During these scary times health is at the forefront of everybody’s mind, but what a lot of people haven’t considered is the economic hit a lot of small businesses and indie brands have taken, worldwide. A lot of brands are close to collapse and as artists and creators continue to struggle to make ends meet we will soon go without the people that inspire us most. Now more than ever they need our support, so if you are in a position to buy at the moment, please consider purchasing from the brands listed below.
Dauphinette
dauphinette.com / @dauphinette.nyc
Playful, soft, and sweet, Olivia’s brand Dauphinette is the perfect embodiment of romance. Her bags are unique, often containing vintage components as well as fun unusual design elements such as pressed flowers, stamps, and one of a kind hand painted designs.
Amelie Pichard
ameliepichard.com / @ameliepichard
One of my favorite brands, I have several of Amelie’s purses on my wishlist. Aside from her great sense of design, she also has a stellar sense of humor that her brand embodies perfectly. Her line consists of easy to wear, rather simple silhouettes, that somehow still have a strong sense of character.
Clyde
Considering I own at least six of their hats (and am low key wanting more), I think it’s pretty safe to say I’m obsessed with this brand. Hats aside, they make some pretty handy bags. Their totes are solid, and their smaller cross-body bags can be worn two ways making them a great option for everyday.
Rommy de Bommy
rommydebommy.com / @rommydebommy
I consider all bags works of art but Rommy’s bags are truly next level. I can only describe her purses as wearable food sculptures that also happen to store your things. She posts her process on her instagram stories often and I watch every single one of them. Her craftsmanship and attention to detail is mesmerizing. I even have a custom order coming soon!
Primecut
primecutbags.com / @primecutbags
This brand is a more recent discovery of mine! Lizzie’s patchwork bags and “scraps” clutches are some of my favorite pieces, there is something about her use of pattern, texture, and color that really intrigue and excites me. If you’re looking for a colorful, fun, brand to fall in love with, look no further.
Coming Of Age
Coming Of Age makes some great no fuss but still cute totes, backpacks, and waist bags. My favorite being the ones made from their iridescent silk taffeta. These bags are easy to carry, fun to style, and mostly have zippers or magnetic closures for those who like their bags closed at the top.
For the Ages
fortheagesny.com / @fortheagesny
A fresh new brand, they came onto the scene about five months ago and have become a hit here in Brooklyn. A funky take on the baguette, I love the brands 70s style palette and shape. The bag’s body is actually structured which I don’t see in baguettes too often and the flap features a magnetic closure for easy access.
Suryo Design
If you were to take the best elements of each of your grandma’s bags and combine them into one, you would get a Suryo bag, and I love it. Whether it’s a bit of sparkle crocheted into the bag or a twinkling embellishment, each of their bags has an element of fun that makes it distinct. Aside from their endearing quirkiness, I find their vintage charm to be one of their best qualities.
Respiro Studio
respiro.studio / @respiro_studio
This brand carries a variety of hand-poured resin bags with lots of shimmer in a variety of colors. But my favorite pieces are the ones that have a unique sculptural form and a distinctive marble. Their selection doesn’t stop there though—they have styles in a glitter acrylic, tortoise, and leather. There’s truly a bag for everyone!
Francine’s Delivery
francinesdelivery.com / @francinesdelivery
If you’re looking to support a small indie brand with fun, affordable, bags I highly recommend Francine’s beaded bags. Hand crafted by none other than Francine herself, she believes that each item she makes carries a little bit of her. Mexican made and designed, this small bag brand has earned a special place in my heart.
Love that Pichard!
I love Pichard! such fun designs and textures, a great reminder to have fun with your fashion 🙂
This is exactly what I’ve been looking for, thank you so much for this. Will you please share your Rommy de Bommy special order? Very curious…
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I will def talk to Megs about it when it arrives!
The food one is amazing how does she do this? Please do a review when it arrives I want to know how they look / feel irl.
She kinda sculpts them everything is made by hand! She posts about how she makes them in her IG stories 🙂
Wonderful article! I’m bookmarking it for the future use!
Thank you! Love it!
Out of everything posted I enjoy yours the most because you bring a unique form of eclecticism, which I find enjoyable and refreshing! Also, I’m familiar and own many designer brands, but have never heard of these which makes me feel like a novice in the world of handbags. I’m interested in exploring them to perhaps add a bit of colorfulness and fun to my collection that consists of classics, only.
Thank you much that means a lot! Im super excited that I could introduce you to some fun new brands! Personally I like to use my personal style as a platform form for self expression so I try to have fun with it when I can :)! Hopefully we can spotlight some more indie designers soon!
WOW! I have never heard of a single one of these brands that’s impressive. I’m so glad you posted this these people need coverage now more than ever. Hope everything is well and you are safe.
Thank you! There is such an amazing community of indie bag designers on instagram, thankfully I have a lot of cool creative friends that help inspire me / point me in right direction.
I love this story so much! I just purchased the cutest bag from Suryo because of it!!!
Awesome! I purchased one recently as well! Very excited for it to come despite having nowhere to go lol!
And I just bought an Amélie Pichard! So pretty and quirky! Thanks, Jess, for the very informative article! Had never heard of any of these brands before.
Omg amazing! I love her bags so much. I’ve had my eye on the rattan one for a while, I hope she brings you some joy in these scary times! ??
Thank you for sharing these brands with us, love them all! Great sense of style.
Thank you so much!
How about that special evening bag?
https://www.shelark.com/collections/evening-bag/products/sumptuous-party-bags-2
Thank you for the info! Love to support artisans when I can. Why give all your money to Coach when you can get something much more interesting and unique ! Shop local and support women owned businesses! It is win win!!