Back in time, vegans had a hard time buying a leather bag because these bags were an embodiment of cruelty practiced against animals. Lucky for us, nowadays, we can get some of the best-looking and most stylish leather bags that are cruelty-free. How? That’s because various vegan brands produce purses and handbags without hurting any animal as they use faux or vegan leather.
If you want to go the extra mile and help save the environment, I advise you not to buy vegan leather made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This material is not biodegradable, so it harms fish and other animals. It’s also not easy to recycle and might cause cancer.
In case you’re not a vegan, and you ended up here for any reason, you’d love to know that vegan bags are cheaper than the other ones because vegan leather costs less than that made from animals. So you’ll be winning if you read this article about the best vegan purse brands, don’t you think?
Vegan Purse Brands: At a Glance
The 6 Best Vegan Purse Brands in 2021
1. Angela Roi
Angela Roi, or the “no-sacrifice fashion brand” as they call themselves, decided to produce high-quality bags without sacrificing any of the things that people usually had to compromise, such as money, comfort and morals.
If you buy any of their products, you’ll be paying a reasonable amount of money to get comfortable products made of the best materials with zero cruelty towards animals. Also, they have some of the most professional employees who are fairly paid.
> Read more: The best Angela Roi products.
Now enough talking about the brand, and let’s check some of their elegant bags.
Grace Crossbody
Do you want a small bag that can fit lots of your items? Grace Crossbody comes to the rescue! Even though it looks small and gives you that elegant minimalistic look, it has a pocket where you can put your cell phone inside another zipped compartment where you can put your pocket. Plus, it looks pretty with its pebble texture and engraved the Angela Roi logo.
I love that you can wear it on your shoulder or as a crossbody, as it comes with a long detachable strap and another short one. You might not like that they are not adjustable, though. Besides, it comes in many colors, including purple, black, light mud gray, deep olive, dark brown and ash rose!
Cher Mini
If you’re more into large bags, this is it. Cher mini is a bit smaller than tote bags, yet it can carry all your essentials and more, while still giving you the trendy and stylish look of mini bags.
It, too, has a pebble-textured material. Its top magnetic button works well for people who are always in a hurry, and its central zip complements it well because it’s where you can put your valuable items. This way, you can be sure that nothing would fall from the bag.
Cher Mini comes with a gold logo on the front and four gold studs on the bottom, which help it stay in place and give it a luxurious look at the same time. Its non-adjustable strap may be a bummer to some, but I don’t think it is a big issue compared to all the beautiful details. You’re free to choose between its various colors: black, nude pink, light mud gray, ash brown, and light gray.
Eloise Satchel
Eloise Satchel, named after the flower “Rosa Eloise,” combines simplicity, elegance, charm, and femininity. It is one of these bags that can go with your casual clothes and your suit. Made of vegan leather (EPUL), it is 100% cruelty-free like all Angela Roi’s bags.
The bag has a pebble textured material and features a detachable, yet non-adjustable handle. But its strap is detachable and adjustable, so you can remove it and hold it in your bag instead of on your shoulders. The main compartment has a zipper, and there are an additional zipper compartment and a phone compartment inside where you can safely secure your phone, wallet, and valuable items. Besides, there is an overall magnetic button closure.
It comes in various colors; namely, black, deep olive, light mud gray, ash brown, ash rose, coral pink and biscay green.
2. Stella McCartney
As a life-long vegan, it comes as no surprise that Stella McCartney owns 51 freestanding stores in different locations selling vegan products. She is not only a pioneer in cruelty-free bags, but she also produces shoes, menswear, and womenswear. Her bags are known for their luxurious look, high quality, and (sorry to say this) high price.
Here are some of her stylish bags:
Cognac Shoulder Bag
This is one of Stella’s bags that I absolutely love for its stylish look and cruelty-free materials. It is made of 52% Polyethylene, 48% Polyurethane, and its lining is 60% Polyamide and 40% Polyurethane.
The shoulder bag comes with a zipper fastening and internal zipper-pockets, making it practical for everyday use since nothing will fall from it. Plus, the circular logo medallions add a fancy look to it.
Falabella Shoulder Bag
Falabella is yet another shoulder bag, but unlike the previous one, this can be worn on special occasions because of its signature silver diamond-cut chain. The Chain gives the bag a stylish and fancy look that every woman would want to go hand-in-hand with her soiree dress.
