How to be On-Trend with Vegan Bags

The four big Fashion Weeks in London, Milan, New York and, of course, Paris, gave us directions on what types of bags to wear this season. Down the runway, it was all about backpacks and all that is related to ‘travel-chic’, bags that match perfectly with your outfit, bags that have words and writing on them, messenger bags, brightly colored bags, bags with metallic chains, and handbags with added prints and graphics. They all look beautiful but, unfortunately, they are not very animal friendly. So here’s a list of environment and animal-friendly bags to replace them with while also keeping with the trend.

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#1. Backpacks and ‘travel chic’. Yes, backpacks are a must this season. They’re fun, spacious, comfortable and full of young vibrations. This year saw the return of the hard case as well, so it’s all about traveling in style. Our favorite designers have added beautiful and creative backpacks to their collections, to make sure every fashionista out there stays trendy even in the rainiest of falls and coldest of winters.

But alternatives are numerous and you can find beautiful vegan backpacks everywhere. They can be made of the classic canvas, felt, PVC or even faux leather if you really want to go the extra mile and keep it in trend. Your choices are limitless and all you need is a bit of creativity. There are even tutorials out there on how to make your own backpack, using old jeans, if you prefer a denim one. Or you could also hit the streets with a classic canvas backpack, like the one I found on Serbags.

#2. Perfectly matched bags. There’s this old rule most of us tried to adhere to: matching your bag to your shoes or your scarf. Well, hold on tight, because this season, designers such as Valentino, Chanel, Victoria Beckham, Alexander Wang and Tommy Hilfiger went with creative variations on this rule. And, luckily for vegans, these variations benefit greatly. Because most of these bags, in order to match the outfit perfectly, have been made out of the same materials, such as cotton, linen, acrylic, or other non-animal materials. This is great, because it means you can wear the bags right off the runway.

#3. Bags with words. The one who started the trend this year is none other than the ever playful Moschino, with their graffiti writings on suitcases. Vivienne Westwood joined in the game quickly and added not only words, but exclamation marks to her designs, because she really felt your bag needs to make a point. The easiest way to replicate this “verbal” design is to wear nice and creative tote bags. They are fun, can be found everywhere, go with almost anything and are really cheap. So they will make for a very good addition to your closet this fall.

#4. Messenger Bags. These ones belong to the ‘traveling trend’ which is so hot right now, along with the backpacks and the hard cases. They usually come in leather, indeed, but that’s not mandatory if you want to keep vegan. There are other options, such messenger bags made of denim, canvas, faux leather and even recycled ones, made from used coffee bean bags. If you need a bit of inspiration, the big designers sporting messenger bags on the runways this season are Misha Nonoo, Emilio Pucci, Chanel & Sass and Bide.

#5. Brightly colored bags. The runways were filled with them this season, because the trend is all about color and having fun. We are naturally drawn to the beautiful colors, and Dolce and Gabbana, Fendi and Valentino made sure we got what we came for. Most of them were leather and some were fur, so we’ll need to find vegan-friendly replacements. Luckily, it’s not difficult. We just need to find some boldly colored, mostly orange, because that was the color of choice on the catwalks, small handbags. Matt and Nat fit the description perfectly with this bright and beautiful faux leather handbag that looks good enough to eat.

#6. Metallic chains. Another element heavily present on this season’s runways were metallic chains attached to handbags. Like I previously mentioned, it’s all about having fun this autumn and adding some metal detailing to cookie handbags is one of the best ways to go. Metal chains have always looked good against the skin and that is one of the reasons they’re still in use today. There’s also a sense of glamour and luxury about them because they remind one of precious metal jewelry. And this is exactly what houses like Dior, Balenciaga, Chanel, Calvin Klein, Elie Saab, Miu Miu, Ralph Lauren and the list could go on, have banked on. Yes, it’s a big trend and the list is actually so long it seems like everyone sported at least one bag with metallic chains on it.

#7. Handbags with added prints and graphics. And I’m talking crazy, crazy prints, images, logos or even handbags shaped like different ordinary objects. We need to return to funky Moschino for an example and we can pick their boom box purse, with graffiti on it. However, if you want to keep vegan and also, if you’re not keen on carrying an ’80s boom box with you around town, but you still want to keep it funky, here are some other purses you might find interesting. There’s the small cassette player bag, instead of the big boom box. This might be the perfect replacement, actually. It’s virtually the same thing, but on a smaller scale and animal friendly. We also have the pepperoni pizza slice and the turquoise telephone shaped one, both perfect for dates.

The runway was filled with fund and funky bags this year, but unfortunately (and as usual) few were vegan. But all that is needed to beat the leather and fur trend is a bit of creativity and a lot of research.

Author bio:

When she’s not working on her fashion degree, Dana Hughes is going on long walks, taking photos of any small and beautiful detail that captures city life. She’s a complete science-fiction addict and has a Chihuahua named Red and a superbly indifferent cat called, ironically, Kiss.