UK Vegan Handbag Brands With Sustainable Style

Carry your gear in sustainable and cruelty-free style, with this handy guide to vegan handbag brands in the UK.

Leather may be the material of choice for most handbags, but just because it’s the most popular choice doesn’t make it right.

With numerous ethical and environmental issues associated with leather – from animal cruelty issues, as well as the environmental impact of cattle ranching – it’s no wonder that an increasing number of people are seeking out kinder choices.

Whilst a rise in the number of people looking for vegan alternatives when it comes to products such as handbags and shoes should mean an increase in choice, unfortunately, it’s buyer beware out there. The term vegan leather is often used as a form of greenwashing by unscrupulous manufacturers.

These manufacturers try to make petroleum-based synthetics like “vegan leather” sound more environmentally-friendly than natural fibres. Yet they are made from fossil fuels, which contribute to climate change.

Some vegan leather is also made from PVC – which is so toxic that Greenpeace once referred to it as the “Poison Plastic“.

Thankfully, many eco-conscious ethical brands are now making their vegan handbags from polyurethane (PU). Whilst PU is a plastic, derived from fossil fuels, it is considered much safer.

Others have adopted plant-based leathers – such as those derived from apples, cork, pineapple and cactus. Whilst these all have to be bound with PU to make them durable – so aren’t plastic-free – they are kinder to the environment than PVC. And other innovative brands are using recycled materials to minimise their impact on the planet.

The UK Vegan Handbag Brands To Know

Wondering where to start? I’ve put together my top five sustainable and vegan-friendly handbag brands to help you out.

The price range key for this guide is £ = Under £50 | ££ = £50 – 100 | £££ = £100+

LaBante London

Budget: ££ – £££

LaBante London is an award-winning wholly vegan brand that specialises in stylish sustainable handbags.

Operates with the ethos that “fashion is respect” the brand aims to put people, animals and the planet first.

Having pledged to be a PVC-free brand, all of LaBante’s bags are made from vegetable-based leather. The bags are then lined with fabric made from recycled plastic bottles to minimise impact on the environment.

LaBante makes its bags in Portugal and Turkey, as well as China and India. As well as working with anti-sweatshop activists to help improve its own practices, It only works with factories that are part of SEDEX. This is an audit tool which helps to promote transparency in business practices and the respectful treatment of workers.

What I also love is that LaBante London donates 10% of its profits each year to charities. Plus, it also plants ten trees for every item sold.

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Lefrik

Budget: £

Lefrik – available at Wolf & Badger – makes beautiful minimalist bags from recycled plastic bottles. And as well as being made from recycled materials, you’ll be pleased to hear that Lefrik doesn’t use any animal products in its designs. In fact, Lefrik is a Peta-approved vegan-friendly brand.

All Lefrik fabrics are certified by the Global Recycled Standard (GRS). This independent certification guarantees the recycled content of its bags. Compliance with the standard also has additional social and environmental requirements related to processing and chemical use. This ensures that staff operate in safe working conditions and that any harm to the environment is minimised.

Lefrik also gives back. It’s a member of 1% For The Planet, which means every year it donates at least 1% of its profits to environmental causes.

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Elvis & Kresse

Budget: £££

Elvis & Kresse – available at Buy Me Once – handmakes its truly beautiful vegan-friendly handbags in England from a surprising waste material. That material? Decommissioned fire hoses, salvaged from British Fire Brigades, that would otherwise be binned.

Each luxury bag is then lined with reclaimed fabric – either reclaimed Burberry textiles leftover from manufacturing or reclaimed parachute silk. This reclaimed fabric has minute flaws which make it unusable for parachutes, and would otherwise be binned. But don’t worry. Despite the name, parachute silk is vegan-friendly. It’s made from rip-stop nylon and has no animal products in it.

Durability is key. As such, repairs for life are offered on all Elvis & Kresse products. What I also love is that 50% of profits from Elvis & Kresse’s fire-hose range are donated to The Fire Fighters Charity, which offers specialist, lifelong support for members of the UK fire services community.

Use the discount code HIGH5 to get £5 off any order over £60 at Buy Me Once.

Looking For More Vegan Clothing Recommendations?

If you are looking for more vegan clothing and accessory inspiration check out my handy guides:

• The Best Vegan Clothing Brands
• Women’s Ethical Vegan Shoes Guide
• Guide To Vegan Wallets
• The Best Vegan Belts
• Guide To Vegan Silk Alternatives