It is big enough to carry all of the essential items you would have on these occasions, such as your makeup, hairpins, accessories, purse, and more. Plus, it comes with an internal slip pocket, where you can put your phone, for example.
Mini Marlee Logo Bag
This is a small shoulder bag suitable for afternoon outings and small occasions. It comes with flap closure and a snap button fastening. And there is an internal slip pocket where you can put your phone or anything that you want to be easily accessible.
It is PVC-free and made of 56% Polyurethane, 44% Polyester, and its lining is 100% Recycled polyester.
3. Matt & Nat
When the brand’s name consists of “mat(t)erial” and “nature,” you wouldn’t be surprised when you know that all its products are cruelty-free. The brand is the product of the love one has towards nature and all its creatures.
Matt & Nat never use any animal-based materials. They are not only animal-friendly, but they are also environmentally-friendly. Thus, they use recycled materials like nylon, rubber, and cork. They even started using recycled bicycle tires.
> Read more: The best Matt & Nat products.
Of course, they have some of the most amazing bags on the vegan-material market, and they also produce footwear, outerwear, and accessories. It’s time for us to check some of their fabulous bags.
RIYA – VINTAGE
If you’re looking for a small over-clutch bag, this is the one. It’s super safe to put your valuable items in because it comes with a zipper and an asymmetrical flap with a hidden magnetic snap. Besides, you won’t need to check if your phone is still in there or not every few minutes because you can securely put it in the cell phone slip pocket or the zipper pocket compartment.
It comes in black, sage, chili matte nickel, and heirloom. Also, its style makes it suitable for work as well as fancy dinners.
BEVERLY – BELT BAG
Belt bags are the trendiest nowadays, for they look fabulous while being very practical. What if I told you that there is a fantastic belt bag made entirely of recycled plastic bottles?
The Beverly belt bag is suitable for women whose waist circumference lies approximately between 33″ and 49″. It also comes with an adjustable strap to adjust it until it is your waist size. The bag comes in deco, black, and velvet colors.
Its main compartment is closed with a zipper, and its front one has a flap and a foldover clasp closure. The front compartment has two slots where you can put your credit card and ID. This would have been enough, but the designers decided to give us an extra compartment on the back with a zippered patch pocket.
Grace – Bucket Bag
Grace is pretty big with a length of 7.5″, height of 9″ and depth of 4″, and it comes with a chain shoulder strap that is 21” long. Being this big does not make it look any less stylish than the other models, and that may go back to its drawstring closure, which gives it a girlish look.
You can safely secure your valuable items in the zippered pocket on its back wall. It comes in ballet, black, and brocade colors.
4. Gunas New York
Gunas is one of the oldest vegan brands, for it has been up and running for over ten years. The brand believes that animals are not humans’ property, and they should not be part of fashion. We can wear fashionable bags and clothes without harming a single animal. Consequently, Gunas uses nylon, canvas, upcycled materials, and other eco-friendly materials to design its durable products.
COTTONTAIL
This bag is a tribute to Cottontail rabbits who are about to be extinct due to the continuous violence towards them by fashion designers. This cottontail bag is made of 100% vegan-textured eco polyurethane, and its lining is made of recycled plastic bottles. You might think that Gunas doesn’t pay much attention to details, but you’ll be surprised to know that they even use recycled metal hardware.
The handbag has an internal zipper and a zipper divider, so you can arrange your items in the bag and get what you want quickly out of it. The adjustable strap is a huge plus to any bag, so you can share it with your loved ones if you’d like. It’s also detachable, allowing you to buy different straps, so the bag looks as good as new every time you wear it. Whenever you want to store it, don’t forget to put it in its dust bag.
MEGHAN
If you’re the kind of woman who loves to stand out and be the center of attention, check out Meghan M tote. This is a bold and unique bag inspired by the Duchess of Sussex. Besides, it is unbelievably roomy with its 14″ width, 14″ height, and 3.75″ depth.
The bag is made of 100% vegan-textured eco polyurethane and hi-tech feather canvas with a light nylon cover, giving it the same look as if it were made with real and cruel leather. It comes with a handle drop of 12”, so consider if this suits you or not before making your purchase.
Meghan comes with an outside zipper to its main compartment and features two internal slip pockets where you can store your valuable items or the items you want to pick quickly. It also comes with its dustbag, so you can rest assured that it will be safe in your wardrobe.
