The NYC Edit: 2 Female-Founded Luxury Vegan Handbag Brands You Need to Know (Leather-Free)
At Stylishly Grounded, we write about shoes, handbags and finishing touches like outerwear for special occasions and day-to-day. We also like to uncover new brands, spotlight the founder and learn the stories behind the labels. We are covering two New York City-based luxury vegan handbag brands which have become very popular over the past few years. Amazingly, they are female founded.
We previously covered NYC-based shoe brands, which you loved learning about. This time, we went looking for handbag brands for those of you searching for vegan and cruelty-free options specifically based out of New York City, so if you’re curious, keep reading.
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Freja New York: Minimal Vegan Handbags for the Career Woman
We first discovered Freja on Instagram, and it was love at first sight with their minimalist east-west silhouettes. We first stumbled upon the Mini Chrystie bag. Then we searched for the founder’s story and she really blew us away, Jenny Lei founded the brand in 2019 when she was only 22.
The Story: Jenny was living in NYC, had an upcoming interview and couldn’t find a vegan work bag that felt “right” – everything was either loud, logo-heavy, or made of poor-quality synthetics. We have been there – it’s extremely frustrating when you have an important meeting or event and the options available are inadequate. So she launched Freja to create the perfect interpretation of a work bag. Over the past six years, Freja NYC has seen a great deal of growth and is also expanding its collection – the 25/26 collection just launched a few weeks ago!
Why We Love It: Freja is cruelty-free and uses a custom Ultrafiber that mimics the weight and grain of premium calfskin but is water-resistant and scratch-proof. The interior is padded tech sleeves and a structure that holds its shape even when it is empty. We love that the brand is a symbol for quiet luxury crafts minimalistic designs. Fun fact: even global style icons like Hailey Bieber and Katie Holmes have been seen carrying Freja bags.
The Craftsmanship: Jenny is transparent about her “slow fashion” approach. The bags are made in a small, family-owned factory in Guangzhou where artisans are paid double the minimum wage to focus on quality over speed. There is a lot of behind the scenes footage on the site.
Shop New Arrivals
Freja New York just raised the bar with their 25/26 collection. Among the fresh silhouettes (shoppable below), we’re seeing the launch of Fig, a deep, sophisticated hue that has completely transformed our favorite Caroline and Mini Chrystie styles. Check out our favorite pieces from the collection below.
You can shop them on Freja New York’s website or at the following retailers: Nordstrom, Revolve and Anthropologie
Shop Our Favorites
Best for Work
Best East West Style
Our Favorite Catchall
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Naghedi: Luxury Vegan Handbag For The Woman Who Wants Function
We first spotted Naghedi while searching for mid-luxury staples on Saks. We were immediately drawn to the thick, architectural weave of the St. Barths Tote. We could not get enough of the weave – we were so excited to find a gorgeous non-leather bag. While these Naghedi focuses on performance and architecture rather than the “vegan” labels, you can rest assured that every piece is entirely cruelty-free and animal-friendly.
The Story: Founder Sara Naghedi spent 15 years in the accessories industry before reaching a total burnout with “disposable” fashion. In 2015, while pregnant with her daughter, she sat at her dining room table in Manhattan and began prototyping a new kind of carryall. She wanted to solve a problem that aligns with out mission – combining form with function. Most high-end bags are too delicate for the grit of actual life. Naghedi was designed for day-to-day life. After a year of perfecting the weave, she officially launched the brand in 2016.
Why We Love It: The claim that these bags are “indestructible” is rooted in the material: hand-woven neoprene. Because it’s the same high-performance fabric used for wetsuits, it is naturally water-resistant, wrinkle-proof, and holds its structural shape no matter how much you pack into it. It’s become the “insider secret” for style icons like Jennifer Lawrence, Gisele Bündchen, and Jessica Alba because it’s virtually weightless but survives the elements that would ruin a leather bag.
The Craftsmanship: Naghedi operates on a “Slow Fashion” model. Every bag is hand-woven by skilled artisans who work in small-batch production to minimize waste. Because they produce only one or two bags per day, the brand avoids the mass-production cycle entirely. This artisanal approach, paired with the high-tech material, ensures the bag lasts for a decade rather than a season.
The Icons: While the brand has expanded, the St. Barths Tote remains their most popular and recognizable silhouette.
Shop New Arrivals
The 25/26 Refresh: What’s New Naghedi is officially expanding beyond the classic tote. Here is the high-speed breakdown of the latest drops. The Evil Eye Capsule: A modern talisman update featuring intricate embroidery on signature Ink Blue and Teak neoprene. Handwoven Satin: The brand’s first formal pivot, translating their iconic weave into high-luster satin in shades like Currant and Juniper. The St. Barths Medium Fray: A maximalist reimagining of their icon, using raw, frayed edges to add architectural texture to the Saddle Brown silhouette.
Evil Eye
Satin
Fray
While the new season brings fresh silhouettes, we had to include the cult classic that started it all. The St. Barths Medium Tote was the very first bag Sara Naghedi brought to market in 2016, and it remains the brand’s most recognizable piece. It was designed to be the “Goldilocks” of totes—large enough for anything and everything: laptop, shawl, toys, watterbottles and anything else you can imagine. The best part is that it is easy to clean and extremely durable.
It also comes multiple sizes. Keep in mind, the large can get heavy since it holds a lot!
Shop The Cult Classic
Petit
Small
Medium
Large
We were excited to see that you can also shop Naghedi at the following retailers:
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The Stylishly Grounded Perspective: Final Thoughts
We dug deep into Freja New York and Naghedi because they solve a problem we face constantly: the gap between “precious” luxury and fast-fashion plastics. Usually, when you move away from leather, you’re forced to settle for materials that feel like cheap synthetic or designs that don’t hold their shape. We were genuinely impressed to find that these animal-friendly brands are crafting pieces that redefine quality.
Both brands align perfectly with the Stylishly Grounded mission. They offer a mid-luxury price point (think $250–$500) that feels fair for the level of construction you’re getting. You aren’t paying a “logo tax,” but you aren’t sacrificing the aesthetic either. The quality of the materials (Freja’s durable Ultrafiber and Naghedi’s architectural neoprene) is impressive for a cruelty-free brand.
If you are looking for a luxury vegan bag that is stylish, functional, and fairly priced, these brands are the win. They provide a sophisticated leather-free option for anyone who wants a beautiful, long-lasting accessory without the traditional luxury markups.
If you loved this guide, you will also enjoy our other edits: Handbag Edit | Shoe Edit
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