February 26, 2023 | written by
The Good Trade editors endorse products we’ve personally researched, tested, and genuinely love. Learn extra about our methodology and enterprise mannequin right here.
As shoppers, we’re enthusiastic about figuring out whether or not the folks that make our garments and accessories earn honest wages and work in safe, ethical circumstances. Below we’ve compiled a list of our favourite brands that check these boxes—and make beautiful eco-friendly totes, handbags, and weekenders for on a regular basis use, summer travels, and beyond.
Some of those bags and purses are American-made whereas others are upcycled. The listing consists of vegan totes and artisan-made handbags, too! (And for secondhand designer bags, check out Vestiaire Collective!)
If you’re looking to replace extra of your wardrobe, try our truthful trade clothing guide, our roundup of sustainable shoe brands, and our ethically made jewelry guide!
Best Vegan | Most Affordable | Most Stylish
1. Pixie Mood
Best For | On-trend vegan bags, wallets
Ethics
| PETA permitted vegan, responsibly made in Asia, biodegradable packaging, climate-positive, recycled & sustainable materials, gives back to 1% For The Planet & different causes
Price Range | $36–$130
Ships To | Currently US & Canada
Pixie Mood’s handbags are socially accountable, sustainable, and classy. Since 2010, this brand has crafted functional and fun bags made from recycled and solvent-free vegan leather. Based out of Canada, Pixie Mood has gained worldwide recognition for its standout products—RFID-equipped wallets and circumstances, monogrammed pouches, and chic crossbodies. With dozens of types and every colour of the rainbow, you’ll be sporting one of these items for years to come.
2. Quince
Best For | Affordable leather bags
Ethics
| Vegan option, virgin plastic-free packaging, BSCI & GOTS licensed accountable production in Italy, compostable packaging by 2023
Price Range| $40–$130
Ships To | US
Quince makes “affordable luxury” a reality. Using certifications—like OEKO-TEX, BSCI, and GOTS—as well as sustainable packaging each time possible, the team refuses to sacrifice ethics and sustainability for affordability. You can find Italian leather crossbody purses, belt bags, totes, and even AirPod circumstances and valet trays to assist maintain you organized all day long.
three. ABLE
Best For | Upcycled leather totes, wallets, & duffles
Ethics
| Ethically made by women, sustainable practices & materials, competitive wages, Leather Working Group licensed
Price Range | $40–$375
Ships To | Worldwide
ABLE understands that after we spend cash on women, households and communities are lifted up, too. The overwhelming majority of its team is made up of ladies, including throughout Ethiopia, Brazil, Mexico, and India; all are paid living wages, paid healthcare, and possession inside the firm. When making leather goods, the material is sourced from hides that might have been in any other case discarded, using much less energy than it takes to create vegan leather. We recommend ABLE for wearable, hands-free bags! When our editor *isn’t* toting a giant bag, she’s carrying an ABLE crossbody (or strapping it around her waist like some type of belt bag).
4. Bellroy
Best For | Tech-friendly backpacks, weekenders, slings
Ethics
| Certified B Corp, Leather Working Group licensed, sustainable & recycled materials, provides back to varied causes
Price Range | $39–$449
Ships To | Worldwide
Bellroy desires to improve the best way individuals carry their on a daily basis essentials. From wallets to weekenders—and every little thing in between, like totes, slings, and backpacks—the B Corp uses environmentally licensed leather and unhazardous materials (like recycled industrial nylon and Tencel) to craft accessories which may be strongly stitched and tightly woven. Simply put, they’re built to last—but the three-year warranty covers any faults in materials and workmanship simply in case.
