Leather Is Coming Out Of The Closet!

Hello again, my lovelies!

So have you noticed that leather has-albeit reluctantly-come out of the closet? What? Oh, literally...the closet! There was a time when so many of us didn't think twice about rocking a bag that cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars...and was proud to respond yes when asked if it was leather. Other than owning a couture gown, that kept us up there in the fashion echelon, right?

Good thing our consciousness has expanded. According to a poll done by the Vegetarian Resource Group in 2011, 2.5% of the US population identified themselves as vegan. That was like 7.5 million people! With these numbers come the increasing call for fashion designers to acknowledge this growing market. Quite a few did, thankfully. As a former leather toting fashionista (hey, I was vegetarian, not yet vegan), I have embraced and absolutely love my vegan bags. The quality of some brands are amazing, and the designs are worthy of my critical eye. They get just as much attention and compliments as those other ones. In addition to being cruelty free, some of them are budget friendly. Bonus. I've blogged about vegan handbag brands before, and here is another list of designers who have embraced the Faux Leather trend.

Urban Expressions

I personally love this brand! In my opinion, their bags are gorgeous. On their website, they state that they use polyurethane (PU) versus polyvinyl chloride (PVC) because the former is biodegradable and doesn't require solvents to soften the materials during processing. Their bags are certified vegan. To shop their bags, you can search the site for local stores that carry them, or shop online at baghaus and ebags.

 Here's one of my faves that I own:

Isn't she beautiful? I apologize in advance for not being able to find her name inside. I bought this turquoise bag at Marshall's last summer for $39.99. I can't find it online either, but there are similar styles available.

"certified vegan" label inside

Big Buddha

I love the colors these bags offer. The website might need a bit of updating, since their last collection is dated 2011. They also state that since "every handbag in store priced less than $95, there is certain to be a style to please customers of all ages." yet there were bags listed for $105. Hmm. No worries; I'm sure they're working on it =)

Le Petit Crossbody in mustard

 (available in other colors), $45.97

Fiesta in pink, $90
Take a look at the rest of their collection here.

BCBGeneration

BCBGeneration black or lilac faux leather studded strap clutch, $14
Bluefly.com

Wyatt

Wyatt cherry vegan leather pyramid studded tote bag, $38

Bluefly.com

As you can see, I found both of these brands on Bluefly's site. You can search for other brands there also.
Have fun shopping, veganistas! Tell me about other fab vegan handbags that you love in the comments!

Until next time,


Love & Happiness!

Nikki