Bag Affair is more than just bags- we want to revolutionize fashion in offering business bags to raise women in their work life. But we want to produce in respect with our values and that for Bag Affair follows 6 principles which we respect in all of what we do:
1 – French Design
Two founders, two origins: Middle East and Germany – but French Design?
YES – Both of us live in France now since several years. We love the country, the food, the fashion and styles and we even get to handle French people now.
France is the country of haute-couture of the Paris fashion show and of luxury. But that is not all- mainly it is the inherit spirit of the French to always dress well, to mix and match colours according to style, season and accessories and to always look perfect, which inspire us for that special French touch.
We studied the industry, what stays and what leaves from season to season and out of this we created a fashionable but lasting design for our products. For us it is important to be in fashion, but at the same time to have pieces, which you can combine with anything from season to season.
Our Bag Affair handbags can be carried with any business outfit, for any type of meeting, by all women. Style and the little French touch combined in one lasting product – for a French business woman, as business women in the Middle East, Germany, or anywhere in the world.
2 – Made in Europe
Being vegan is a good step, having French design is beautiful, but creating products, made in Europe, from European materials is even better.
Why to produce in Europe?
Our company is French, we live in larger European collective, and we are convinced that European production with local products is the best we all can do for the economy and environment. With our production in and around France we can assure employment and support local business. Bag Affair takes the best from each country, the French trends and walnut wood, high quality cork from Portugal, the best metal accessories from Italy. Everything is right at our doorsteps.
Production in Asia would be cheaper- or not?
Maybe to produce in Asia would be cheaper in terms of working hours, wages, etc. But for which price: Without rigorous labour audits, there still exist underground fashion sweatshops that continue the trend of cheap throw-away fast fashion to grow at the detriment of humans and the planet. All these practices reinforce opaque employment with wages for which people can’t effort to buy enough food? This sounds all horrible to us.
And no, financially it would not necessarily be cheaper either. Production in China means long ways to control production and quality; means import duties and maybe a high rate of defective products to be thrown away. Combine financial, environmental and social costs, and you know it’s better to stay as local as possible!
Europe stands for quality
For us it is not about money in first case, but it is about employment and about product quality. We are not in a mass production. We produce smaller quantities, but assure best quality and products which will accompany you for many years!
3 – Eco-conscious
If you read about our values before, you might have a feeling for how we think and that for us fashion is not just for one season.
Fashion can be much more, timeless, to stay with you for a long time.
This is why we are a vegan brand, why we produce only in Europe and that we think about the environment as well.
The word “vegan” is very often associated with being sustainable as well. However, most of the times this is not always the case. The definition of vegan is simply: “no animal products or no products from animal origin”. It means that vegan products do not contain leather, wool, etc.
But at the same time vegan does not imply that the materials used are automatically environment friendly or sustainable. This is why very often you find bags from plastic or fake leather labelled “vegan”. Vegan clothes very often are made from polyester, which isn’t the most sustainable material either.
Not all vegan products are sustainable as well. Imagine a bag from fake leather. This contains often polyamide and cannot be recycled. So the product is vegan, but not sustainable or eco-friendly.
Each of our collection is made with an eco-conscious perspective in mind. The products should be vegan, last long, and as the most biodegradable it can be. Means the quality must stay the time of usage, but afterwards the products can be recycled completely and naturally.
Look at our Bag Affair bags: Made from outside cork and inner cotton, they can be recycled entirely. Even the wooden handles are sustainable. Only pieces taking longer are the metal parts, which we need for fixtures.
And we won’t stop here: Watch out for more materials and innovations coming. You will be surprised by the possibilities out there if you put your mind to it!
4 – Cruelty free
There’s no other way to say it, but the industry of leather, wool or fur production is an industry of blood. OK, maybe wool keeps humans warm, leather lasts long and fur is absolutely in fashion- but the animals behind suffer very often for our vanity.
We are not about telling you what you should wear; neither to insist that you should be vegetarian or vegan, but what is important is to ask yourself: Where do my accessories come from? Under which conditions it has been produced? Same for food, cosmetics, clothes etc.
By using no animal origin products we can assure to by cruelty free and to assure not having doubts where the products come from.
Taiseer and Ronja the co-founders are living happily with a cat and a dog and as our pets are happy, we do not want to be responsible for the way other animals are treated, to wear them only to give us raw materials or a fashion look.
All products from Bag Affair bags are made vegan and cruelty free!
Check them out and let us know what you think
5 – Slow Fashion
How different is fast fashion from fast food?
Today being a fashionista and following current styles does not longer mean to follow summer and winter trends, but as well spring and autumn. This makes at least four seasons instead of two. Further some big chains launch new collections each week- this gives over fifty launches per year.
As fashion is produced far away from us always with lower prices, but not necessarily better quality, people buy, are happy to follow trends, throw away and buy again, again and again. Nowadays clothes as trash are the biggest amount in history thrown away each month- and it does not look like anyone will stop – too important to follow trends, no matter for which price. Fashion might be cheap- but at what true cost?
Bag Affair is not following the trends of fast fashion, but consciously celebrating slow fashion!
Fashion you buy as contemporary pieces, as accessories to combine with anything anytime and in any season. Pieces you will love and use for long-time.
We promise you to provide you with practical handbags and the best quality for life and not just for few weeks.
6 – Shop Small
Last but not least we of course need to sell our bags. And there as well we follow a clear strategy: selling via local shops rather than on Amazon or other platforms. We like to work with shops where we know the people running it. We exchange regularly and if possible we work with local stores so that you can come, see and touch our bags.
This is as another reason why we don’t do end of season sales, Black Friday or other events to cut prices. We produce and sell for a fair price – if we would like to do promotions we would need to either outsource production to leave Europe or sell for a much higher regular price. Both are not options for us.
And what is nicer than a walk in the city centre, window shopping and the discovery of your new favourite piece in a store?! Let’s not lose touch of the important human element of shopping, where it isn’t simply about purchasing objects, but creating meaningful connections, and supporting the local economy as well.
