What It Really Means to Co-Create a Bag

Co-creation is more than a design process. It is a conversation between vision and craft, purpose and artistry. At R&E, it is how each bag begins — not with a finished sketch, but with an open space for ideas to meet, evolve, and find form. This approach is intentional, rooted in our belief that a bag can be both functional and meaningful.

We choose to work alongside artists, craftspeople, and innovators because it allows every design to carry more than style. It carries a story.

Designing Beyond a Trend

In the fast-paced fashion industry, trends often dictate design decisions. Co-reation works differently. It invites time, dialogue, and shared input. Each R&E bag is shaped by more than one perspective, allowing us to move beyond what is popular in the moment.

When a piece is designed in collaboration, it avoids the fleeting cycle of seasonal fashion. The result is something considered and lasting — an object that feels relevant today and tomorrow. This is part of our commitment to slowing down and creating with intention.

The Role of Plant-Based Leather in Our Process

Every material choice shapes the outcome of a design. For us, the decision to work with plant-based leather made from upcycled crop waste is central to co-creation. It ensures that from the first step, our designs are aligned with our values.

This material feels soft and refined, yet it comes from something unexpected — agricultural byproducts that would otherwise go to waste. Co-creating with such a material challenge both us and our collaborators to think differently about what luxury means.

A Dialogue Between Craft and Purpose

Co-creation thrives when there is balance between creative vision and skilled execution. We work closely with craftspeople who understand not just how to construct a bag, but how to bring its story to life. Every seam, every fold, every finish is intentional.

Our partners are more than makers. They are co-authors of the final piece. Their expertise shapes how a design feels in the hand, how it moves with the body, and how it holds up over time.

Working with Artists as Storytellers

When we collaborate with artists, we are inviting another layer of meaning into the bag. These are not surface-level patterns or decorative details. They are expressions of the artist’s own perspective, integrated into the piece in a way that makes it unique.

The result is a bag that does not just belong to us as a brand, but also to the artist who shaped it. This shared authorship is what makes co-creation powerful — it allows each bag to carry more than one voice. 

Sustainability as a Starting Point

Sustainability is often treated as an afterthought in fashion, but in our process, it begins at the design stage. By choosing plant-based leather and working with small-batch production, we ensure that our environmental considerations are embedded from the start.

Co-creation naturally supports this approach. It is slow, careful, and deliberate. Every decision is discussed and refined, leaving little room for unnecessary waste.

Why Co-Creation Feels Different

A bag created through this process has a certain presence. It is not mass-produced, nor is it rushed to market. It has been shaped by multiple hands and guided by shared values. This makes it feel personal in a way that purely commercial products rarely do.

For the person who carries it, that difference is tangible. It is there in the comfort of the material, the balance of the design, and the quiet knowledge that the bag was made with care.

Carrying More Than Just a Bag

When you choose a co-created bag, you are carrying more than a functional accessory. You are carrying the work of artists, the skill of craftspeople, and the commitment to using better materials. You are part of a cycle that values collaboration over competition, and intention over speed.

Co-creation is not just about how a bag looks. It is about how it is made, who it is made with, and why. At R&E, it is our way of ensuring that every piece we create holds meaning from the very first idea to the final stitch.