7 Vegan Handbags And Purses To Help You Carry Consciously
Before heading out, make sure you take your phone, wallet, keys… and vegan handbag and purse!
While we’ve covered eco friendly handbags before, we’re narrowing the focus here to the most ethical version: vegan handbags.
Why?
Because more than a billion animals are killed for their skins every year. We’d like to avoid contributing to that statistic when we dig out our eco friendly water bottle from our purses.
These brands demonstrate nothing needs to die so we can accessorize. To-die-for is just an expression, after all!
For vegan designer bags and purses, Stella McCartney has quickly become a popular household name. BIPOC and female-owned GUNAS is another maker of vegan designer handbags and they’ve stolen our hearts because of their business model that gives back.
If you’re looking for vegan purses made in the USA (with American-sourced fabrics), look no further than the gorgeous range from Carry Courage.
Let’s swing these vegan purses over our shoulders and get to the list.
Dig your way to the end of the article to see how (and why) they were chosen.
*This post contains affilate links
1. CARRY COURAGE
About Carry Courage
After years of feeling burned out and uninspired in her office job, Marisa started Carry Courage as an outlet for her creativity.
Since then Carry Courage has been a pioneer of the sustainable fashion movement.
The Portland-based brand’s unique maker-based business model allows Carry Courage to produce some of the best vegan handbags made in the USA.
Carry Courage comes in handy (literally) if you’re looking for a new handbag, crossbody bag, clutch bag, zipper pouch, cosmetics bag, or even tablet sleeve.
Carry Courage’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Carry Courage’s vegan fabrics include a sustainably-harvested cork exterior and a natural linen liner (from a US family-owned supplier).
Cork, in case you don’t know, is an incredibly sustainable leather alternative because it’s harvested by simply shaving the bark. This process actually helps the tree absorb 5 times more CO2 while regrowing it.
Even the metal hardware is ethically sourced from a woman-owned company in the United States.
These PETA-approved vegan cork bags are not only entirely biodegradable (after removing the hardware) but naturally antimicrobial and water-resistant.
Supply chain & labor practices:
All items are handmade in their Portland, Oregon studio. Because Carry Courage is in charge of their entire supply chain, they control fair labor prices, prices, studio safety, and more.
Green business practices:
All Carry Courage items are produced in small quantities to ensure optimal quality and minimal waste.
Inclusivity:
Carry Courage is a woman-owned company and part of the Female Founder Collective.
To keep prices budget inclusive, Carry Courage offers a one-time (and will you even need to buy more than once?!) 10% discount on their vegan cork handbags and vegan leather purses just by signing up to receive their newsletter.
Available: Carry Courage
2. STELLA MCCARTNEY
About Stella McCartney
A huge name in the fashion industry, British designer Stella McCartney launched her luxury fashion-house label in the early 2000s.
Her lifetime vegetarianism did—and continues to—play a role in all she offers in her mostly vegan line (the exception being ethically sourced wool used in some items).
Their ethical commitment has been supplemented by a more recent focus on sustainability.
The brand aims to continuously innovate materials and supply chain practices to be better for animals, people, and the planet.
This certainly doesn’t mean a shortage of quality products, either.
If you’re looking for luxury vegan handbags, you’ll have your choice of mini bags, shoulder bags, top-handle bags, crossbody bags, belt bags, tote bags, backpacks, clutches, wallets, card cases, and purses.
Stella McCartney’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Stella McCartney vegan handbags are made with a range of animal-free materials: vegetarian leather, recycled synthetics (nylon and polyester), and sustainably-sourced viscose.
Aware that a significant portion of their environmental impact comes from metals, they’ve shifted away from using brass (an alloy of copper and zinc) in many of their bag chains.
Instead, they’ve developed a stainless steel and aluminum alternative that has a lower environmental footprint and doesn’t require copper mining.
Do be aware that virgin synthetics (polyurethane, polyester, polyamide) and some animal products (silk, merino wool, cashmere) are used, so be sure to scan for those to find the truly sustainable vegan purses.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Stella McCartney is committed to treating their workers with respect and fair wages. Reporting annually to the Ethical Trading Initiative, you can be sure they adhere to strict labor and supply chain standards.
