Francesco Biasia Meg Bag

While prowling the streets of Tokyo in the summer, I found that straw bags are very in. At least they are in fitting with the sweet, peasant style that Japanese people love so very much. Straw bags of all shapes, colors, and sizes can be found popping up on the arms of many women.

Then, I saw Francesco Biasia's Meg Bag ($318) on Forzieri. Rounder than a Spy bag, the Meg satchel utilizes orchid pink woven straw to create its cute, wearable look. At first look, the material really doesn’t look like woven straw, which gave me quite a thrill. What surprised me even more is how eco-leather is used for the chocolatey straps and handles.

As you can probably guess, no animal has to die to produce eco-leather, which is made from 80% cotton and 20% synthetic micro-fibre. Now why doesn’t more designers use this leather? One reason could be pricing and how that affects branding. Eco-leather is around 35% cheaper than normal leather, and for some people, using it is like embossing exotic skin patterns on leather, simply fake. Thus, eco-leather may not necessarily reflect luxury and prestige. Big designer houses may not want to touch it. Then again, straw has had a really good "in" year, and despite the relative low cost of the material, designers such as Michael Kors, Tory Burch, Kate Spade, and Cole Hann have all come out with straw clutches in the past season.

I guess somebody somewhere has to decide that eco-leather is really fashionable and cool before it will be utilized more often. So if you need a reason to purchase a slightly pricey straw bag, get the Meg Bag and think of it as a matter of reflecting your values and spreading an eco-trend!