Cape Cod Weaver Puts $2,750 Price Tag On Leather Nantucket Baskets

Whale Tail Weaving, founded by Cape Cod native Bridget Wiatrowski, said on October 6, 2026 that it has begun selling a handbag line that reworks the Nantucket Lightship Basket in leather rather than wood, according to an announcement distributed by PR Newswire.

The line includes three shapes: a clutch at $950, a bucket bag at $1,950 and a tote at $2,750. Each is woven by hand from Italian vegetable-tanned leather, with gold hardware and carved knobs meant to echo the wooden originals. The company said the bags keep the baskets' woven surface, rigid base and rims, and are pitched as year-round items rather than summer accessories.

Wiatrowski, a second-generation basket weaver who started the business in 2017, spent two years developing a leather-weaving technique for the design. "Leather gave me a way to do that while still honoring its traditional elements," she said. The company said the design carries trade dress registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The launch follows what the release described as rising demand for basket bags. Citing The New York Times, the company said one long-established Nantucket retailer reported sales up more than 40% from a year earlier, and that an estimated six or seven full-time basket makers still work on the island.

This story was first reported by PR Newswire.