If you're vegan or plant-based in your approach to eating, and thinking about other choices that can be healthier for the planet or animals, we found a designer to love. And while we all love Stella bags with a passion, we are always on the hunt for a more affordable alternative. Guess what? We found it!

HFS Collective is chic, sustainable, vegan and reminds us of our favorite looks from Loewe and Chloe.  The entire fashion industry is becoming more planet-friendly and even vegan minded, as major companies are banning fur, such as Gucci, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Polo Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, and others. Just last week, Macy's made headlines when they announced that they would not longer sell fur as of 2020, and the creative director of Gucci claimed, when they went fur free several years ago, that "fur is not modern."We're on our toes to find out which designers will follow suit. Now that Stella McCartney has become the Sustainability Special Advisor of LVMH, it seems as if every designer is racing toward the "sustainable, ethical, vegan" positioning to create a halo effect that consumers who are still "Flexi-shoppers" will support. So we chose HfS Collective because it is the real deal.

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HfS Collective stands for "Hipsters for Sisters" and was created by Debra and Rachel Denniston, a mother and daughter in 2012 with an inspiring story. The family-run company is Los Angeles based and they take pride in the fact that they know everyone who works for them, from the person who sews the zippers on the bags to the person that shuts the lights off at night in their factory. The small and resourceful brand promotes the ethos, the  "joy of less," meaning that their handbags are small in size so we don't carry a lot of baggage, emotional or physical. Their belt bags, a chicer version of a fanny-pack, allows for a hands-free life, because women have more important things to hold! Their modern designs are innovative and made from premium, sustainable materials so they will still be in your closet ten years from now. And better yet, with every purchase, HfS donates 2% of sales to organizations that empower women and protect the planet. So just like you, your purchase is doing some major multi-tasking.

The coolest thing about the brand, is the extremely sustainable materials they use, such as two types of vegan leathers. One is made from PIÑTEX, a leather-alternative that is a by-product of pineapple leaves. And since it's a by-product of pineapple production and reduces waste and costs no extra land, water, fertilizer, or pesticides in production. (See photo below for the way it's made.)

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PIÑATEX photo by anas-anam
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The other vegan leather the duo uses is made from an eco-friendly alternative to the popular and less expensive material known as "PVC." It is also free from organic solvents, odors and environmental toxins which makes it a certified sustainable material. Another innovative material HfS uses is a cork fabric from the Cork Oak tree that they use to create their chic convertible white sand wallet that is highly popular on their site. Cool fact about cork: When this tree has reached 20 years of age, the bark is stripped and the tree does not die -- making it the only tree in the world that can shed its bark and still live. Cork Oak is 100% sustainable for this reason (win a bar bet on that). In addition, the same tree can be harvested every 10 years for over 200 years, so next time you're at a cocktail party holding your cork wallet, impress your friends with these fun facts.

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