LaBante London
Sustainable fashion brand LaBante London aims to put people, animals and the planet first in everything they do. The brand, which offers handbags as well as shoes and jewellery, operates with the ethos “fashion is respect”, and 10% of its profits are donated to charities each year. The label also plants ten trees for every item sold, making each purchase carbon-neutral.
LaBante's goal is to provide fashion for those wishing to live sustainably without sacrificing style. Aside from winning a slew of awards (including Best Sustainable Handbag Brand at the 2022 Enterprise Awards), LaBante has also seen one of their bags exhibited at the Victoria & Albert museum in London.
About the Founder
LaBante was founded by Vanita Badlani in 2009. In her teens, Vanita frequently spent time at the fashion company ran by her uncle, observing the creation of beautiful garments – that's how her love of fashion began. When she was a university student, she often passed by a butcher's shop where animals were caged before being killed in front of customers for their meat. Witnessing this process inspired Vanita to go vegetarian.
“The name LaBante comes from Sanskrit, and it means to ‘truly achieve’, which implies that it is more important to give back to the planet than to take from it. Sustainability is in the DNA of the brand.”
Despite forging a successful career in banking, Vanita always felt that her calling was uniting her passion for vegetarianism and fashion. Spotting a gap in the market for beautiful, high-quality accessories that weren't made from leather, she was inspired to create LaBante.
Materials
LaBante's bags are made from vegetable-based leathers and can be recycled at the end of their lifespan. The brand has pledged to be PVC-free and uses recycled plastic bottles for their linings. LaBante is also working with apple leather for their unisex line of shoes.
People
As a woman-owned and operated company, LaBante is committed to empowering women in disadvantaged communities by paying their workers fair wages, pushing for higher safety standards at their factories, and using their international platform to amplify their voices. Another way that the brand gets involved in workers' rights is by collaborating with anti-sweatshop activists such as Nasreen Sheikh to spread the word about their campaigns.
Production
LaBante's manufacturing takes place in Portugal and Turkey, as well as Guangzhou in China and various regions in India. The brand's factories are powered by windmill energy and 50% of them also use solar panels. All factories carry international accreditation, such as Sedex and others.
Animals
This company doesn't believe that animals should be part of our fashion choices, which is why all their products are vegan and cruelty-free.
To discover more like this, visit our vegan bags collection.
You can read more about the problem with animal leather and sustainable vegan leather alternatives on our blog.
Love sustainable vegan leathers? Take a look at our edits for Cactus Leather, Apple Leather, Grape Leather, Pinatex and Cork Leather.
Love luxury and designer fashion? Check out our Luxury Vegan Bags & Shoes edit.
