Two designers approach their new bag des

Fashion : Meet

27 October 2020

Re-Loved and Re-Launched

We've gained an hour to our days, which means we can spend a bit more time dreaming about things that make us happy. And something that make us happy, amongst other noble endeavours, is investing in brands that have real heart. And this week as we think about filling our Halloween bags up, we've found two brands with new bags that are...sort of new?

First up – YEBA. Born in Benin and raised in Europe, Creative director and founder Yeba Olayé left a career in management consulting to focus on her passion - a desire to create something beautiful, useful and long lasting. As most startups do, her first foray into making accessories met with some unfortunate turns and she hit pause while rethinking how she wanted to relaunch. And so now, YEBA returns with more purpose built into its model, as evidenced by her commitment to re-investing part of her profits from each bag sold into educational projects in Benin for young girls. "Yeba has chosen to collaborate with the NGO Wanignon Enfance whose ambition is to support the most disadvantaged children through donations of equipment and educational tools." These bags - a new collection of pared back, perfectly crafted bags made in Italy come under the collection name 'The story of Freedom' and are a tribute to her Beninese origins.

The collection will be available exclusively on pre-orders on the brand’s website www.yeba.co for three weeks (until 15th Nov midnight) and delivered to your door early January to start 2021 off with a bang. Caroline's favourite is the Ayo Tote as it fits most of her life neatly inside, and with every stitch, Olayé's passion and soul comes through.

Next up? It's the Re-Loved bag. From Stefan Cooke (menswear designers made up of founders Stefan Cooke and Jake Burt) comes this beauty.

Trompe l'oeil prints (think dresses and corsets printed on the front of white button up shirts), knits with diamond-shaped cut-outs, and sourced vintage bags with bottle top chainmail or furry new handles - Stefan Cooke upcyles in the most exciting ways. We love this ladylike handbag, given shearling handles but with most of their accessory stock sold out on their own website keep your eyes peeled for when they do crop up.

Shop some other bags we love, made with love: