Mopani beans

‘I’m very organised these days, and I keep my life in my handbag, like most women.’

Britt Ekland

 

 If you are going to invest in a handbag I believe you deserve to have a handbag that is totally unique to you, made with beautiful, sustainable materials, handcrafted to a very high standard, and that will become a valuable companion on your life’s adventure.

 

Mopani beans handbags are made from high quality, vintage Welsh tweed fabric and clothing that I have collected because I am drawn to their colours, textures, composition and history. Through Mopani beans I hope to breathe new life into these textiles by up-cycling them to create unique handbags and accessories. By doing so I also hope to increase awareness and appreciation of this wonderful Welsh textile.

 

I design Mopani beans handbags to be simple and practical yet elegant, and I often take inspiration from Japanese styles. I enjoy working with natural materials of different texture and a palette of earthy colours. Every handbag I create has a unique combination of outer wool tweed with a complementary or contrasting European linen or organic cotton lining. Many of my handbags are finished with a wooden button hand carved in mid-Wales. I find hand sewing very meditative and so some Mopani bags are decorated with hand stitched appliqué imaginary floral designs, all worked in pure wool,  

 

I work from home in a fabric-filled shepherd’s hut in the foothills of the Cambrian mountains surrounded by beautiful Welsh countryside and sheep. I have no training in design or textiles but making handbags has become an unexpected passion.