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The Best Vegan Leather Handbags (that are also sustainable)
As we become more mindful of the impact our choices have on our planet and its inhabitants, our fashion priorities are evolving. Gone are the days when we simply chased the trendiest accessories without considering their origins. Today, we're all about making informed decisions that harmonize with our values.
In this blog post, we're diving deep into the world of vegan leather handbags – a chic and compassionate choice that lets us strut our stuff with a clear conscience. If you have ever wondered about the different materials used in crafting vegan handbags, this post will help to break it down for you and will serve as a helpful guide when you come to choosing your next handbag.
Join us as we explore the spectrum of vegan leather alternatives, dissecting which ones align best with sustainability goals. Durability is often a concern on many people's minds when choosing their next handbag, so we'll be taking a look at how you can tell if a bag will stand the test of time.
Why should you shop vegan handbags?
There are a number of reasons why more people are choosing a vegan alternative when shopping for handbags now. The main reason is usually surrounding ethics and how people feel about using animals for fashion. More people are becoming aware of the realities of animal agriculture, and the fact that those same animals are suffering for fashion too. Whether you're vegan, vegetarian or simply an animal lover, you may feel that using an animal's skin, wool or fur doesn't align with your ethics and so you'll be opting for animal-free materials when you shop. There is also an ethical factor in regards to the humans who have to work with animal leather. The chemicals used in tanning animal leather are extremely toxic and tannery workers suffer cancer at high rates due to exposure to tanning chemicals, which are known carcinogens.
Another big reason people are increasingly switching to vegan leather handbags is for environmental reasons. While not all vegan leather alternatives are 100% sustainable themselves, we do know more about the true impact of using animal leather and how they compare against synthetic alternatives. A recent study by Collective Fashion Justice found that making cow skin leather is nearly seven times more climate impactful than synthetic leather by the square meter. The damage caused by animal leather on the environment includes toxic chemicals used for the tanning process, polluting waterways with factory wastewater, carbon emissions, plus excessive land and water use. We must factor in all the environmental impact of animal agriculture before the material is even produced, as this cannot be ignored from the process.
By choosing vegan handbags, we can actively reduce our environmental impact and reduce the number of animals killed for fashion.
What types of materials are used for vegan handbags?
There are more sustainable vegan alternatives to leather than ever before. Some are still in development and not widely available, but here are some that you can find on the market today:
Mirum - made of a blend of FSC certified natural rubber, natural colorants like charcoal, natural fillers like clays, plant-based oils and waxes.
Cork - made from the bark of cork trees (without the trees being cut down) and is completely biodegradable.
Mycelium - bio-based and produced from mycelium - the branching, root-like vegetation part of fungi.
Fruit leather (including orange, mango, pineapple, apple and grape) - 45% of all fruits and vegetables grown globally are discarded between the field and the plate. Fruit leather makes use of the waste of these different fruits and creates partly bio-based materials.
Cactus leather - made up of dried cactus powder backed on woven material.
Treekind - made from sustainably sourced wood, Treekind is completely free from plastic and recyclable, and estimated to use less than 1% of the water cow skin leather production does.
Washable paper - FSC trees can be used to create washable paper, a recyclable and biodegradable alternative to leather.
The most commonly used (and less sustainable) alternatives to leather include PVC and PU. These are not ideal as, although they still have a far reduced impact compared to animal-derived materials, they require fossil fuel extraction and do not biodegrade. However, you can get recycled PU leather which doesn't require extracting new fossil fuels, hugely reducing its environmental impact.
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Are vegan leather handbags durable?
Durability is the main issue people seem to have with vegan leather goods, they often worry they won't last as long or will 'peel' as it's believed that vegan leather is often thinner than animal leather. However, if you've ever been into a vintage shop or thrift store and found an animal leather jacket or bag, you'll usually see it has peeled or cracked. This is because animal leather requires a high level of maintenance to keep it supple, and not many people will commit to this.
So a lot of the time durability comes down to how well you can look after a product, and when it comes to handbags we can often control the wear and tear of it by making sure it's stored properly and not exposed to too much damage. Not all materials are created equally, so it really depends on the vegan alternative used to make the bag, but you can find care instructions with handbags to help you preserve and protect your vegan handbag so it can last for many years.
our top picks for vegan leather handbag brands
1. Sans Beast
❤︎❤︎
Materials: AppleSkin™, MIRUM®, recycled PU
Price: $50 - 285
Discover the avant-garde world of Sans Beast.
Crafting bold and unique bags from vegan leather, they champion cruelty-free fashion while promoting transparent and ethical sourcing, setting a high standard for animal-friendly accessories.
This crossbody shown (the Bandolier) has a front pocket big enough for your iPhone 14 Pro Max!
2. Svala
❤︎❤︎❤︎
Materials: Piñatex® (Pineapple leather), MIRUM®, cork, PU, BioVeg
Price: $220 - 298
Svala handbags are crafted in LA with materials sourced from Europe. They use a wide range of vegan leather alternatives for their handbags, including Piñatex®, MIRUM®, cork, and BioVeg (made from recycled polyester from plastic bottles and bio polyols). Svala donates 10% of profits to various charities and organizations, including Wild Aid, whose mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade.
3. Mashu
❤︎❤︎
Materials: Piñatex®, Frumat (apple leather), VEGEA, BioVeg
Price: $259 - 596
Founded in 2017 by Greek designer Ioanna Topouzoglou, Mashu combines style and consciousness to create luxury pieces from eco-friendly materials.
