Have you been thinking about getting a new bag but also wondering what the best designer handbag brands are these days? Don’t worry. We’ve compiled a giant list of the best handbag designers around.
Now that it’s time to get that new designer handbag you’ve been waiting so patiently for, it’s also time to select which designer you want to buy it from. You have a lot of options! While there are hundreds if not thousands of handbag designers, we’ve narrowed the search down to a few handfuls… It was hard.
We love being fashionable and wearing a piece of art, so this list of the top handbag designer brands is truly the best of the best. Have fun going through the list. We hope you find the handbag of your dreams! (or 2, or 3… we may have a problem…)
31 of the Best Designer Handbag Brands
As you likely know, there are more designer handbag brands than we can count. Many of them come and many of them go. The ones that find a way to stand out through superior design or workmanship are the ones that stick around. Many of the brands that have stuck around are now household names. Whether you buy designer bags or not, you likely have heard the brand names. The following is a list of the best designer handbag brands.
- Chanel
- Hermes
- Dior
- Louis Vuitton
- Gucci
- Prada
- Off-White
- Balenciaga
- Fendi
- Versace
Valentino- Burberry
- Yves Saint Laurent (YSL)
- Ferragamo
- Alexander McQueen
- Givenchy
- Phillip Lim
- Kate Spade
- Michael Kors
- Coach
- Anna by Anushka
- La Poet
- Kattee
- Banuce
- Fossil
- Marc Jacobs
- JW Anderson
- Bottega Veneta
- Loewe
- Paco Rabanne
- Elleme
Now, let’s find out a little bit about each of these designer handbag brands.
Chanel is a French designer brand that is focused on Haute Couture, which is a type of high fashion with hand-made workmanship. Chanel uses only the finest materials to ensure all of their 
handbags and purses are made to perfection. Their bags vary greatly and come in a large range of materials, including everything from wool, to sequins, to feathers, and even to goatskin leather.
Hermes is also a French designer brand that’s focused on high fashion. They focus on the use of leather mostly. In fact, all of their bags and clutches are made out of leather. Their handbags seem to have a simpler look to them, but they have a ton of color options.
Staying in France, Dior is a French designer of luxury goods. It seems like their focus is on both canvas bags and different types of leathers. They have a more modern and funky feel to a lot of their purses but have a huge assortment of handbags, pouches, clutches and more. Dior really has a good variety of styles and colors.
Hey, guess what? Louis Vuitton is also a French designer. It seems that nearly all of the most well-known handbag design brands are from France. I guess it is the fashion capital of the world… Anyway, Louis Vuitton is as-well focused on luxury goods. Their handbags are nearly all made of leather and are typically easy to distinguish as many of them show off that Louis V logo! Their line of bags seems endless as they have a huge variety of styles and colors to choose from.
Gucci is an Italian designer brand focused on fashion and leather luxury goods. Wait, what? Not from France?!? Finally, we have a designer from another country… Their handbags tend to be made with leather and “precious materials”. Most of their bags, if not all, have gold-colored hardware that includes their infamous double-G logo. They have a large assortment of styles and colors to choose from as well.
Prada is an Italian designer brand that gears towards leather handbags. They make bags ranging from very simple in design to some bags that have a lot going on. Most of their bags are made of leather, but they also produce bags made with other materials. They have a large selection of styles and colors within their bag lines.
Off-White is the first American designer brand on our list. They started out as “Pyrex Vision”, but have since rebranded. They focus on a very modern design that includes bags with bright colors, vibrant designs, words, and logos. They definitely have unique bags, but it is aimed at a specific person in mind. They’re kind of a love-em or hate-em type of designer handbag brand.
Balenciaga is a designer brand that was originally founded in Spain. They are laser-focused on a very modern couture style and don’t tend to fray away from it. Most of their bags are pretty simplistic in design and come in a handful of colors. It seems like they focus mainly on leather handbags that typically have their brand name or a B on the side.
Fendi is a French designer brand that is focused on, you guessed it, luxury fashion. They have a large array of bag styles, colors, and materials. Many of them are stylish, flashy, and incorporate their double-F logo either on the inside or outside of the bag. Fendi definitely offers some classy purses!
Versace, Versace, Versace! They’re an Italian fashion brand that makes primarily leather handbags. They have a large collection of leather purses and clutches that vary in design and color. Some very simple and some very vibrant. Many of their bag designs include the classy looking V logo in the center of the handbag.
Valentino is an Italian designer brand that has a large collection of leather handbags. Their construction and shape is typically somewhat simple, but are available in many colors and prints. Valentino bags are super classy and made to be noticed through quality.
Finally, a British designer brand on the list. Burberry is a high fashion company that has even developed a new fabric, designed to be breathable and waterproof. Fitting, considering they’re located in London. Their handbags vary greatly, from very simple to very modern. They tend to be in black, red, and earth-tones for the most part with a lot of brown leather bags.
Also, just known as Saint Laurent or YSL, they’re a French design brand focused on luxury fashion and specifically Haute Couture. Most of their handbags are different styles of leather and many 
have an embossed design. For the most part, their bags and purses are simple in design and don’t have many brightly colored tones.
