The Best Brands For Chic and Eco-Conscious Cork Handbags
Image Credit: Eve Cork
Cork is an incredible eco-conscious material and yet it often doesn't get the attention it deserves in the fashion world because of the misconceptions of the material's aesthetics — the chic cork handbags from these brands though are proving that cork can, in fact, be a luxe sustainable vegan leather.
Why focus on cork? One key quality of cork is that it's an incredibly renewable resource. Cork is harvested from the bark of cork oak trees (so it doesn't require cutting any trees down) and this bark regrows about every 9-12 years! Plus, the harvesting process can even be positive for the environment — harvested cork oak trees actually sequester far more C02 than unharvested trees because the trees need to absorb more CO2 to regrow their bark.
The cork harvesting industry also provides well-paying green jobs in rural areas in Portugal (the country where the majority of cork is grown and harvested) and helps protect biodiversity.
There's clearly much to celebrate when it comes to the sustainability of cork!
While some may be initially hesitant to carry a handbag made with the same material as their wine stoppers, the elevated designs, exceptional detail work, and modern styles of the cork bag brands featured here showcase the best of what cork can be.
This guide contains affiliate links, which means we will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you choose to purchase through some of these links. This helps us continue to create these free resources for you! As always, we only feature brands we love (and that we think you'll love too!) and that meet CFC's strict sustainability criteria.
Eve Cork
Eve Cork's premium cork handbags feature intricate designs and sleek upgrades — including quality hardware and YKK zippers — that transform the material into a true luxury faux leather alternative. Each cork handbag is lined with organic cotton and the colors you see on Eve Cork's accessories are all achieved with natural vegetable dyes, making the brand's vegan bags true eco-luxe statement pieces.
Investment: $$$
Laflore Paris
Proving that cork “leather” can be every bit as chic as its leather and faux leather counterparts, Laflore Paris crafts elegant, eco-conscious handbags. Their sustainable cork handbags — from vegan clutches to versatile duffel bags — are designed with a classic and timeless French style, ensuring they'll be favorites for years to come.
Laflore Paris also uses recycled cotton lining for some of their bags, ships in recyclable and compostable packaging made from natural jute, and is actively working to minimize waste by fixing and recycling their products in their workshops. When they can, the brand saves components like frames, rings, and the cork leather to repurpose into new products.
Investment: $$ - $$$
Svala
Los Angeles-based eco-minded vegan bag brand Svala creates luxe handbags from materials like cork and Piñatex. Svala has cork tote bags, cork backpacks, and cork crossbody bags all lined with recycled polyester and organic cotton. Each Svala bag also comes with an organic cotton dust bag for storing so you can keep your piece in top-notch condition for many years to come.
Investment: $$$
JORD
If you're looking for cork purses that don't necessarily look like cork, check out JORD's sleek Suberhide™ handbags. This unique material is produced in an ecologically responsible manner using the bark of cork trees from FSC-certified forests. And the process of converting the raw cork to Suberhide™ is specifically designed to retain as much suberin (a rubbery biopolymer that gives cork its coveted traits like elasticity and water resistance) as possible. This means that JORD's cork bags are not only luxurious looking and feeling, but are incredibly durable as well.
Investment: $$
nestPure
nestPURE's unique (the fabric patterns are done in-house and won't be found anywhere else!) cork bags, clutches, and accessories are all made to order in Minnesota. More to love about nestPURE? the exterior fabric on these cork totes and handbags is made from a hemp and organic cotton blend and the interior fabric is organic twill.
Investment: $
Carry Courage
Chic, convenient, and eco-minded, Carry Courage's travel and cosmetics bags are multi-functional and perfectly sized for carrying toiletries, makeup, or any other small goods. Each bag is lined with linen and features metal hardware sourced from a women-owned company within the U.S. These elegantly designed cork bags from Carry Courage are all individually made by the brand's owner, Marissa Simones, herself in Portland, Oregon!
Investment: $
CORKOR
Corkor is a PETA-approved vegan accessories brand with cork backpacks, handbags, wallets, and belts. The cork-focused label handcrafts their quality pieces transparently in their own workshop in Portugal, which not only offers traceability for production but minimizes emissions from transport too. And, to minimize waste, Corkor also produces in small batches.
Investment: $ - $$
Spicer Bags
California-based Spicer Bags creates eco-conscious bags and accessories using from plant-based fibers including, of course, cork! The accessories brand has cork crossbody bags, totes, wristlets, wallets, and more all made locally in the San Francisco Bay Area. Spicer Bags also has some unique cork jewelry!
Investment: $ - $$
