One of the best solutions to combating fashion's waste problem is upcycling. By definition, it's the process of adding value to something which previously held little. Reading about the incredible solutions-based creativity of designers in countries with textile-waste issues, like Nigeria, creating businesses out of reclaimed and recovered textiles is inspiring. It made us wonder - was this a space that Blue Nude could contribute to?

Meanwhile, we began to field questions about whether and when we'd make handbags. While we secretly had our organic cotton Enso Curved Tote Bag in the works, we began to ponder what a progressive approach to making the hallmark of a brand - the leather handbag - would look like for Blue Nude. We began to think about the incredible bags we've seen at vintage and thrift marketplaces that have only a small element which makes them defective or out of style. What if we were to give vintage leather bags an artistic makeover, turning them into our signature pieces of wearable art?

Working on the Raha collection, with its inspiration from Morocco and the wool artistry of Berber people, we began to dream of a handbag that would be embellished with wool, almost giving it a fur-like quality. Thus, we concluded we had to partner with a wool and textile artist for the project.

Through another artist's Instagram account, we anonymously held an open casting call for wool and textile artists to submit their portfolios. Amongst many talented applicants, Chisara Vidale's portfolio shined. Not only was she an accomplished textile artist, quilt maker, and painter, she was skilled in wool felting as well. Illustrious and imaginative, we were drawn to Chisara's psychedelic landscapes and her ability to make common objects of the natural world have an otherworldly quality. 

A felted merino wool panel, ready to be trimmed and inserted into a bag.

We quickly met and set off on our adventure to transform five bags and work with a new material we hadn't encountered in our artistic practices - leather. Dreaming up designs for the bag, we were drawn to the idea of the bag shapes hanging off the shoulder, tucked under the arm like 'comfort creatures'. We admired the metal studs used in the doors of Morocco and decided to experiment with metal eyelets that would be pierced with 'tails' of felted merino wool. On the front, we would cut away from the original leather to reveal patches of felted merino wool, manipulated to have multicoloured stripes and stitched with zig-zags to create texture. We chose specific colours, shapes, and textures that we felt spoke to the 'soul' of each bag.

Stabilizing the wool panel with leather glue, before sewing to the leather.

After the creative ideation, we had to solve the technical aspect - how would we do this? After removing the interior liner, we cut away sections of the bag's leather, and then installed our wool panels. The wool panels consisted of hand-felted wool that was glued, covered with a soft decorative overlayer of multicoloured natural merino wool strands, then stitched into place with a zigzag stitch. The wool was then glued to recycled cotton canvas with PVA medium, stitched around the edges for reinforcement, then attached with leather bonding glue and stitched again to the original leather to hold in place. For the bag's tails, layered multicolour merino wool was woven into a yarn core, with density added via a felting needle. These were attached to metal hinge hooks, then pierced through metal eyelets which we inserted into each bag's side. Finally, fresh bamboo silk lining was reinserted with new labels, including a hand-drawn signature from Chisara, alongside edition numbering identifying each unique bag.

Chisara Vidale with Blue Nude's Creative Director, Katarina Protsack.

Our efforts transformed five forgotten vintage bags into one-of-a-kind pieces of wearable, functional art. They are Asmun, which means 'friend' in Berber, a brown and green wool triangle bag. Tamot, meaning 'wool' in Berber, is patent leather with deep blue/black wool embellishment. Zagora, a sandy pink and black flap bag, gets its name from the Moroccan town near the Saharan desert whose stone makes it turn peachy pink at sunset. Atlas is the smallest, a pouchette in black and white named for the Atlas Mountains. Finally, Afa, meaning 'fire' in Berber, is the most textured bag with a deep blue and black double tail.

You can pre-order our special handbags here. The handbags will be delivered after being presented for London Fashion Week's February 2025 season.

Asmun Merino Wool & Leather Upcycled Handbag.