5. Cuyana
Best For | Elegant kinds, monogramming
Ethics
| Recycled & OEKO-TEX licensed sustainable materials, ISO, SMETA, & WRAP licensed moral production, repair & take-back program, Leather Working Group certified
Price Range | $78–$548
Ships To | Worldwide
Cuyanalives by a easy mantra: “Fewer, better.” The brand believes that type is extra necessary than fashion, and quality trumps amount. You’ll hardly ever see our editor with out her caramel Easy Tote from Cuyana. (She’s at all times been a proponent of big bags, and is glad they’re back in fashion and so, so chic!) Cuyana creates artisan leather bags for the fashionable person, with soft neutral colours and sufficient area for simply what you need. The brand also believes in certainly one of our favorite concepts—the Lean Closet—and offers a free transport label with every home online order, so that you simply can fill a field with used garments and obtain a credit score. Be extra intentional, sustainable, and reside by “fewer, better.”
6. Sézane
Best For | Bucket bags, raffia bags
Ethics
| Certified B Corp, vegetable-tanned leather, OEKO-TEX & GOTS licensed organic materials, recycled packaging, powered by renewable energy, offers back by way of DEMAIN initiative
Price Range | $235–$415
Ships To | US
Sézane creates timeless items that also respect the planet and its people. This certified B Corp makes use of majority natural and sustainable supplies, together with raffia, chrome-free leather, and cotton, for its attractive assortment of luggage, wallets, and baskets. (Many may also be personalized!) Throughout manufacturing, the team’s efforts are powered by renewable energy and sent in eco-friendly packaging. To date, Sézane has gifted more than four million euros to help schooling and equal alternative for children.
7. HYER GOODS
Best For | Upcycled leather
Ethics | Uses deadstock materials and manufacturing unit scraps, round resale store, produced at a SEDEX-compliant, female-owned factory in India, plastic-free transport, gives back monthly
Price Range | $165–$355
Ships To | Worldwide
HYER GOODS was founded by a fashion vet who was dismayed by the amount of waste within the industry. Not wanting to contribute to the greenhouse gas emissions needed to supply leather and different materials from scratch, the brand as a substitute creates its beautiful designs from probably the most sustainable materials out there—the ones that already exist! The new HYER GOODS are reduce from Luxury Leftovers—the brand has mixed new, state-of-the-art manufacturing with obsessive quality management and essentially the most luxe waste but to bring you the Best of Better Leather. And as a result of everything is made from waste, it’s all restricted version.
As for giving back, the brand does that too! HYER GOODS gives 1% of its month-to-month income to numerous organizations like Everytown for Gun Safety, the Malala Fund, and Transanta. We love that!
eight. Angela Roi
Best For | Totes & satchels
Ethics
| PETA accredited vegan & sustainable supplies, moral manufacturing
Price Range | $155–$280
Ships To | US; select world stockists in Australia & the UK
Angela Roi has mastered the philosophy of timeless magnificence and future-forward fashion. The brand’s vegan and recently launched cactus leather bags are ethically made by artisans who are paid truthful wages in safe factories. (Curious to see how the luggage are produced from begin to finish? Learn extra in regards to the course of right here.) These vegan leather totes, crossbodies, and bucket bags are easy, with organized compartments, straps, and a pebbled texture finish that’s both trendy and minimalistic.
9. Nisolo
Best For | Leather clutches, totes, & weekender bags
Ethics
| Certified B Corp, Climate Neutral Certified, Leather Working Group licensed, ISO licensed ethical manufacturing
Price Range| $50–$350
Ships To | US
Nisolohopes for a world where consumers know where their products have been made and by whom. This carbon-neutral brand offers international market access, fair trade wages, and safe working circumstances for its entire staff, who, in flip, create stunning and timeless staples. This assortment of handmade leather bags is crafted in Peru and Mexico and is both trendy and durable, so you’re sure to face out wherever you go. We especially love Nisolo’s clutches and crossbody bags to carry our wallets and keys when we’re out and about. Make certain to treat your bag with leather spray for longevity! Read our full Nisolo bag review here.
