Most parents of college students will probably fork over a sacred family heirloom or a modest wad of a cash upon their child’s long-anticipated college graduation. However, 2008 University graduate Daniel Austin Rice’s parents proudly slapped his name across an entire line of designer handbags.

It all started when Allen Rice, Daniel’s father, was devastated by the loss of his business’s biggest client. For almost thirty years, Savannah Luggage Works of Vidalia, Ga., owned by Allen and his brother David, was the contractor of world-renowned luxury luggage company, Tumi. Once Tumi was bitten by the outsourcing bug, Savannah Luggage Works was left high and dry.

In October 2001, after a few “lucky breaks,” the company started making body armor vests for the U.S. Military. However, Allen Rice’s dream was not to make armor but ladies’ handbags. In 2006 Rice started working to make his dream a reality. After months of designing and creating, the bags materialized but needed a name. Allen, who had always liked his son’s name and was infinitely proud of him for his scholastic accomplishment, decided to call the line Daniel Austin.

“I’ve worked in his factory my entire life, so I’ve seen how it’s made,” Daniel Rice said. “I’m not into purses, being a guy, but I think it’s really cool to see a woman walking down the street with my name on her purse.”

Daniel Austin handbags come in five different styles and natural fabrics.

“They’re made to a very high quality standard,” said Allen Rice. “More for a woman who appreciates classic beauty and practicality. It’s not real wild-looking.”