The Best Handbag Brands To Have On Your Radar
The kind of investment purchase that won't totally bankrupt you
It pays to be clued up on the best handbag brands. Not least because they are more affordable, but because its more fun shopping from rising labels. And, let's face it, as pretty as they are, the OG designer accessories feel both totally of reach and reality for us mere mortals (the price of Chanel bags has tripled since the pandemic, according to the Handbag Clinic). So in 2023, during a cost of living crisis, these kind of investment purchases are just that – big investments.
The fashion industry has shifted in the past decade. Old school luxury houses have become even less accessible, while the high street has democratised to the point of becoming completely unsustainable in its quest for faster, cheaper fashion. This chasm has left room for a growing new sector: bridge brands. And with the rise of these under-the-radar labels has come a fresh perspective – we’re talking directional designs, eco-conscious fabrics and a new smart/casual take on investment purchases.
Enter, the bag bridge brands. The likes of Manu Atelier, Cult Gaia, Wandler and Oroton, who's prices start around the £300 mark. So it’s a saving up kind of situation, yes, but you can still treat yourself with a bit of hard work. These new-gen brands are striving for sustainability and ethical production, too: Hereu is keeping female artisan techniques alive in Spain, while Neous is championing recycled packaging, and Reformation bags, which just launched this week, is already considering the afterlife of its new drop.
An 'It' bag is for life, not just for Christmas – so make sure you're buying the right one. Keep scrolling to see ELLE's edit of the best affordable handbag brands worth investing in for 2023.
Reformation
Following on from its expansion into shoes a few years back, Reformation has launched its handbag department this week, alongside a campaign starring actress Camila Morrone. The 19-piece collection sees timeless shapes with the same 1990s vibes as the ready-to-wear – fuss-free leather styles, sans hardware, in playful but timeless colour palettes. The LA-based brand is working with the same European tanneries that supply major luxury brands, so these babies are built to last. Nonetheless, they are 100% recyclable through RefRecycling (this scheme is currently US only but it is coming to the UK asap).
Prices start from £278
J.M. Davidson
J.M. Davidson was founded by photographer and designer (not to mention, husband and wife) duo John and Monique Davidson in 1984. Working from their Golborne Road studio in Notting Hill, the pair soon expanded from a single studded belt into leather goods, and quickly picked up celebrity fans such as the late Princess Diana and Jerry Hall. The brand has continued this legacy since the Davidson's moved on, adding ready-to-wear into the mix but focussing mainly on its Spanish-made handbags – we're obsessed with the sculptural Quiver bucket bags and the fringed Carnival design.
Jacquemus
Jacquemus might have launched on runways as a designer womenswear brand, but it was the French label's handbags that helped propel it to global mega-success – in particular the micro-mini Le Chiquito that went viral on Instagram shortly after it launched. Beloved for their ice-cream colours, graphic gold logos and playful proportions, Jacquemus handbags are in a league of their own. No wonder Lizzo, Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber, Rihanna and Kendall Jenner keep coming back to them.
Prices start from £355
Manu Atelier
Manu Atelier was founded by Beste and Merve Manastır (the daughters of one of the oldest hand craftsman and leather goods manufacturer in Istanbul, Turkey) back in 2014. Despite a very successful expansion into footwear, handbags are still at the heart of the brand – with its cult Cylinder bags still being a best-seller nearly a decade on. The sisters count The Princess of Wales, SJP and Bella Hadid among their stylish fans.
Prices start from £275
DeMellier
DeMellier is the handbag brand loved by celebrities like Beyoncé, Jourdan Dunn and Irina Shayk, but it's also one of the few rising London labels championed by the royals. And we mean championed: Kate Middleton, The Princess of Wales, rotates this £330 Nano style in camel and navy, while Meghan Markle and The Queen Consort both have the Venice in bottle-green, and Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and Pippa Middleton are also fans.
