White Apricot

by Carrie Pollare, Editor

We love handbags almost as much as we love shoes. Okay…maybe some of us love them even more than we love shoes. Actually…my educated guess would be that it’s equal lusting. In any case, we think we found some amazing designers doing amazing things with sustainable materials to create very fashionable eco friendly handbags from structured to bohemian chic to clutches and everything in between. I’m sorry…I just couldn’t get it down to 10…so it’s a top 11 because you simply need to know about all of these! Happy lusting!

Ashley Watson
This Canadian designer turns recycled leather into wonderful slouchy soft handbags, some of which are a little rough and edgy and others that have cleaner, more polished lines. Since Ashley uses all recycled leather for her bags, each one is a hand made limited edition or one-of-a-kind. Choose from basic browns to bright turquoise and from small to large. We’re big fans of the Brant bag in any color and the Kestral in teal for spring!  Available at www.beklina.com or go to www.ashleywatson.net for retailers near you.

Beth Springer
If you go by Beth Springer’s studio in Venice, CA, you’ll see note cards, ribbon cuffs and one-of-a-kind handbags, all made with remnants from her collections. That’s because Beth believes in zero waste and she works to that end every day. Her bags are made from reclaimed and vegetable dyed leathers and her spring collection boasts 100% organic hemp/cotton linings. Check out the “Ecovertible” limited edition tie-dyed bag in rose. It’s so bohemian chic and uses all reclaimed leather for the trim. The yellow vegetable dyed leather Soft-T Saffron bag captures the spring brights look to perfection. Both come with straps that can be worn across the body to give you a hands free option. www.bethspringer.com

Ecoist
It’s hard to do a top 10 handbag story without including one of the trends that started it all…recycled candy wrappers. We chose Ecoist because their newest Spring 2008 collection actually managed to make the look pretty sophisticated. The bags will be available this month, but we wanted to give you a sneak peak. The Daily Bag in green with orange handles is so cute, but we’re fondest of the Diva Clutch in Brown.  www.ecoist.com

Ella Vickers
While there now seem to be a whole lot of companies making bags out of recycled sail boat sails, we think Ella Vickers has the broadest range of styles and best implementation. There’s even the cutest dog bed (yes…we’re doing handbags, but we just had to point that out). Choose from all different sizes and shapes, including totes, duffels, messengers, backpacks and smaller handbags and wristlets. Then, you can have red, green or blue numbers or solid color or patterned accents. We’re partial to the Zip Tote Medium or Large White Dacron, which has a solid pocket on one side and a sail number on the other. Messenger bags are awfully cute too… www.ellavickers.com

Heather Heron
If you’re looking for a great clutch or two, this is the eco friendly designer for you! Heather Heron uses organic European hemp as the backdrop for all of her bags. We love the Magnolia Safety Clutch in natural organic hemp with gold leather banding and the Banyan Pleated
Clutch in black organic
hemp with silver leather banding. Her celebrity following includes Reese Witherspoon, Michelle Williams and Alanis Morissette. Some styles are available at www.greenwithglamour.com.  www.heatherheron.org

HER Design
Helen E. Riegle has been producing beautiful handbags, inspired by nature, out of sustainable materials since 2004. In fact, HER Design was one of the first eco friendly handbag lines we discovered way back when and she continues to come out with luscious new styles. We’ve always been partial to the Petal tote bag in hemp canvas because we think the long deep shape, inspired by the shape of a single flower petal, is striking, plus it holds a lot for those of us who carry everything we own in our handbag. The trim on this bag is made from “treetap” wild rubber from the Amazon that looks surprisingly like leather. We know that Helen Mirren likes the Lilly bag, which is inspired by two trumpet lillies, and made of organic cotton with black PVC-free synthetic leather trim. www.her-design.com

Kim White

We give Kim White the award for most innovative fabrics used to create eco friendly handbags. We’ve written about her before, but she has to be included in this list. Kim’s bags are predominantly made out of reclaimed car upholstery from the ’70s and ’80s. The result is a great line of bright whimsical bags. The kicker? Each bag comes with a tag, showing the model and year of the car it came from. Kim also works with some beautiful vintage florals and other fabrics intended for use in furniture from the ’50s to the ’70s. Our picks are the 1975 AMC Brown Gremlin Cut-Out Clutch and from the floral collection, the Yellow Vintage & Leather Large Shoulder Bag. www.kimwhitehandbags.com

Matt and Nat
Matt and Nat bags are vegan…and stylish! Each bag also carries with it a "positivity" message, featured on its designs, "choose life choose positivity choose the golden rule choose to be at peace with yourself choose salvation scegliete di fare una differenza choose to make a difference choisissez de faire une difference choose to be different choose to be a rebel choose to be funky choose to be yourself choose to create a fashion statement"  So, we think this line is great on all fronts!  We’re into the Streamline collection, done with the company’s signature pebble faux leather, particularly the Avril in white and the Big Drop in indigo. The bags have cell phone and PDA pockets. Available online at www.mattandnat.com.

Passchal
This line of handbags, made from truck or tractor tire inner tubes, made our list because we think they do the most stylish job of incorporating recycled rubber into fashion. Your Passchal bag will definitely be a fashion statement and conversation piece. In fact, this company has so much demand, there’s a wait list, just like Hermès! The company tries to use faux leather trim, but you’ll want to check with them to make sure if that’s important to you. We love the Dax bag with the cherry trim and black leather handles and the New York Tote in solid black.  Who knew inner tubes could be so stylish!  www.passchal.com

Teich
This line is sophisticated, clean and modern. Allison Teich uses vegetable-tanned and chrome-free leather up against vintage materials and fabrics, composed of eco-friendly fibers, like hemp and linen. We’re lusting after pretty much every style in the Spring 2008 collection, but we’ll call out the Black and White Day Satchel in hemp herringbone canvas and vegetable tanned leather with a red linen lining, and the Pleated Shoulder Bag. (We can’t decide which color combo we like better black and white or brown and camel…you’ll have to choose). Go to www.teichdesign.com to find a retailer near you.

Vegan Queen
This collection, to us, is Gwen Stefani’s LAMB gone vegan. The bags are very upscale, structured and elegant, with a little bit of a rock and roll edge. Created by artist and model, Evelina, a committed vegetarian, these beautiful bags are made from such materials as 100% natural rubber, embossed with the VQ logo, PVC-free eco polymer,100% organic cotton terry lining and nickel free zippers. The VQ-engraved recycled antique crest medallion graces each of the four styles. The small Diamond Clutch in red and white is very cute for spring, but we have the hots for the City Bag. Of course, if you’re a satchel girl, you’ll want to check out the Eco It Bag.  www.veganqueen.com.

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