Salvatore Ferragamo is an Italian based luxury goods designer brand. The founder was an immigrant who came to California and designed shoes for Hollywood before heading back to Italy to start his designer brand. Their handbags are classically styled with different materials and vibrant colors to detail them. They definitely bring a classy look.
Alexander McQueen is a British fashion design brand. The founder was actually the main designer of the following brand, Givenchy, before starting his own designer brand. Their handbags are very elegant with a huge variety of designs and colors. Most of them are a mix of leather and metal hardware, with a few that have very intricate design features that include skulls, flowers, and jewels embedded in the bags.
Givenchy is a French fashion and luxury brand. Their handbags are extremely classy and typically made of leather. Some are embossed and they even have a few bags that come in python leather. Givenchy has a smaller collection of handbags than some of the other designers, but they’re all very elegant.
Phillip Lim is an American fashion designer brand that has its roots in Asian culture. The founder’s parents descended from Thailand during the Cambodian genocide. Their handbags range from very simple to extremely complex, having bags that almost look like origami. Most of the bags are leather, but also have other materials included. They also have a good assortment of colors available.
Kate Spade is an American fashion design brand that was started by a husband and wife duo. They offer a more affordable line of handbags that come in all sorts of designs and colors. Most of their bags feature the iconic spade logo somewhere. They have a huge assortment of bags to choose from and are often perfect as an everyday bag.
Michael Kors is an American fashion design brand that is still headed by Michael Kors himself. They have all sorts of handbags ranging from simple and elegant to modern and flashy. They also have large range of colors available in their purses and handbags.
Coach is an American designer handbag brand focused on luxury bags and other accessories like totes, clutches, wallets, and backpacks. They work with all types of materials, but primarily are focused on leather bags. They have hundreds of designs that come in all different styles and colors. Being a company that has niched down into just fashion accessories, they have a good assortment to choose from.
Anna by Anuschka is a very unique American designer brand. They make hand-painted leather accessories including handbags. Their bags are full of color and like no other bags I’ve ever seen before. If you truly want to wear art, this is for you. Their bags are insanely cool with hand-painted designs covering the leather. You’ll definitely be noticed with one of these bags on your hand or over your shoulder.
La Poet is a bag designer brand that makes all sorts of affordable handbags. Their bags are made of leather and come in a bunch of different styles and colors. If it’s a classy look that you’re going for at a very affordable price, La Poet bags are a good choice. You’ll likely find what you’re looking for.
Kattee is a lower-priced leather and canvas handbag designer. If your budget is a bit tight, but you still want a great handbag, Kattee might be the brand for you. They offer a good variety of well-designed handbags, purses, totes, and other useful accessories at an extremely low price. They have very classic colors to choose from.
Banuce is a designer handbag brand based in China. They offer bags of all sorts that seem to be mostly manufactured out of leather. While they don’t have a ton of options yet, they do have quite a few styles and colors available.
Fossil is an American fashion design brand that was created in Texas. They have a huge variety of bags ranging in fabrics and colors of all sorts. Many of their bags come with a cute key charm hanging from the zipper which adds to the aesthetic. A majority of their bags come in black and brown, but they also have other colors in certain styles.
Marc Jacobs is an American designer brand that is still headed by Marc Jacobs himself. Their handbags come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. The bags and purses are mostly made of leather and 
come in a large variety of colors. Most of them include a metal logo on the side of the bag, which is very simple in design.
JW Anderson is another British fashion design brand. They make a very limited number of bag styles but have many color options for each. With a very distinct look and shape to some of their bags, you’ll definitely stand out. All of their handbags are made from leather.
Bottega Veneta is an Italian high fashion brand that makes luxury goods. They have awesome handbag options that come in a ton of varieties and colors. They’re definitely fashionable and super classy. Most of their bags are made of leather, but also come in options like suede and even snake-skin.
Loewe is a Spanish luxury fashion brand that makes many products including handbags. Their bags are mostly made of leather and come in an abundance of unique styles. The colors and styles are super cute and will make you stand out while wearing them. They even have a few bags that are in the shape of different animals. Most of them come in softer colors, but still have many options to choose from.
Paco Rabanne is another Spanish luxury fashion designer brand. Their focus is uniquely on metal. Yes, metal! They offer handbags that are made of metals. They look amazing and will definitely not go unnoticed. They’re quite the fashion statement, considering not many people have a metal handbag in their closet. They’re definitely one of a kind pieces of art!
Elleme is a French handbag designer brand that makes meticulously designed, yet simple bags. They produce bags and purses made of all types of material and have many color options to choose from. Many of their bags have a large pouch feel to them.
Our Final Thoughts on the Best Designer Brands for Handbags
Now that you’ve had a chance to see who made the list of best designer handbag brands, you can hopefully make your decision. No matter what handbag you choose, it’s absolutely the best one if it feels right to you. Owning and wearing designer handbags is all about the feeling it gives you. I’m so glad we could help you out in finding the handbag of your dreams! Wear it with pride!
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