Most of the vegan designer handbags are made in Italy, which is also where many of the materials are sourced.
Green business practices:
Minimizing the use of water, energy, and solvents, Stella McCartney’s cruelty-free leather is superior to other, more wasteful types of vegan leather.
This is partially thanks to their internal audit system that evaluates their emissions—among other things—and helps them implement more sustainable practices.
The results and progress are published in their Eco Impact Report.
The brand is also exploring ways to become part of the circular economy by partnering with The RealReal (on online clothes resale platform) and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
Community & charitable giving:
Stella McCartney also partners with a range of nonprofits and charity organizations including Children’s Action Network, GOOD+ Foundation, and Oceana.
Available: Stella McCartney
3. LABANTE
About LaBante
LaBante was born from a love of fashion, animals, and our planet.
Then and today, they are driven by one main philosophy: Fashion With Respect.
Founder and CEO Vanita Badlani Bagri became a vegetarian after living next door to a butcher’s shop. Her commitment to saving lives ever since has been carried forward to LaBante’s vegan handbags designed in the UK.
They carry tote bags, wallets, crossbody bags, computer bags, backpacks, hobo bags, rucksacks, satchels, and clutches.
LaBante’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
In addition to saving animals, LaBante wants to save our planet.
They’re doing so by using recycled polyester for their purse interiors.
They also use a fine vegan leather made of luxe polyurethane, microfiber, and recycled vegetable fibers. The vegetable waste is an industry byproduct, thus making the landfill-bound a not-leather bag.
As a PETA-approved vegan brand, they don’t use any animal-based dyes or glues.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Committed to empowering women worldwide, LaBante partners with (almost exclusively) female artisans.
Their manufacturing is based in a safe factory in Guangzhou, China.
The workers are paid very high wages and receive maternity leave. This is ensured by regular audits and a SEDEX certification.
Green business practices:
LaBante doesn’t just use recycled materials for their vegan crossbody handbags; they also use recycled paper and fabrics for their dust bags and swing tags.
Completing the zero waste packaging trifecta, they use recycled and recyclable cardboard boxes.
Inclusivity:
LaBante is women-owned.
Community & charitable giving:
Every year, 10% of the brand’s profits go to charitable causes. They choose different charities every season that support people from all races and backgrounds.
Available: Amazon
4. GUNAS
About GUNAS
Founded by a designer and self-proclaimed animal lover, GUNAS’ heart and soul has always been a voice for animals.
After quitting her corporate job, Sugandh G. Agrawal started her own brand of cruelty-free fashion, all based on the idea that animals are not supposed to be turned into our favorite fashion trends.
Simply put, “we can look and feel good without harming other living beings.”
While they started in New York, the brand has now gone global and people around the world can access their vegan designer bags, which in the form of satchels, crossbody bags, backpacks, wallets, totes, and more.
GUNAS’ Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
The vegan friendly handbags from GUNAS are made from some of the “best manmade materials available”, which include nylon, microfibers, ultrasuede, and eco-polyurethane.
While these are all synthetic fabrics, they do not use any PVC or vinyl.
Where possible, they opt for recycled plastic bottles or upcycled cotton twill for the lining of their purses and recycled metal hardware.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Most materials are sourced from Germany, Japan, France, Taiwan, Switzerland, and the United States.
Being a “victim-free” brand means more than being vegan.
They enforce ethical manufacturing standards across their facilities in South Korea (where most bags are made), Italy, and India. They regularly visit these places and pay above-average wages.
Green business practices:
While they still use petroleum, the vegan leather in GUNAS’ vegan tote handbags is produced without massive amounts of energy and dangerous toxic chemicals like formaldehyde, chrome, coal-tar derivatives, dyed, and cyanide-based mineral salts.
Inclusivity:
GUNAS is female- and BIPOC-owned.
Making it more inclusive from a price standpoint, the brand offers interest-free payments with KLARNA and a discount for signing up for their newsletter.
Community & charitable giving:
They donate a portion of proceeds to animal charities and organizations that support ecological welfare.
Available: GUNAS
5. DOSHI
About Doshi
Doshi started as a way to offer products to people seeking an all-vegan lifestyle.
The largely family-operated company hopes to be a part of lives everywhere, and especially with those who share their belief in a cruelty-free world.