Naomi
This PETA-approved Naomi is your typical everyday bag with its spacious space and beautiful yet casual look. It can hold your files, wallet, I-pad, makeup, water bottle, and even your umbrella. This didn’t surprise me at all after knowing that it is 17″ length x 14″ height x 5″ depth. Once you own Naomi, you’ll wonder how you’ve ever gone about your day without it.
It has an internal zipper pocket and a zipper divider pocket so you can arrange your stuff. It also comes with a dust bag like the other ones. Like the bags above, it is made of 100% vegan-textured eco polyurethane, recycled plastic bottles, and recycled metal hardware.
5. Melie Bianco
Melie Bianco attracts people who love eco-friendly and cruelty-free products, as they sell various types of bags without harming the environment or hurting an animal. They even use natural colors that don’t only serve the environment but also look gorgeous and vibrant.
What’s more, the brand encourages profit sharing among all its team members.
Nicole Top Handle Bag
Nicole is such an attractive cruelty-free handle bag with luxury vegan leather. It is big enough (14.75″ width x 11.75″ height x 5.25″ depth) to fit a tablet inside, so you can pretty much use it to store all your essentials such as a wallet, purse, phone, iPad, water bottle, umbrella, or even a spare shirt.
The loveliest thing about Nicole is that it fits all of this stuff without being bulky, thanks to its excellent design that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. It has a magnetic closure and an interior zip pocket for your phone. There is also a slip pocket on the back where you can put some change. You can enjoy it in black, mint or nude.
Kayla Peach Crossbody Bag
If you’re searching for a small bag (7.5″ width x 6.75″ height x 2″ depth) that fits all your essentials, go for Kayla Peach Crossbody Bag. You can hold it as a crossbody bag or a shoulder bag by easily adjusting the straps’ knots. The main compartment has an inner slip pocket, and there are two outer slip pockets that allow for easy access storage.
Brandy Crossbody
You can wear Brandy as a pouch, a clutch and a crossbody, depending on your clothes and style. You can easily adjust the strap’s length (41”) and tuck it in if you want to wear it as a clutch under your arm. Also, its butter feel with the vegan leather will add to your softness, femininity and beauty.
Brandy is 13″ width x 7.5″ height x 4″ depth and can easily hold your iPad. It has one compartment only with no pockets and no zippers, just a magnetic fastening closure and that’s it.
6. LaBante London
LaBante London’s products are all made from recycled materials. To illustrate, they have saved around 10 million plastic bottles from reaching landfills. Plus, they even use recyclable or recycled packaging when shipping.
Demi Brown Vegan Winged Tote Bag
When you buy the winged Demi Brown tote bag, you’ll be buying elegance without compromising anything. Most elegant and stylish bags come with one zipper and no pockets, but the designers of this one know how to balance between style and organization.
The bag has two zipper compartments and a central zipper compartment. Plus, you’ll find inner side pockets with a zipper and two open pockets. This means that you have plenty of space to store your keys, phone, wallet, and valuable items. Moreover, the gold hardware plaques on the bag’s base add a fabulous look to it.
It is suitable for days and nights as it is 12.36” (L) x 11.18” height x 8.07” depth. Also, its detachable shoulder strap (that is 5.11”) gives you the freedom to wear it with various straps of different colors.
Sylvaine Cream Vegan Hobo Bag
Only available in the U.K. store – Shipping to the USA available
This bag’s design looks very natural as it is one of the many bags in the exclusive Sheridyn collection that is inspired by nature. The handcrafted butterflies on the front of the bag give it the cute look that makes it an everyday-use bag, and they also give it that classy look that allows you to wear it on special occasions and dinners.
The bag has a central compartment with a zipper where you can put the items you want to keep safe like your phone and wallet. Then there are two side magnetic closure compartments with pockets where you can keep the change, for example.
It’s big enough with its 30” (L) x 33.3” height x 14.2” depth and comes with a detachable and adjustable shoulder strap with a 10.3” handle drop.
Willow Fuchsia Coin and Card Holder
This zippered purse is 14” (L) x 8” height x 0.4” depth, so it can take lots of your items. It comes with a zippered compartment and four card slots, so you can organize your items the way you need. And it’s made of 100% vegan leather.
Final Thoughts
Is your faith in humanity restored yet? It feels great knowing that there are tons of people whose primary goal is to produce fabulous products without harming a single soul. You can wear the most stylish and affordable bags and make a statement about how killing animals for fashion purposes can be prevented.
