A list of the top sustainable handbag designers currently on the fashion scene.

Sustainably designed handbags have come a long way since their humble beginnings. From vegetable dyed leathers to recycled and organic materials, handbag designers have upped the ante on style, form and function. Here we offer you an extensive list of what we consider to be the top designers in the sustainable handbag field. We’re impressed.

Ampersand As Apostrophe, Seattle, Washington :Upcycled mailbags, recycled materials

Ashley Watson, Vancouver B.C.: Upcycled leather, recycled materials

Beryll, Los Angeles, California: Upcycled leather, made in the U.S.

Beth Springer, Venice, California: Organic hemp linen, plant dyed leather, made in the U.S.

Calleen Cordero, Los Angeles, California: Vegetable tanned leathers, handmade by artisans

Collina Strada, Los Angeles, California: Made in New York, vegan, recycled materials

Cri de Coeur, New York, NY: Recycled plastic, organic cotton, vegan, Made in NYC

Dama, Los Angeles, California:Upcycled leather, recycled materials, vegan

Ellington, Portland, Oregon: Award-winning environmentally responsible tannery that uses efficient processes to reduce water consumption, energy use and CO2 emissions.

Entermodal, Portland, Oregon: Handmade, vegetable tanned leather, will buy back leather after use for recycling

Erin Templeton, Vancouver, B.C.: Upcycled leather

Fleabags, New York, NY: Organic and vintage materials, vegetable-tanned and re-purposed leathers, all materials sourced in the U.S.,  silkscreens use water-based ink

GG2G, Stamford, Connecticut: Repurposed and recycled materials, vegan, made in the U.S.

JADEtribe, New York, NY: Handwoven, organic cottons, natural dyes, fair trade

Jess Rizzuti, New York, NY : Sustainable cork

Kim White, Los Angeles, California: Dead stock, never-used textiles intended for use in American automobiles: cars, trucks and vans, vintage fabrics

Lina Rennell, Northern California: Recycled leather

Lizzie Fortunato, New York, NY: Hand beaded, recycled materials

Love Mert, New York, NY: Upcycled leather, wood scraps from designer’s father’s workshop, organic cotton lining

Matt & Nat, Montreal, Canada: Made in Montreal, lining of recycled plastic bottles, vegan

Passchal, Richmond, Virginia: Recycled inner tubes

Push Pull Cambodia, Takeo Province, Cambodia:Hand woven by Khmer artisans, fair trade

Red Flag, Vancouver, B.C.: Alternative manufacturing, recycled materials

Rising Tide Fair Trade, Brooklyn, NY and New Jersey: Fair Trade Federation certified and Green America approved

Shannon South, New York, NY: Zero waste, recycled leather

Spencer Devine, Brooklyn, NY: Upcycled materials, supports textile artisans in developing countries.

The Sway, New York, NY: Upcycled leather, recycled cotton lining

Teich, New York, NY: Vegetable-tanned and chrome-free leather, vintage materials and fabrics, hemp, linen

Image: The Sway

The post The Ultimate List of Sustainable Handbag Designers (From A-Z) appeared first on EcoSalon.

The country’s first-ever fashion week shows there’s more to Cambodian fashion than fainting garment workers.

These days, Cambodia is known more for its clothing manufacturing than its clothing design. But with the launch of the first-ever Cambodia Fashion Week, that’s about to change.

Festivities kicked off yesterday in the capital city of Phnom Penh and continue through November 5, with a full slate of fashion shows, invite-only receptions, celebrity studded after-parties, and all of the glitz and glamor you’d expect from an international fashion showcase.

But in Cambodia, Fashion Week takes on additional significance in a country where most people subsist on less than $2 a day, and the clothing manufacturing industry provides a much needed step out of extreme poverty for many rural poor. Difficult working conditions, child labor, and toxic waste still permeate the industry, a fact recently spotlighted after a string of mass fainting incidents in Phnom Penh factories – suppliers to fast fashion giants like H&M – hit the mainstream media.

Event organizers are hoping to trump that negative attention and are more focused on Cambodia Fashion Week highlighting the more positive side of Cambodian fashion: its ability to showcase the country’s rich artistic and craft-based heritage.

Keok’ Jay, Fall ’11

“There’s a lot of manufacturing here, but very little design,” says Rachel Faller, founder of Keok’Jay, a social enterprise that will debut its latest collection at CFW. “Fashion Week will be a great opportunity for Cambodia to create and promote its design identity.”

Faller is one of many local designers who are proving that it’s possible to produce great fashion while respecting human rights.  Since 2008, she has worked with low-income, HIV-positive women to create sustainable apparel and accessories. Her latest collection is inspired by the sea, and makes plentiful use of recycled jersey and fabric scraps, but in a way that’s cohesive, not patchwork, she says. The collection will be sold at Keok’Jay’s three Cambodia retail locations and an online retailer located on their website.

Another ethical highlight of the week is the opening show from Eric Raisina, a Madagascar-born designer who has worked with traditional silk weavers to produce unique textiles for nearly a decade. His Siem Reap workshop employs nearly 30 Cambodian artisans, each groomed by Raisina himself, trained in a diverse set of skills, and paid a living wage.

Eric Raisina

Raisina’s new collection is inspired by the black orchid, a rare flower found only in Madagascar. “This collection will show exactly what Eric likes to do with silk in Cambodia,” says Christine Gleizes, Raisina’s publicity director. The show will also feature new prêt-à-porter items made from cotton, linen, and other fabrics found in local markets, which will be sold in Raisina’s new Phnom Penh boutique.

The week will culminate with an exclusive two-day shopping event featuring participating designers and local boutiques. The event will also include a social enterprise showcase, with projects and products from socially responsible businesses and NGOs. Unearthed are some great treasures including contemporary ikat handbags and accessories from Push Pull Cambodia; traditional krama check urban gear from Good Krama; pop-art inspired t-shirts from Friends International, an NGO that works with marginalized youth; and much more.

“Traditionally there is no social enterprise component to a Fashion Week,” says Emma Fountain, Marketing Advisor for Friends International and a showcase organizer. “But Cambodia is a special case. With the essence of the country still recovering, it is important to acknowledge this in a country where fashion is still very much emerging.”

Check out the full schedule online and follow the action on Twitter by following @CambodiaFW.

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