Reindeer leather bags for everyday use and special occasions
A leather bag made from naturally tanned leather is so much more than just something to carry your belongings in. A well-chosen leather bag has a unique feel to it and showcases your personality. Here we’ve collected bags and cases from brands north of the Arctic Circle.
Leather bags made from vegetable-tanned reindeer leather and tote bags with prints inspired by Arctic nature. If you’re looking for a sustainably made bag or case with a design shaped by the ancient traditions of the north, you’ll find it here.
Sustainable handbags made from reindeer leather
For some, handbags can be seen as status symbols. There are luxury handbags out there that cost more than some make in a year, bags that can be worn to showcase your personality and your values in life. We also sell those kinds of bags, made from high-quality natural materials, with details inspired by traditional crafts and the life above the Arctic Circle.
En bärare av historian & kulturen
Our bags tells a story but won’t cost you a year’s salary. The leather bags in our range are mainly made from reindeer leather that’s been vegetable-tanned using natural tanning agents only. The leather comes from reindeer that have spent their lives roaming free on the mountain plains of the Arctic. Every part of the reindeer is taken care of and used either as food or for making utensils of different kinds, to make sure nothing goes to waste. This kind of bag won’t be shown on the covers of any fashion magazines, but then again, that’s never been our intent. Instead, these bags are timeless classics that tell a story about our Arctic history and heritage.
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Naturally tanned reindeer leather
Tanned reindeer leather is a product derived from the reindeer’s skin. It’s made by first soaking the inside of the reindeer skin so that the hairs fall off naturally. Next, the skin is colored and preserved by soaking it in a bath with wood bark, which gives the leather a soft natural hue. After the preservation process, the leather is greased, which makes it nice and supple. When this last step is done, the leather is ready for use. Naturally tanned reindeer leather is completely free of toxins and heavy metals and is an astonishingly durable material. The Sámi people have been using these same natural methods for making leather for bags, shoes, clothes, and plenty of other items, for centuries. It’s a truly sustainable way of creating products that will last for generations.
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The classic Sámi handbag
The traditional Sámi handbag is easily recognizable. It usually has a thin twined leather shoulder strap, a lid adorned with delicate pewter embroidery, and decorative pieces of wool fabric or printed cotton sewn onto it. The leather used is usually tan or black in color, and the round shape of the bag is achieved by pleating the leather on the sides. Traditionally worn as an accessory with the women’s traditional costume, the kolt, many of these beautiful bags were forgotten about, and they ended up somewhere at the very back of the closet. Today people have started wearing them again with pride, both in everyday life and for more festive occasions.
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Reindeer leather cases for a modern lifestyle
We’re surrounded by technical gadgets, keys, make-up, and all kinds of small charging cables to carry around all day. So many things to bring wherever we’re going, to work, home, or just out and about. In our range of leather bags, we’ve gathered functional leather cases and storage bags for phones, computers, kokkaffe (boiled coffee), and many other things. Choosing an environmentally friendly leather case from Swedish Lapland for your everyday items, means you’re choosing a more sustainable way of life. If you ask us though, the fewer gadgets, the better. We recommend getting fewer, but instead more well-chosen, high-quality items, for that true sustainable Arctic lifestyle.