As we’ve written about several times in the past few months, we’re in something of a golden age for emerging handbag designers. Because of online sales and social media, the opportunity for small brands to sell their wares and get them in front of shoppers is more accessible than ever before, and young, creative people from a variety of locales and backgrounds are making and selling some super interesting bags as a result. Many of those bags are also accessibly priced, which is even better.
Periodically, we like to highlight some of these brands that are starting to gain a toehold in the market and whose designs are well worth some love and attention, and we’re glad we’ve had the opportunity to do that several times this year already—diversification of the bag market, both on aesthetic and price levels, is nothing but good for consumers. Below, check out a half dozen brands we’ve been following lately.
Hereu
Shop Hereu Bags via Net-a-Porter
Hereu is a Spanish brand designed by José Luis Bartolomé and Albert Escribano, two designers who returned to their home country to found the label after stints in the accessories industry in Paris and London. The bags are simple, chic, moderately priced and all made in Spain, and the line extends to shoes, accessories and a men’s line, too.
Mlouye
Shop via Mlouye
Mlouye is a young brand founded by industrial designer Meb Rure in Turkey, and now the company splits its headquarters between there and the US. Rure sources her leathers from European tanneries that emphasize sustainability, and the bags are hand-assembled. Everything retails for less than $500, and although the brand is young, the lineup boasts angular, interesting bags in many different shapes and structures. Rure’s instincts for color are also particularly good.
Paravel
Shop Paravel Bags via Net-a-Porter
Co-founded by fashion industry veteran Indré Rockefeller, Paravel is primarily a luggage and travel bag company that also makes some handbags. The company’s emphasis is on its materials, specifically a specially developed textile that’s lightweight, durable, waterproof and can be wiped down. That textile takes many colors and forms the basis of all the brand’s bags, from cosmetic pouches to suitcases, and everything is under $500. Many of the designs can also be personalized if ordered directly from Paravel.
VereVerto
Shop VereVerto via Shopbop
VereVerto bags are designed to be simple, utilitarian and versatile, and not just in a “this bag works with many outfits” way. The brand’s designs are all convertible in at least one way, with bucket bags that turn into backpacks or traditional wallets that can also be worn as belt bags. The bags are accessibly priced, manufactured in Spain, and boast a full guarantee—if your bag breaks in some way, the brand will fix it for you, for free.
Ximena Kavalekas
Shop Ximena Kavalekas Bags via Net-a-Porter
Ecuadorian-born, Miami-based designer Ximena Kavalekas uses python in every element of her handbag designs for the eponymous brand she founded in 2015. The bags are all Italian made, and Kavalekas started selling her first accessories to other moms at her children’s school. Word of mouth around the bags grew, though, and the brand is now carried in places like Bergdorf Goodman and Net-a-Porter.
Yuzefi Pablo Tote
Shop Yuzefi Bags via Net-a-Porter
Designer Naza Yousefi founded Yuzefi in London in 2016 after working in design for a number of other British brands. Her bags are compact and utilize inventive, non-traditional structures, which are emphasized by Yousefi’s use of different colored panels of leather.
