The patented bag is free of phthalates
Britt Gardner (far left) and Erin Jewett have a patent for their WODA (“water” in Polish) Bag, designed to withstand the chaos often faced when traveling to the beach, while also remaining free of phthalates.
On a sun-drenched morning on Sullivan’s Island, two mothers met with sandy toddlers in tow and a shared frustration. They couldn’t find a beach bag built to withstand the chaos of coastal living; nothing created for messes, nor designed to endure. That moment sparked WODA, a Charleston brand rooted in maternal intuition and an unwavering standard for quality.
Cofounders Erin Jewett, a former nurse, and Britt Gardner, a civil engineer, began to envision a backpack that could survive soggy swimsuits, sandy toys, and spilled snacks. “We knew if we made it, it would change our lives,” Jewett recalls. “And that’s been the feedback we’ve gotten from customers—it really is a game changer.”
Molded from EVA—a waterproof, quick-drying, and phthalate-free foam—the WODA Bag is engineered to be indestructible and safe. “The nontoxic part was huge for us,” Gardner explains. “You’re holding this up against your skin, and babies chew on everything. It’s free of phthalates, which are hormone disruptors. And as moms, that matters to us.”
The bag’s one-piece construction, secured by a lockable lid, features a proprietary handle that props the top open, making it easy to load. Mildew-resistant straps and a flat base ensure the bag stands upright. “It’s evolved into an everything bag. People are using it for hiking, hunting, gardening, the dog park—you name it,” says Jewett.
The founders took the long road to get every detail right. “The design process took years,” Jewett says. “We heard ‘no’ from many factories who said the bag was too big or had too many holes for injection molding.” That process—high-pressure molding of EVA into a seamless form—requires a custom mold and a partner willing to take a chance. After three years of mock-ups, renderings, and prototypes, they found a factory in Taiwan that met their standards. “We’ve shipped six containers in a year,” says Gardner.
In 2024, WODA received a utility patent for its unique structure. Since launching presales in December 2023, Jewett and Gardner have sold more than 3,000 bags in six colors, fielded wholesale requests nationwide, and landed in regional retailers such as Wonder Works and Palmetto Moon.
WODA is defined by a sense of purpose. “We want our daughters to see us build something from the ground up,” says Jewett. With custom branding partnerships, new colorways, and accessories on the horizon, the founders are buoyed by the community that inspired it all. “We started with a need,” says Gardner, “but it’s grown into something so much bigger.”
By the Numbers
■ 2: Years in business
■ 3,000: Bags sold since launch
■ 6: Colorways available
■ 30: Number of brick-and-mortar wholesale accounts
