South Africa has a tradition in making quality handbags stemming from the days when ostrich and crocodile leather were the ‘dernier cri’. Fortunately the tradition continues with more modern (and more sustainable) leather handbags, for example those made by Tsonga.

Made in Cape Town from imported leather is the bag range from Jekyll & Hide.

Dark Horse locally crafts beautiful leather bags for all purposes.

Animal hide, such as springbok and Nguni cows, also makes for distinctly African game bags, for example from Wildbags or Klein Karoo Boutique.

And you can wear it funky, too, dyed in bright colours with the sustainable Rarity label.

You don’t have to go animal product, though, to accessorize with African flavour:

Mongoose bags come in all shapes and sizes and use beautiful local fabrics for their bags.

Congo Rose’s love for bold designs and vibrant colours also makes for a great range of bags made with African cloth.

A new company selling locally manufactured bags from local fabric is Peppertree. They do the whole range of bags, from business to casual, kiddies bags, you name it, and their designs are floral and geometric. Some of their bags have genuine leather elements.

Distinctly local, yet not aimed at the tourist market are these local labels:

Squaremoon is your brand if you want to make a statement. Lani Edwards said to me ‘we don’t make handbags, we make wearable art.’ And I won’t disagree. Her handbags are original, sensual, beautiful and handmade in South Africa. Better yet, no cow died for them, because Lani gets inspired by local fabrics and believes in synthetic leather.

Wren is another ‘vegan’ and sustainable bag label. Wendren designs laptop bags out of recycled PPC cement bags, the ones with the elephant logo. No worries, they are water resistant and – poetic irony – they age like leather and become even more beautiful over time. Another range is various bags made from recycled (she calls it ‘upcycled’) jute coffee sacks. I wonder if they still smell of the fair trade coffee beans, which were transported in them. If you don’t do cement bags or jute, Wren also makes linen bags.

Gypsey Lou is a Wilderness label offering fabric handbags with stunning patterns, some of them in patchwork style. They’ll also accessorise you with beautiful fabric belts and hats.

Nannah is a small brand that makes leather and fabric belts and handbags.

Handbags are just one of the pies that the Stellenbosch Kreasie studio has their crafty fingers in. Elena-Marie’s background is theatre and she also makes puppets, props and other handmade crafts. Her bags made from stitched applications on West African waxcloth will secure your space in the limelight.

For more proteas as well as the whole cute range of bird, bunnies and hearts you’ll do well with Lady Peculiar’s bags, made from a combination of fabric and leather.

Dillon & Jada might have made a name for themselves as a local clothes label, but they also make accessories including some cute bags.

Chapel is a Cape Town label making leather bags and satchels and – my favourite – fabric backpacks with leather straps.