Nothing gets me giddier than discovering a brand-new designer with a whole lot of a potential to blow up. It’s the reason I often find myself in a 2 a.m. Instagram hole, eight pages deep, my Saved folder overflowing with new discoveries. It’s why I’m likely to stop strangers in the street and inquire about the origins of their outfit or throw an out-of-the-blue DM someone’s way—see something, say something, right? For someone who scouts the internet every day for the best shopping, uncovering a new-to-me brand I’m infatuated with is a serious thrill.
I’m not alone in this, either. My fellow editors also have a keen eye for greatness, so I tapped them to share the new handbag designers they can’t stop thinking about and, no surprise here, but their picks are really good. From the perfect, polished top-handle bags to the quirky novel shapes you didn’t know you needed, I’m sharing eight new brands you might not have heard of yet but definitely will soon. Go ahead and stalk the following designers at your leisure, and shop the handbags I personally recommend investing in.
Want to know the bag that cool girls from all over are wearing right now? Meet Neous. Or rather, re-meet them. The brand has earned a reputation for its sculptural shoes, but they’ve just begun trying their hand at bags and the results are even more stunning than we expected. Senior editor Allyson Payer is even calling it the latest It bag.
Yuzefi has been around for a while, our editor in chief Kat Collings told me, but is still relatively under-the-radar. Well, at this rate, they won’t be that way for very long. Each new design is stronger than the last and the brand’s latest creation, the Baguette Bag, is proof of its imminent rise of fame.
Where my Wes Anderson fans at? When designers Sungeun Um and Soonyoung Kim launched their handbag line in 2016, they named it after Gwyneth Paltrow’s character in The Talented Mr. Ripley and it’s a whole vibe. They’ve since made their mark with polished and petite handbags, usually finished in croc-effect for an extra luxe look.
You might have already heard of Kassl since their trench coats and outerwear are a favorite among the fashion crowd but they’ve recently launched a series of handbags with puffy, cloud-like shapes that are really impressing us.
I spotted none other than our editor in chief Kat Collings carrying this retro top-handle bag during New York fashion week last season and it’s been on my mind since. Rylan, an Australian label, is behind the design and as I quickly learned they specialize in bags that strike a balance between retro and of-the-moment.
Although not necessarily a new brand, I felt compelled to include Oroton here since their gorgeous bags just hit Net-a-Porter which, for any label big or small, is an indicator it’s on the up.
Surprise! A cool new bag brand that’s, yes, all under $100. While scrolling through Shopbop‘s selection, I spotted these on-trend baguette shapes and had to do a double-take to make sure I was reading the price correctly but sure enough, these babies are just as cool as they are wallet-friendly.
Speaking of It items, these 6 are officially on my wishlist (and the affordable versions I might buy instead).
