Thinking Outside the Bag

One of the magazines I manage is Haute Handbags (http://www.stampington.com/html/haute_handbags.html). I have been very stressed about the handbags to feature in the next issue (Spring 2010). Part of my aggrivation comes from the fact that I'm not seeing a lot of new and forward thinking when it comes to handbags. Dont get me wrong, there are a few notables that I am eyeing but nothing fresh, exciting, and having me believe that people are stretching and thinking outside the box.

And then I found these fellas...

I love how Litar bags (http://www.etsy.com/shop/litarbags) plays with shape. Such a simple way to reinvent the bag, by starting with the basic architecture of it and redoing it.

Then there's the Pop Art meets crafty quirkiness of Belleslettres ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/belleslettres). If you're a label lover and can't afford the real thing, perhaps you should fashion something out of those ads I know you like.

Thanks to these two designers I feel very hopeful about the bags of the future. The next Haute deadline is May 15 2010.