Womenswear
Vintage British-Made Women's Bags and Satchels — Voted by the Community
This directory lists 9 brands that make vintage women's bags in the UK. They are most often based in London. Prices run from affordable to luxury. Ranked by community upvotes.
The Leather Satchel Co.
A brand that specialises in handcrafted, bespoke leather satchels, bags, and accessories. Founded in 1966, their products are made using traditional techniques and high-quality materials.
- Bridal
- Classic
- Contemporary
- Bridal
- Classic
- Contemporary
Cambridge Satchel Company
Cambridge Satchel Company crafts classic leather satchels and bags, handcrafted in England since 2008. Celebrating British craftsmanship and timeless style.
- Classic
- Contemporary
- Heritage
Shop to visit- Classic
- Contemporary
- Heritage
See these brands on the map16 places from 8 brands, 9 of them shops you can visit.Open the map
Ednerat
Ednerat designs and makes women's coats, clothing and accessories. Everything we offer is made by hand in the British Isles. We champion our makers and use British textiles and materials in everything we can.
- Bridal
- Casual
- Classic
Shop to visit- Bridal
- Casual
- Classic
Vivien Of Holloway
Vivien of Holloway offers stunning 1940s and 1950s dresses and separates with authentic vintage charm.
- Classic
- Colourful
- Formal
- Classic
- Colourful
- Formal
Pretty kitty fashion
Pretty Kitty Fashion is a British vintage-inspired womenswear, footwear and accessories brand, creating feminine, flattering affordable pieces with a modern take on classic 1940s and 1950s style.
- Vintage
- Vintage
British Sheepskin
British Sheepskin crafts luxury sheepskin coats, jackets, hats, gloves, and accessories using traditional techniques in Somerset, England.
- Classic
- Country
- Vintage
Factory shop- Classic
- Country
- Vintage
Freddies of Pinewood
Freddies of Pinewood is a British maker brand founded in 1995, specialising in authentic 1940s and 1950s reproduction vintage fashion, with a focus on denim and timeless casual clothing.
- Vintage
- Vintage
Moloh
Moloh is a luxury British fashion brand known for its distinctly British style and playful self-expression.
- Classic
- Country
- Vintage
Shop to visit- Classic
- Country
- Vintage
- The Well Worn
The Well Worn
The Well Worn crafts British womenswear from reclaimed, vintage and deadstock fabrics. Sustainable dresses, skirts and reworked vintage pieces handmade in the UK.
- Casual
- Slow Fashion
- Vintage
Shop to visit- Casual
- Slow Fashion
- Vintage
Shops run by brands that make vintage women's bags
5 of the 9 brands that make vintage women's bags have a shop you can visit in Abergavenny, Bath, Cambridge and 6 other towns.
Abergavenny
Compton Dundon
British Sheepskinfactory shop
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Tetbury
Winchester
Windsor
This independent directory lists UK-made clothing brands, and marks those that make only some items here.Why choose British-made?
A Brief History of British Made Bags
From about 1650 until the late nineteenth century, many women carried their belongings in tie-on pockets: separate pouches tied round the waist under the skirt and reached through openings in the dress. In the 1790s, slimmer dresses with fewer petticoats made these pockets awkward, and many women began carrying small drawstring bags instead. Known as reticules or indispensables, they held a purse, smelling salts and a handkerchief, and were often made and decorated at home. The word handbag first meant hand luggage, usually carried by men when travelling. In the later nineteenth century the leather travelling bag, with its metal fastenings, inside compartments, ticket pockets and sturdy handle, inspired a new handbag for women, the forerunner of the twentieth-century handbag. Some British saddlers and harness makers turned to bags as well. In Walsall, the centre of the saddlery trade, some firms were making travelling bags and other light leather goods from the 1870s, and turned more of their work to them as motor vehicles replaced horses after 1900. British-made women's bags today draw on this background of leatherwork and accessory making.