Their handbags are designed with Art Deco and Cycladic architecture serving as inspiration, with incredible use of different materials and asymmetric silhouettes.
The gold plated hardware and organic shapes of the handles really make these bags stand out in a crowd and proves you don’t need animal leather to achieve high-quality, fashion-forward products.
4. Will’s Vegan Store
❤︎❤︎
Materials: Bio-based vegan leather
Price: $52 - 170
Find satchels, briefcases, duffel bags and backpacks at Will’s Vegan Store.
Classic designs and high-quality craftsmanship give these bags such a timeless feel.
Their bags are handmade with Italian vegan leather made with plants created with bio oil sourced from organic cereal crops grown in Northern Europe in a carbon neutral process.
Will’s Vegan Store produces their bags in Portugal under European Union employment, discrimination and health & safety law.
5. Pixie Mood
❤︎
Materials: Recycled vegan leather, cork
Price: $26 - 118
Pixie Mood specializes in crafting sustainable handbags using recycled vegan leather, cork and recycled rPET for the lining material.
With a wide range of different bag styles including weekender, bucket, waist, shoulder, tote and crossbody, you’ll have no problem finding something to suit your style.
They also offset their carbon emissions and use biodegradable packaging.
Pixie Mood is a member of 1% for the Planet and Terrapass and partners with One Tree Planted and Humane Society to drive positive change for our planet.
6. Stella McCartney
❤︎❤︎
Materials: VEGEA, Mylo™, MIRUM®, Alter Nappa (PU leather)
Price: $425 - 2,650
British designer brand, Stella McCartney, is renowned for its luxurious vegan handbags made from innovative leather alternatives such as VEGEA (grape-based leather), Mylo™ (mushroom leather) and MIRUM. The brand is committed to sustainability and ethical practices throughout its supply chain and is constantly exploring new technologies and processes to improve environmental practices and make sustainable vegan alternatives more accessible.
Stella McCartney’s most famous handbag is the Falabella, but they make crossbody bags, totes, shoulder bags and backpacks.
7. LaBante London
❤︎❤︎
Materials: PU, recycled polyester
Price: $125 - 540
LaBante London specializes in vegan leather handbags crafted from ethically sourced materials, including recycled plastic bottles and vegetable-derived PU. They create fashionable totes, crossbody bags, and backpacks.
Labante is committed to ethical production practices and only works with factories with SEDEX Certification, which guarantees transparency in business practices and respectful treatment of workers.
8. Von Holzhausen
❤︎❤︎
Materials: Technik-Leather
Price: $295 - 495
Von Holzhausen creates minimalist bags known for their timeless appeal and sustainable construction.
Find shoppers, totes, crossbodies and more in their collection.
These bags are made from animal-friendly Technik-Leather, a material free of PVC and other harmful substances, embodying their dedication to luxury with an eco-friendly approach.
You can even send your bag back if it’s reached the end of its lifespan and Von Holzhausen will recycle it for you.
9. Elvis & Kresse *
❤︎❤︎
Materials: upcycled fire hose material, reclaimed leather offcuts
Price: $208 - 488
Founded in 2005, Elvis & Kresse specializes in upcycling materials like decommissioned fire hoses into unique handbags. For over a decade none of London’s fire-hose has gone to landfill and over 300 tonnes of material has been reclaimed. You can find totes, post bags, reporter bags, laptop bags and crossbody bags in deep reds, mustards and black.
Elvis & Kresse are B-Corp certified and a living wage employer and 50% of profits from their fire-hose range are donated to The Fire Fighters Charity.
*Elvis & Kresse also use reclaimed animal leather from discarded offcuts from Burberry.
10. Melie Bianco
❤︎
Materials: Recycled PU
Price: $60 - 165
Melie Bianco designs vegan leather handbags that are eco-friendly and stylish. Their collection includes a wide range of trendy and classic handbags, including top handle bags, crossbody bags, shoulder bags, totes and backpacks.
Melie Bianco uses recycled PU to make their bags and ensure the factories they work with uphold high safety & well-being standards as well as fair pay.
11. Gunas
❤︎❤︎
Materials: PU coated canvas, recycled rPET
Price: $156 - 299
Founded in 2009, Gunas promotes conscious consumerism and offers cruelty-free, PETA-approved vegan leather handbags made from recycled materials. Gunas is a Sanskrit word which translates as “quality, peculiarity, attribute, or tendency.”
Their collection includes clutches, totes, crossbody bags, and backpacks.
They are also women and minority-owned.
12. Matt & Nat
Materials: AppleSkin™, recycled vegan leather, canvas
Price: $40 - 275
Possibly the most well-known vegan cruelty-free brand, Matt & Nat have been creating high-quality vegan products since 1995.
They are PETA-approved and committed to using vegan alternatives to leather and are constantly developing their sustainability practices to make their products more sustainable.
They create sleek, minimalist handbags in various designs such as crossbody, shoulder bags, weekenders and totes. Matt & Nat tend to mostly use creams, greens, browns and blacks across their collection, making them perfect for building capsule collections around as they can complement a range of different outfits. They use recycled plastic bottles to create the lining of their bags and use 21 bottles for each bag.
*while this isn’t one of our favorite brands, we wanted to mention them because of their long commitment to cruelty-free and vegan fashion
About the Author
Sarah King is a freelance writer with a focus on vegan fashion, sustainability and ethically made clothes. She campaigns for change in the fashion industry through her blog and on her Instagram page.
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