10. GUNAS
Best For | Color-block vegan bags, satchel & pouch set
Ethics
| PETA accredited vegan, ethically made in South Korea, Italy, & India, upcycled & plant-based materials
Price Range | $98–$265
Ships To | Worldwide
GUNAS has been creating high fashion, cruelty-free, and vegan handbags since 2009—acting as a voice of animals in the fashion industry. The firm manufactures globally in ethically run factories which would possibly be visited and checked in person by a member of the GUNAS group. You won’t discover any PVC in these trendy bags, both: GUNAS strives to use upcycled, recycled, and classic materials when potential, and the brand is continually experimenting with new materials.
eleven. Baggu
Best For | Reusable market totes
Ethics
| Vegan, recycled materials & FSC licensed eco-friendly & biodegradable packaging, ISO certified ethical manufacturing in China, nylon recycling program, waste-reduction practices
Price Range | $12–$78
Ships To | Worldwide
Baggu’s bags probably look familiar—the design is predicated on the usual plastic grocery bag! Baggu hopes to scale back our dependence on single-use plastics and opt for reusable each time. We love the thoughtful consideration to the materials and production (read extra here). These reusable totes are minimize from a steady piece of nylon material, after which the waste is used to make handy carrying pouches. Its factories in China are audited yearly by a 3rd get together, guaranteeing safe, truthful working conditions. You can even ship your bag back to be recycled! This is our go-to bag for almost everything—grocery shopping, seaside days, highway journeys, laundry hauls. Hot tip: It makes for probably the most fun (and affordable!) present.
12. A A K S
Best For | Artisan-made woven bags
Ethics
| Ethically made in Ghana by women artisans, traditional techniques, sustainable & responsibly sourced materials, carbon-neutral shipping
Price Range | $178–$318
Ships To | US
Founded by Akosua Afriyie-Kumi, A A K S (see where the initials come from?) works with women artisans in Ghana to produce bold, brilliant bags we love. The woven bags are crafted with sustainably harvested raffia from local household farms, then delicately handmade using conventional techniques. The process takes virtually a week per bag, and no two are precisely alike! Support sustainable jobs, particular abilities, and style all at once—find them online or at stockists like Anthropologie and Nordstrom.
13. ALOHAS
Best For | Unique shapes & patterns
Ethics
| On-demand production model, low waste, carbon-offset delivery option, native manufacturing in Spain, Leather Working Group certified suppliers
Price Range | $110–$430
Ships To | Worldwide
Barcelona-based ALOHAS is changing our culture of overconsumption, one bag at a time. Here’s the way it works: ALOHAS will pre-release of a brand new design at a large low cost. If you’re fascinated, you’ll buy it in pre-production so ALOHAS can plan its batch size accordingly. Once manufacturing has began in Alicante, Spain, the worth goes back to its regular set value but is on the market solely in restricted portions. From checkered satchels to pleated black bags to bicolor baskets, it’s fashion at its most interesting.
14. behno
Best For | Unique shapes & patterns
Ethics
| Ethically made by artisans, Leather Working Group certified, gives back to various causes
Price Range | $95–$945
Ships To | Worldwide
behno (named after the Hindi word for sister – “behn”) thinks of every particular person involved with the luxurious brand—from the maker to the customer. The artisans who produce these gorgeous bags are given family planning support, employee benefits, and honest wages thanks to the brand’s partnership with MSA Ethos. The final designs are both whimsical and classy, using accents like knots or sharper edges to face out. It’s no surprise that this moral, sustainable brand has been featured in Forbes, Vogue, and Elle.
15. Stella McCartney
Best For | Designer vegan totes & shoulder bags
Ethics
| Vegan, FSC certified sustainable or recycled packaging, offers back to varied causes
Price Range | $520–$2795
Ships To | Worldwide
Since Stella McCartney launched 20+ years in the past, the staff has never used leather, fur, or any animal byproducts in its luxury line. So whereas these handbags have the style and sheen of leather, they’re made with solvent-free options as an alternative (and some are woven from sustainable raffia!). Many of the handbags are styled with the recognizable Stella brand, although you may also discover chain-lined totes, simple wallets, and Mickey Mouse-printed designs right here, too. It’s all luxury for a lifetime.
Featured image is from Hyer Goods
