says. “I love when a fashion piece makes you feel special.”

Looking ahead, Frye is thinking expansively, both locally and globally. In Austin, she’s interested in deeper partnerships with cultural institutions, imagining ways the collection could support museums and nonprofits. The collection, like the materials themselves, continues to evolve.

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