Fair question. Here's a better one: what does it actually cost to make something right? We could make these cheaper, but here's exactly what we'd have to give up to do that.
Unlike most bags made from virgin synthetic materials produced overseas under conditions that prioritize volume over everything else, ours are made the opposite way. Doing the right thing (i.e. making sustainable products and treating people well) is expensive. Here's what we mean, and what actually goes into your (Co)llection ANDI:
1 — Upcycled materials are harder to work with than virgin ones. Sourcing, cleaning, inspecting, and cutting second-life billboard vinyl and fabric scraps takes significantly more time and skill than ordering rolls of new material. There's no uniformity, no predictability, no shortcuts. Every piece has to be evaluated individually. It costs more to do it this way. We do it anyway — because sending that material to landfill costs the planet more than we're willing to spend.
2 — Local labor, fair wages, excellent working conditions. Every bag in The (Co)llection is handmade in Denver at Esperanza Productions — a sew shop that employs people with barriers to employment and pays them fairly in a safe, supported environment. We don't offshore labor to reduce costs. We invest in our community because that's what "made with good values" actually means in practice, not just in marketing copy.
3 — These designs were refined obsessively — so they work exactly right for your life. The strap lengths, the pocket placement, the way each bag transforms between carry modes, the interior organization, the hardware — every detail went through round after round of testing and refinement. We don't release a bag until it works the way it's supposed to. That kind of design investment doesn't show up on a tag, but you feel it every time you use it.
4 — It replaces multiple bags — and is built to last a lifetime. The Tote carries four ways. The Crossbody carries three. These aren't single-use pieces — they're systems. And they come with a limited lifetime warranty because we built them to go the distance. When you factor in everything you're not buying because this bag does it all, the math changes pretty quickly.
5 — No two are identical. You're not buying a mass-produced product. Because every bag uses salvaged billboard material, yours will be slightly different from every other bag in existence. The color variations, the texture, the subtle details — that's not inconsistency. That's the nature of making something from materials that had a previous life. You're buying something genuinely one of a kind, made by a specific person, in a specific place, from specific materials.
We understand that $50–$375 is a real investment and we take that very seriously. Our promise is that your bag was made by someone who cared, from something that deserved a second chance, designed by a team that didn't stop until it was right. If you're looking for the cheapest bag, we're not it. If you're looking for the last bag you'll need for a long while — one that works hard, looks beautiful, and feels good to own — we think this is one of the best values out there.
