The search for a beautiful, sustainable handbag is not complex when you know who you can shop with. In this blog you will get to know one of my favorite handbag brands. And perhaps my favorite Dutch brand: O My Bag. Not only because I fell in love with their timeless designs in 2014, but especially because they make a positive difference on a social and ecological level. A look at this beautiful label.
Where the love for O My Bag originated
Seven years ago I became acquainted with this Dutch accessory label thanks to my job at the time. I also met founder Paulien Wesselink during that period. She made a great impression on me as a young female entrepreneur and I felt every fiber in my body that she wanted to make a positive difference in our fast-paced fashion world. It wasn’t just a pretty story. The clear mission of O My Bag was further confirmed when they won the Sustainable Leather Awards a year later: a prize for an innovative and sustainable idea within the Dutch leather sector.
The story of O My Bag is one of the seeds that made me decide never to buy fast fashion again.
How exactly do they make the difference? They do not use conventional leather for all their accessories. A unique type of ecological leather that goes through a cleaner and safer tanning process (also called ‘vegetal tanned’) and one so lowest possible impact on the environment. Apple leather and organic cotton are also among them their go-to materials.
In addition, this label believes in the power of fair trade and its ability to bring about social change. At O My Bag they link local communities of a third world country (such as India) with the global market, so that they can support local craftsmanship and prosperity. On their website you can read that they provide 864 fair jobs at their producer in India. And that they positively influence no less than 12,916 lives through various social projects.
They have already saved 1770 handbags through the pre-loved program
Over the years I have the collections of O My Bag gradually expanding. Today they have a wide range of (hand) bags, wallets, card holders, laptop and tablet sleeves, canvas bags, and so on. For each his own. My very first purchase was a black laptop bag that I took to work every day for years. Over the years I saw it transform and I learned to appreciate that eco-leather is alive. The folds and cracks that are gradually becoming more visible are full of character and make the bags unique.
Like other ethical and eco-responsible brands, O My Bag also has a price tag. Logical too, when you ensure fair wages and as little impact on the environment as possible throughout the chain. So I can place that perfectly when I consider a handbag. Although I also think it’s great that they are setting up a pre-loved program for us. Not only to save handbags from landfill, but also to lower the threshold to sustainable handbags. View all pre-loved handbags on their website here.
Some of my personal favourites
The images above belong to O My Bag.