Vegetarian satchel bag review

Today I’ll write something rather silly: a review of the faux-leather satchel bag of the vegan brand Vegetarian Shoes.

Serious background:

☘ Supporting fair brands with a vision = supporting said vision and helping said brands to have a positive impact.

☘ The brand Vegetarian Shoes develops durable/high-quality fake leather materials.

☘ Shopping at Vegetarian Shoes will stimulate further developments.

The experiential part:

I got the satchel bag in red. I remember falling for a similar red bag about 10 years ago. That bag was made of leather and too expensive for me then. This time I had been waiting for a new bag to come along, because my go-to bag is through. So I took a train to the shop Vega-Life in Amsterdam and got it!

I like writing about the bag, because my experiences are a little funny. On the one side the bag is really pretty and a little funky because of the colour, at least I think so. I love the Vegetarian Shoes-label, which has a great function of proving the material is fake leather. The bag weighs very little, which is funny to notice!

The size is just right for me; my basic collection of stuff to carry just fits. (This includes: Dopper water bottle, KeepCup mug, diary, wallet, etc.) A small laptop would also fit, but I don’t like the idea, plus: the laptop would literally take up all space and would not allow the crucial re-usable water bottle to be there too. I like how the bag has a solid shape that can stand on the ground. I am used to more soft and flexible bags, in which my items would mingle around… In this bag everything remains right where I put it!

On the other side, the bag has some funny drawbacks: The buckles are impossible to open and close fast, so one has to learn to be conscious of when to open and close it, of what is in and outside of the bag. If the front pocket is well-exploited, the bag is front-heavy and not able to stand anymore; it will tilt over. I find it funny and a little awkward that this happens! It’s a bag with only one extra pocket and that the pocket ought to be used with care, apparently.

The other funny thing is that Vegetarian Shoes is a little mysterious about the material. The material is called Vegetan Bucky and it is ‘a hard wearing breathable microfibre that looks and feels amazingly like supple leather’ (source). I personally don’t think of that as an explanation of the material. A microfibre? I would want to know where this fibre comes from; is it a plant? Oil? Something else? As far as I’m concerned anything could be a microfibre.

These days fake leather can be made from anything: mushrooms (MuSkin), pineapple leaves (Piñatex), seaweed (Ocean Leather), and a lot more is being developed. There’s something to say for not using fake leather. I personally like soft materials, but I live in a rainy climate where water-resistance is an important quality for bags. I do not like black fake leather so much because it reminds me of animal skin, but I am more positive about fake leather in other colours.

All in all I’m pretty happy with my vegetarian satchel! I love how after all these years the bag came to me in the perfect moment. I’m a proud vegan and conscious consumer. 🙂

The (standard) satchel bag is currently available in eight colours (here). In addition, Vegetarian Shoes sells ‘mini satchels’ and ‘cycle satchels’. Check out the UK-based brand here.

Welcome new readers!

Thank you Naoki for adding me to your list of cool Dutch blogs for potential readers to find me.

I found an ‘environmental systems analysis’ internship! I’m really excited and slightly overwhelmed.

 


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