That strong guiding ethos leads them to create some of the best vegan handbags (and any other bag you might need), which include backpacks, totes, camera bags, portfolio bags, business bags, cardholders, wallets, and weekender bags available.
Doshi’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Doshi’s vegan leather is made from microfiber polyurethane materials.
This is the highest grade of synthetic leather commercially available and outperforms animal-based leather in durability tests.
They try to avoid PVC where possible and have recently begun supplementing their vegan leather with other sustainable, recyclable, recycled, and biodegradable materials like kraft paper, cork, and Piñatex.
Additionally, some styles use Tyvek, a polyethylene-based fiber that doesn’t leach harmful chemicals as it breaks down.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Representatives from the California-based company regularly visit the factories that manufacture their goods. They make a conscious effort to ensure that worker well-being and environmental practices are prioritized.
Their supply chain is fully audited using BSCI criteria.
Inclusivity:
Doshi is BIPOC-owned.
Community & charitable giving:
Doshi donates 5% of revenue to charities that support animals, people, and our planet.
They regularly participate in Vegfests to connect with their customers face-to-face.
Available: Doshi
6. WHITE RHINO
About White Rhino
Founded by Claire Carreras, a Canadian musician and designer, White Rhino uses creative power to protect animals and our environment.
They also keep shopping exciting (and in reach) with their unique and affordable vegan handbag designs that stand out in a crowd.
In Claire’s words:
“Why isn’t there one place I can go where I can find affordable, unique bags and accessories that aren’t made from the skins of the animals I love and respect so much?”
Check out White Rhino’s selection of backpacks, wristlets, shoulder bags, passport bags, and more.
White Rhino’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Prioritizing durability, quality, and sustainability, White Rhino sources materials like cork leather, vegan leather, upcycled fabrics, and other cruelty-free materials (cactus leather, hemp, organic cotton etc.) in their purses.
Their vegan leather is made from man-made vinyl and polyurethane, making them easy to clean, incredibly durable, water-resistant, and very similar to animal-derived leathers.
The bags are lined with recycled polyester (rPET) fabric.
Supply chain & labor practices:
White Rhino designs are born in British Columbia, Canada and Austin, Texas. The vegan purses are handcrafted in Vietnam through manufacturers who are environmentally like-minded and respect their workers.
Select collections are manufactured in-house at the Rhino Studio in Austin, TX.
Green business practices:
All vegan handbags are produced in small, limited edition batches in order to minimize waste. They are also shipped plastic-free in biodegradable eco-mailers.
Inclusivity:
White Rhino is BIPOC and woman-owned.
Making their affordable vegan handbags even more budget-friendly, they offer interest-free payments through Sizzle.
Community & charitable giving:
Through an ongoing collaboration with World Animal Protection (and other organizations), they’ve supported many campaigns to end animal suffering.
They help out by donating products, proceeds, and time for public speaking.
Available: White Rhino
7. ETSY
About Etsy
It’s no secret we love Etsy.
It’s the place to go for sustainable gift giving, eco friendly cutlery, and planet friendly picnicking.
If that sounds like a gamut of products, you would be right, because it is home to EVERYTHING.
Looking for vegan leather handbags on Etsy’s nearly endless site can be overwhelming but the upside is there’s a perfect bag for everyone.
If you’re someone who suffers from the analysis paralysis (not hard when you can choose from 2.5 million sellers), here are a few of our favorites:
North Carolina-based Kindly & Free specializes in sustainable vegan handbags, clutches, crossbody bags, tote bags, shoulder bags, and wallets made of vegan leather.
Canopy Verde is based in Brooklyn and also uses vegan and eco friendly materials to make convertible backpacks, purses, wallets, crossbody bags, and more.
Etsy’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Kindly & Free uses polyurethane-based leather and natural cork. They also have a few designs made out of biodegradable materials like kraft paper, bamboo, and synthetic straw.
Canopy Verde prioritizes GOTS-certified organic cotton, wooden zippers, polyurethane-based and PVC-free vegan leather, and chemical-free dyes.
Their vegan lead free handbags are water-resistant and durable.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Finding a transparent supply chain is easy with Etsy, especially since many items are produced out of home kitchens and basements!
