Today we’d like to introduce you to Ivy Winfrey.
Hi Ivy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m Ivy Winfrey, but many in Dallas first came to know me as DJ Poizon Ivy, the official DJ for the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Wings, and formerly a DJ/voice on K104 and 97.9 The Beat. Music was my first passport: it gave me a platform, it gave me community, and it gave me a way to hold space for people through sound. Being a DJ was never just about playing songs; it was about reading the room, setting the tone, and creating an atmosphere where people felt both hyped and held.
That same instinct, to create environments where people feel seen, safe, and alive, eventually led me beyond music. For years, while I was behind the turntables, I was also navigating the dual weight of being a mother, a cultural worker, and a dreamer. On one hand, I was living the vision: big stages, big moments. On the other hand, I was managing the quiet realities of survival, stability, and showing up for family. That tension, between ambition and care, survival and vision never left me.
Fashion became the next language for me to express it. I’ve always believed what we carry says as much about us as what we wear. A bag, in particular, felt like the perfect canvas: it’s both deeply personal and entirely public. It’s not just an accessory, it’s a declaration.
That’s where Two Bags was born. What started as a bag line quickly revealed itself as something much bigger: a belief system made wearable. A reminder that women shouldn’t have to choose between thriving and surviving. That we carry both, our purpose and our presence, our hustle and our healing—and deserve tools, spaces, and rituals that honor all of it.
The first collection, starting with the Dual Tote, is just the entry point. From there, Two Bags is evolving into an app (think part journal, part wellness space, part cultural hub) and into IRL experiences where women can connect and pour back into each other. My vision is to redefine “retail therapy” as something restorative and intelligent: not just buying to escape, but buying as an act of becoming.
So while many may still know me as DJ Poizon Ivy, I see Two Bags as a continuation of that same work: creating the soundtrack, the spaces, and now the symbols for women navigating more than one truth at a time.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not at all, and I think that’s what makes Two Bags what it is. The road has been full of tension, the same tension the brand is built to honor.
Capital. Raising capital as a Black woman founder is notoriously difficult, and I’ve experienced that firsthand. The numbers don’t lie. Less than 1% of venture capital goes to women like me, and every conversation is not just about the business, but about proving your worth and your vision in ways others aren’t asked to. I’ve had to bootstrap, stretch, and get creative with every step.
Trust. On the consumer side, I learned quickly that trust isn’t automatic. When I sent out my first email, the biggest drop-off happened at the moment I shared my heart. That stung, but it also revealed something powerful: people are exhausted. They’re cautious. They want to believe, but survival mode doesn’t leave much room for reflection. That insight became central to Two Bags: retail therapy should be redefined as ritual, not impulse.
Convincing people to buy. In today’s market, asking someone to invest in a new bag line—especially one that costs more than “fast fashion” options—can feel like asking them to make a leap of faith. And in some ways, it is. But that’s also the point: I’m not asking people to buy a bag; I’m inviting them into a belief system, a movement. The challenge is that this requires rewiring how we all think about luxury, self-care, and ownership.
The paradox. I live in the same tension as my customers: building for the long term while paying today’s bills, daring to thrive while still needing to survive. It’s the exact “two bags” we all carry, and it’s why I believe so deeply that this brand couldn’t have been born any other way.
The struggles have been real: funding, convincing, translating vision into action. But every challenge has sharpened the philosophy. Two Bags isn’t about avoiding the hard road; it’s about honoring what it takes to walk it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve always thought of myself less as someone who does one “job” and more as someone who creates spaces for people to feel something. For over a decade, I’ve been known as DJ Poizon Ivy, the official DJ for the Dallas Mavericks, the WNBA’s Dallas Wings, and a fixture on K104 and 97.9 The Beat. Music was my first language of storytelling, a way to hold a crowd, shape energy, and reflect culture back to itself.
But over time, I realized that my artistry wasn’t limited to sound. It was about how people carry themselves, how they honor their dual identities: as dreamers and doers, as builders and nurturers. That’s what led me into fashion and ultimately to create Two Bags, the world’s first emotionally intelligent luxury line.
With Two Bags, I’m building something far bigger than accessories. It’s a belief system made wearable — a collection of bags, an app, and IRL experiences designed to reimagine what “retail therapy” means. It’s not about buying to fill a void, but buying to anchor a truth. Every detail, from the stitching to the storytelling, is about giving women permission to carry what matters and put down what no longer serves them.
I’m most proud of the way my career has evolved without compromise. I’ve been able to move from being recognized as a DJ to being respected as a founder, storyteller, and designer, all while staying true to my identity as a mother, a woman of faith, and a cultural pioneer.
What sets me apart is the duality I live and create from. I don’t see ambition and care, survival and vision, or hustle and healing as opposites. I see them as the fabric of who we are. Two Bags is my way of making that visible in the world.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
For me, the most important quality has been emotional intelligence. I actually built Two Bags for people like me… the ones who were always told they “feel too much.” For years, I saw my sensitivity as a liability because the world framed it that way. But in reality, it’s been my superpower.
Emotional intelligence has allowed me to read a room when I’m DJing, to connect deeply with people across cultures, and now, to design a brand that doesn’t just look good but feels good. It’s what helps me build community, anticipate needs, and create things that resonate on a soul level.
I believe the future belongs to people who can combine strategy with empathy, ambition with care. That’s the foundation of everything I’ve built, and it’s what sets Two Bags apart.
Pricing:
- $295
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mytwobags.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mytwobags/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MyTwoBags
- Other: https://mytwobags.typeform.com/intake
