Looking to carry a crafted bag with a clear conscience? Here in the UK we’ve already had 3 years of getting used to bringing our own bag to the supermarket to cut down on plastic – Blue Planet II’s impact is reaching far and wide. And now you might be thinking what else can I do.
When it comes to your handbag do you know how to take another step towards considering the environment? Be ready to navigate the talk of ‘eco’, sustainable, ethical and vegan. If you’re not sure where to begin I might just have the starting point for you.
I have 10 brands that all have a point of view. And if you’re nervous about the quality of design, in the words of Stella McCartney don’t let vocabulary such as eco create ‘images of oatmeal-coloured fashion…lacking in any sort of luxury or beauty, detailing or desirability’. And she is right and I hope the shots from these brands’ instagram feeds demonstrate.
Bottletop – started as design collaboration with the iconic British fashion house Mulberry; supporting artisans in Africa and local health education projects, using bottletops. The team behind this brand are constantly seeking sustainable materials to drive their collection forward. Loving this black bag, can totally work for corporate days.
Matt and Nat – originated from Canada, ‘material and nature’ is behind this brand, quite literally and they want to celebrate nature and work to protect it. They don’t use leather or other animal based materials. Even their linings are made out of 100% recycled plastic bottles. A brand whose designs I’ve coveted for a while when I came across one of their crossbody bags over 10 years ago in a tiny boutique in London. Love this red bag with strap options.
Charles & Keith – is a brand that starts from a point of social and environmental responsibility with new initiatives each year to support progress, continued sustainability and conservation. You’ll find footwear as well as handbags on their website and in their growing store locations. Love this mustard crossbody.
Wilby bags – offers you a collection of bags and accessories including the ever popular saddle bag, ideal to be thrown crossbody for a day around a city. Made in U.K, Wilby created a vegan fashion range specialising in animal free products that are certified for legitimacy as well as being eco sensitive and environmentally aware.
Denise Roobol – is a vegan bag and accessories brand from Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Denise uses high-tech vegan materials. By the usage of these new materials, she demonstrates that it’s definitely possible to have fashionable vegan products. Check out this cool blue bag and clutch.
Lost Property of London – sustainability was at the heart of their beginnings by salvaging vintage items and surplus fabrics – think coffee sacks and sail cloth. The team use a wider range of natural materials with non polluting effects. They source the materials from local artisans and suppliers from across Europe. And just like their materials, their diverse range of designs cover backpacks, totes to handbags.
Walk with Me – from Barcelona in Spain was founded 6 years ago. This brand is coveted for its innovative and design-driven travel accessories – typically handmaking their bags in recycled leather which is super soft. Below is just an example of the brand’s clean lines – their latest tall tote or book bag.
LaBante – a London based designer who is focused on using recycled materials. In fact, according to their website, they have already saved 10 million bottles from the landfills. The brand is born out of a love fashion, animals and the planet. It has a strong following with both vegans and vegetarians. For the autumn, this is the brown Agnes backpack.
A brand that designs for both men and women, Sandqvist is a Scandinavian brand that aims to create long lasting everyday bags that have that stylish edge, whilst caring for the environment. They only use organic cotton and this season all synethetic fabrics, like this backpack contains recycled fibres. Sustainable fashionforms part of this business’s goals.
Last but by no means least, Charlie Feist. This is a clear minded bag brand, creating vegan backpacks, again sported by both men and women. Check out the colours for Autumn in their instagram post below. Did you know the brand, whilst British, is named after named after a dog in the United States who was bred to assist tired travellers on long trails.
There you have it, a run down of 10 bag designers, for both men and women ,who have style jumping out from their instagram feeds whilst having the planet at the heart of the business. It is great to share with you that there are brands that are constantly seeking new sustainable materials and processes to bring bags to you so you can carry what’s important to you whilst keeping your footprint light on the environment and thinking about the future of their sources of materials.
A big thank you to these brands for their style and sustainability!
Bagwhispers 