Helloooo! I'm Crystalyn. My blog is a peek behind the scenes of how I make my
Apparently, the Center for Environmental Health has found that hundreds of non-leather handbags contain high amounts lead, including (gasp!) Kate Spade, Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors. The gals at Cool Mom picks recently clued me into the drama and have given me a chance to confirm: yes, my bags are lead-free!
But I think that this brings up a very key issue that affects my design process everyday. Although I strive to use the best available materials with the least impact – the ‘perfect’ material doesn’t exist, yet. And maybe it won’t ever. That’s why I feel that it is most important to create unique bags in small batches (in my home studio. . right here in Seattle!) that are dependable and will last for years. It’s not about vegan vs. leather bags. To make a positive impact, we should strive to make fewer and smarter purchases, support designers who share our beliefs . . . .and perhaps re-think what a ‘designer bag’ really means.
Tags: lead free handbag, lead-free handbags, lead-free purse, soapbox
Could you please elaborate on how you know your purses are lead-free? It would seem to me that all or most purse manufacturers rely on a number of vendors for various components of a purse, and that any number of these could contain lead and/or exceed safety levels. Very interested in your response.
hi cameron,
Thanks for your great questions. Since I make the bag myself in my home studio, I work very closely with each of my material suppliers. I have asked each vendor to provide certification of their safety levels, before I incorporate these materials into my designs. Hope this is helpful.