Go Dash Dot bids adieu to the bulk

The functional accessories brand led by 26-year-old Hannah Fastov empowers women by eliminating bag bulk, and teaching valuable skills to those in need.

Hannah Fastov was tired of being dragged down.

By her bags, that is.

As a postgraduate living and working in New York City, the Scarsdale native found herself ending each day with some three pocketbooks by her side.

“Sometimes I would cancel plans because I would feel uncomfortable,” she says, referring to the physical and social discomfort that came with lugging around the bulky baggage.

The on-the-go gal’s weekday regime consisted of a pre-work fitness routine, followed by a corporate job and post-work activities with friends. And with each commitment meriting specific attire, Fastov packed her essentials into separate bags.  

“My life was being held back by my bags,” she says. “But then, I thought, ‘There’s got to be a solution.’”

Shortly thereafter, Dash Dash Dot Dash Dash Dash — Go Dash Dot, for short — was born. The functional accessories brand — created for “healthy hustlers,” as Fastov refers to her clients — made its debut with the Infinity Bag, a handbag featuring various compartments to consolidate a woman’s everyday needs, all in one place. Separate sections can accommodate a full-size yoga mat or a pair of shoes, a water bottle and a laptop — cradled in a padded cushion — as well as zippered pockets for jewelry, makeup and the like and a pouch that snaps in and out of the bag, which can worn as a cross-body.

“I don’t want to be trendy,” Fastov says. “I don’t want to be the bag that you wear once and forget about. I want to be the bag that’s multifunctional, because that’s the bag you need and that’s the bag that we’ll give to you.”

Fastov is equally passionate about the philanthropic arm of her business. Through partnerships with women around the world, as well as My Sister’s Place — a national nonprofit with an office in White Plains that strives to end domestic violence and human trafficking — she aims to foster empowerment by welcoming other females into the production process. 

“I want to be a company with reliable products, but I also want to be reliable for women. I want other women to feel like we’re growing and helping each other,” she says. “It’s really amazing to me that I can make a difference.”

Sherab, a woman from Bhutan in Southeast Asia, handcrafts the straps used for the bag with a team of women. The straps, which feature rectangular pieces of woven fabric, are created similarly to a kera, an ankle-length dress that is customary for Bhutanese women. The women of the South Tribes, an initiative created to support migrant women from the southern tribes of Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia, make colorful tassels as personalized accessories for the bag. Proceeds from the purchase of the tassels are split between the South Tribes and My Sister’s Place.  

 “Sometimes it’s easy to forget that women may be suffering in our communities,” says Fastov, who serves on the junior board of My Sister’s Place. “That’s why I partnered with My Sister’s Place, because they do such an amazing job helping to support women in hard situations.”

But without even knowing the details behind Go Dash Dot, you can sense that power in its name.

“Dash Dash Dot Dash Dash Dash means, ‘Go,’ in Morse Code,” Fastov says “We fell in love with this name because these bags help you to ‘go,’ and Morse Code is the universal language. And that’s what these bags are: They’re universal. Whether you need a work bag, a travel bag or a gym bag, we’ve got you covered.”

In addition to the Infinity Bag, the brand includes a backpack and a weekender, with plans to add a baby bag, a men’s bag and women’s fashion bags.

For more, visit godashdot.com.

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1 Comment

  1. says: Ashley Summers

    Fantastic write-up! This bag is amazing and needs to be shared with the world. So easy to pack an entire day’s worth of activities in one bag. Hannah – you’re an amazing person for all of the help you are doing!

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