DeMellier prioritise responsible sourcing and small production lines. A portion of profits from every sale go to its permanent charity initiative 'A Bag, A Life' – funding life-saving vaccines for children in collaboration with SOS Children’s Villages.
Bobbies
Bobbies is the brandchild of childhood friends Antoine Bolze and Alexis Maugey. The duo started the brand in Paris back in 2010, its USP being quality leather footwear crafted in its São João da Madeira, Portugal, workshop. We've been obsessed with these comfortable-but-directional shoes for years, so we were thrilled to hear handbags were afoot in 2023. The Ancône bag is true Instagram catnip – this top-handle flap design is affordable, versatile, and available in a rainbow of colours (our favourite is Dulche De Leche).
Prices start from £190.
Cult Gaia
Founded in 2013, Cult Gaia put itself on the map in with the launch of its Arc bag – the slatted bamboo style that went viral on Instagram and was soon snapped up by Beyonce, Jessica Alba and Rosie HW. The LA-based label has since expanded to ready-to-wear, swimwear and shoes, but its object d'art bags are still the shining stars (quite literally: we're obsessed with this season's crystal-chainmail styles).
Prices start from £245
Neous
Founded by former fashion editor Vanissa Antonious in 2017, Neous was one of the first in a wave of independent luxury labels. Six years on, the accessories brand is still beloved for its sculptural silhouettes, grown-up colour palettes and avant-garde hardware. Every bag is handcrafted by skilled makers in Italy (known by name, the brand hastens to add) and packaged in thoughtful recycled materials.
Prices start from £520
Tusting
Tusting is one of the oldest luxury leather goods labels in the UK – it's first tannery opened in 1975. The family business still produces everything right here in England, and even supplies leather to the likes of Church’s, Cheaney and Crockett & Jones. Since the brand pivoted mainly to handbags in the 1980s, its gone from strength to strength. And now, in 2023, with founder Charles Pettit’s great-great-grandson running the show, we're seeing a more directional take on arm candy: like this season's Noughties-inspired Greta.
Prices start from £340
C. Nicol
LCF-Grad Cathleen Nicol launched her namesake handbag brand, which is based in the Scottish Highlands, fresh out of university in 2015. Since then, we’ve witnessed every peak and trough of trends. From Phoebe Philo's peak-Celine era of understatement, to Logomania and the Y2K renaissance, back full circle to 2023’s Quiet Luxury craze. C. Nicol has stayed true to itself throughout, sticking to its signatures of sculptural (but alway practical and capacious) shapes, clean lines, and bold-but-wearable colours. Our favourite piece has to be the Holly bucket bag, especially the tan hue with its contrast red tab.
Prices start from £275
Oroton
Founded in Sydney in 1938, Oroton is the oldest luxury fashion company in Australia. The Aussie brand grew to fame in the 1950s thanks to its metal mesh bags that later sparked chainmail and paillette versions from the likes of Gianni Versace ad Paco Rabanne. The brand's current creative director Sophie Holt revived Oroton in 2018, introducing new sustainable goals and switching up its aesthetic. Meghan Markle's a fan of its elegant leather handbags.
Prices start from £245
Wandler
Elza Wandler launched her namesake label in 2017 and still works from her hometown of Amsterdam. The handbag brand quickly catapulted to fame with its cult Hortensia model: the capacious, trapeze design felt like a breath of fresh air a time when micro bags reigned supreme. Wandler has since expanded to footwear and ready-to-wear, but its USP is still – architectural, elegant, but just a little 'out there' – handbags.
Prices start from £480
Hereu
Hereu specialises in leather goods – from elevated boho totes and basket bags to fisherman sandals and moccasin Mary Janes – produced by family-run manufactures in Spain. Founders José Luis Bartolomé and Albert Escribano are committed to creating beautiful pieces that are kinder to people and the planet: they only use responsibly-sourced Italian and Spanish leather, vegetable dyes, organic cotton, and try to incorporate recycled materials where possible. The brand's signature is cool hand-woven detailing – it makes each item you buy totally one of a kind.
Prices start from £275
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