When Rupa Wickrama was at Gene Juarez a few years ago, she noticed many of her fellow salon goers using reusable grocery bags to carry their things.

It was then that the Redmond resident realized there weren’t really any good reusable bags out there that were also stylish.

From this observation came the birth of her business.

Wickrama began working on her business plan for Saky Sacks, which sells fashionable reusable bags, two years ago and since then, the Montreal transplant’s bags have been catching the eyes of not just the average woman, but Hollywood as well.

Wickrama’s Saky Sacks have been selected as the gift bag for the 46th Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday. The bags will be given to show presenters, performers, VIPs and media. The award show will be broadcast on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

This is the second time Saky Sacks has been chosen as the gift bag for an award show. They were also selected for the American Music Awards last November and received a very good response from celebrities.

“It’s very encouraging,” Wickrama said. “It’s nice to be considered that cool.”

Saky Sacks are sold online at www.sakysacks.com as well as clothing boutiques, gift shops and other speciality retailers in more than 20 states. Locally, they are available at the Pro Shop in Gold’s Gym at 7956 178th N.E. in Redmond. They are also available in a few stores on the Eastside, including via lago, a women’s clothing boutique at 129 Lake Street S. in Kirkland.

Wickrama brought in artwork in to show her friend and via lago store owner Chapman Fina for creative feedback as well as the other woman’s opinion whether she would be able to sell the bags in the shop. Fina thought they would do very well and she was right.

“Everybody loved them,” she said referring Saky Sacks first appearance in via lago. “It was great to see the momentum of them build from the start.”

Fina said one of the reasons the bags worked so well in her store was because they were paired with clothing, which helped women envision their entire look and how the bags would go with their outfits. She said if they were sold in a bookstore, they probably would not do as well.

Both women said the bags can be used to carry a variety of things from groceries and gym clothes, to beachwear and children’s things.

“Why shouldn’t a reusable bag be for anything besides groceries?” Wickrama asked.

Before starting Saky Sacks, Wickrama’s career was in the fashion industry. She had progressively climbed up the corporate ladder, but the higher she got, the more removed she became from the creative process that first attracted her to the industry.

“I just felt like I wanted to get back to that,” she said.

She moved to Redmond with her husband, who is from Seattle, about eight years ago and worked for a company that specialized in promotional products before she started Saky Sacks.

The bags come in three sizes: the Saky Weekend, large enough for weekend trips and traveling; the City Saky, good for everyday use; and the Sakcessories for smaller items such as wallets, keys, cell phones and cosmetics. The bags are $25, $20 and $15 respectively — the latter price being for a set of two bags.

Saky Sacks come in a number of patterns, are tear, stain and water resistant and can be rolled up for easy storage and portability. They are made from Tyvek, a material derived from natural gas.

“It’s very strong and lightweight,” Wickrama said.

She added that the bags are also machine washable and can be recycled.