Fair Trade Handbags: An Ethical Way to Style

The market is flooded with elegant and stylish handbags of all price ranges. However, you can never be sure, whether the product you are buying came from exploited impoverished craftsperson or from the sweatshops of developing countries.

The keyword today is fair trade, which ensures that the money spent on buying the product goes straight to the craftsperson and is not pocketed by the middlepersons. This is the most ethical and humane way you can help the impoverished creators of such beautiful handbags.

#1 Raven & Lily

This corporation has taken upon itself to empower marginalized women artisans from all over the world by sourcing fair trade products from them. You can buy exquisite designs crafted in their signature ‘slate’ style made from organic cotton and locally-sourced leather.

#2 Cuyana

Cuyana means ‘love’ in Quechca and works with the simple mantra of ‘Fewer, better’. Its belief is that style holds an edge over fashion and quality over quantity. This has driven it to adopt fair trade for sourcing leather bags with soft, neutral colors for the modern woman. Towing the line of eco-friendliness, all products come with a reusable bag for filling with clothes you no longer need and donating them to the needy. For this, Cuyana offers $10 credit per donation.

#3 Est Wst Collective

The name without vowels is unique and so is its collection of handbags. Established by a brother-sister duo, the products are sourced from local artisans from Nepal and India. The exquisite range includes stunning handcrafted designs for fair trade handbags and much else with fabrics and materials in Nepali and Indian styles. Money spent on buying these products go to the Rural Development Fund for supporting the local community.  

#4 Mayamiko

The company was founded by Paola Masperi in Malawi in 2013 and is one of the leading ethical brands of the UK. The uniqueness of its products is blending together of traditional African techniques with contemporary designs. The brand helps the artisans by directly sourcing from the local market a variety of handbags, such as dip-dye cotton, upcycled materials and reclaimed fabrics. If you are looking for eclectic designs, Mayamiko is the place.

#5 Alicia San Marcos

The proceeds of whatever products you buy of this brand go to Guatemalan children to help provide them quality education and buy their school supplies. This brand has grown famous for sourcing handcrafted handbags made by indigenous women using ethical, long forgotten Mayan traditions. The exotically designed handbags come with bold colors and recycled textiles that easily compete with non-fair trade leading products.