About My Fair Bag Lady

Welcome to My Fair Bag Lady (MFBL). I started the company after falling in love with South Africa and the surrounding areas. The beauty of the land and its people inspired me to find and bring its charm, uniqueness and colourfulness back to the UK. My main focus is to source original and fashionable products made from sustainable, recycled materials or from easily renewable natural resources. The range has been carefully selected to reflect exquisite designs and quality, whilst caring for people and the environment. Each item in my collection has been ethically handcrafted by artisans thus ensuring work and regular employment for the under-priviledged.

The range of luxury handbags and accessories is unique and hand crated in South Africa using local labour in previously disadvantaged communities. All hides used have been obtained through a government approved herd reduction program or as by-products of the meat industry. Each hide is carefully chosen to show the least amount of natural defects. Every handbag is elegant, and features an original design.

Animal hides used in the collection include springbok, Nguini cow and zebra. Springbok is not an endangered nor a protected species. The Springbok is a small buck (antelope-like) indigenous to South Africa and gets its name from its jumping abilities. Their numbers are almost as abundant as in the 1800's when herds could be kilometers long and take days to pass a town.

The Burchelli zebra (named after the explorer and naturalist William John Burchelli) is the only sub-species of zebra which may be legally farmed.

The Nguni cow breed is special to Southern Africa and is a hybrid of Indian and European cattle breeds.It is medium-sized and well adapted to grazing on the Highveld.

I selected the canvas & leather travel bag range because I was very taken by their practicality and chic design. They are hand made using the very best canvas and leather in South Africa. Most of the materials are sourced from local tanneries and textile manufactures to combine both traditional craftmanship with modern manufacturing techniques. This ensures that they are efficiently made to the highest quality.

Fabric made from recycled cast-off cotton T-shirts is a real winner for the environment; there is no need to grow cotton which uses gallons of water. After shredding, the threads produced are then woven using the old fashioned wooden Hugh loom in Madagascar. The newly produced material is then used to create an array of original colourful articles ranging from bean bags to iPad sleeves .

The Mungo infinity snood scarf is my most precious find. Designed and woven in a South African mill using bamboo fibres and local labour; it is a winner. Beautiful colours and a fashionable item for the environmentally conscious shopper.

Remember that each item sold helps previously disadvantaged communities by giving them an opportunity to work and sustain their families.

- Sabine Delnatte