Some do work with manufacturing partners though, like Canopy Verde who partners with a China-based factory that’s woman-owned and prides itself on fair treatment of employees and top-quality products.
Most Etsy sellers are remarkably responsive, so if you have a question about their manufacturing not addressed in their product info, ask away.
Green business practices:
Many of the brands (Canopy Verde included) consider their sourcing and manufacturing processes and take steps to minimize their waste and reduce their footprints.
Plus, all shipping from Etsy is carbon neutral, saving you from purchasing your own carbon offsets.
Inclusivity:
It’s easy to support local businesses, women-led ventures, and Black-owned Etsy shops.
Many Etsy shops get props for budget inclusivity, too.
In terms of affordable vegan purses brands, it’s hard to beat the prices from Kindly & Free—they’re some of the most affordable on this list.
Available: Etsy
WHY CHOOSE VEGAN LEATHER HANDBAGS AND PURSES?
While many people assume that leather products are always a byproduct of another industry, this isn’t entirely true.
In fact, one billion animals are estimated to be killed by (and for) the leather industry alone every.single.year.
While meat can sometimes be profitable for animal producers, virgin leather always is.
So while animals typically aren’t slaughtered exclusively to become a wallet or backpack, the potential of profit is the driving force behind it—especially with a growing leather industry. Hence the inverted comments around “ethical leather“.
Considering that top-quality leather also comes from baby calves, it’s no wonder that more people are looking for certified vegan purses.
Beyond the ethical horrors of the leather industry, it’s also environmentally damnable. And we all know the cattle industry is responsible for an enormous amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
Leather tanning also utilizes up to 250 chemicals like arsenic, cyanide, and chromium. During the tanning, these chemicals can leach from factories and poison workers; post-production they’ll pollute any land they end up in at the end of life.
HOW WE FOUND DESIGNER VEGAN HANDBAGS
While we are all about sustainable and ethical fashion, sometimes we just have to prioritize the latter.
No accessory fits the bill more than those that are so often associated with loss of life.
Materials:
Moo, moo, moo-ve over cows. We’re looking for alternative types of leather that don’t come from animals at all.
Vegan leather can be made out of nearly anything under the sun these days like cork fabric and pineapple leaves (called Piñatex).
Some brands utilize these while others stick to the more conventional (and often petroleum-based) leather made from eco polyurethane (which is more environmentally friendly than other types of plastics).
While it’s associated with some environmental concerns, other brands are trading animals for microfibers or PVC (vinyl)-based leather.
If you’re shopping with animal and environmental concerns in mind, you might want to avoid these, as they’re known to threaten ecosystems and contain toxic chemicals.
For liners of vegan bags, look for organic cotton, recycled polyester/nylon, and linen, and eco dyes and glues to finish it all off. Even better when they include ethically-sourced and/or recycled hardware!
- Certifications: PETA
Supply chain and labor practices:
Zip up any ethical concerns with localized supply chains, regular audits, third party certifications, respectful work conditions, proof of fair wages, and beyond-wage benefits (like maternity leave, retirement funds, medical insurance, and more).
Green business practices:
By producing in small quantities, using circular economy practices and reusable packaging, these vegan bag brands are supporting a healthy planet, too.
In addition to those points, we looked for brands that employ initiatives to reduce energy, water, and solvent use.
Inclusivity:
Inclusivity isn’t so much the issue with the bags and purses themselves. However, it’s still something we look for in the brands themselves.
It’s inspiring to see female and BIPOC faces behind most of these brands who then aim to support customers of all backgrounds with discounts, too.
Community & charitable giving:
Many brands are opening up their purses and pulling out their own wallets for local and global communities alike. We’re happy to see so many donating time, money, and products to environmental, social, and animal charities.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON VEGAN HANDBAGS AND PURSES
Your purse is your trusty sidekick, with you wherever you go, holding (sort of) everything you might need.
Superheroes pick their sidekicks carefully, so why shouldn’t we?
While non-vegan purses have the same utility, lugging around something made out of a dead animal is a bit more villainous.
Fortunately, by supporting one of these vegan bag brands, you can still be the hero.
So grab your iPhone, whip out your wallet, and dig around for your organic lipstick—all without thinking about the life that became your boho bag.
