Every winter, farmers across Punjab and Haryana burn millions of tonnes of leftover crop stubble to clear their fields fast. The smoke rolls toward Delhi and becomes one of North India's most stubborn pollution problems each year. La Baggio, an award-winning, women-owned fashion label based in Kolkata, has spent the past few seasons turning a slice of that waste into something else: a new range of shoulder bags built for daily use.

The label is not new to leather. It comes from a family with three decades of experience manufacturing it the conventional way, before deciding the industry needed a different answer. That answer sits at the centre of this launch: bags made from agricultural waste that swap crop residue in for both animal hide and the virgin plastic used in most "vegan" alternatives.

From Burning Stubble to Soft Leather

The material itself comes from mixed agricultural waste that would otherwise be set alight. La Baggio works with suppliers who buy this waste before it burns and process it into a soft, durable leather alternative, made from 100% plant derived agricultural residue. No chrome tanning, no virgin plastic, and a bit of income for farmers on waste that used to have none.

It is a longer route to a finished bag than sourcing standard PU, but it is the process behind every one of La Baggio's shoulder bags. Since the label's founding, that process has supported 25–50 artisans and gone into only shoulder bag products.

A Bag for Every Part of the Day

For work, the Handwoven Tote and its dressier counterpart, the Chic Tote, carry a laptop and the rest of a workday with room to spare, while the structured Serafina Satchel keeps a more traditional office shape. For travel and everyday use, the Striped Shoulder Bag is the lightest option in the range, built for weekends rather than desks, while a Tan Sling and matching Handbag cover the everyday middle ground. For evenings, the quilted Luna Shoulder Bag and the wine-toned Merlot Muse move easily from desk to dinner.

Handwoven texture runs through several pieces, a detail done by hand rather than machine, and it's one of the few visual threads that ties the range together across such different occasions.

More Than a Material Swap

La Baggio's pitch is not only that it avoided animal leather. It is PETA-approved and cruelty-free at every stage, but the label leans just as hard on its manufacturing side: three decades of leather-craft experience now applied to a different material, small-batch production instead of mass output, and a finish meant to hold up the way traditional leather does.

"Our goal was never simply to replace leather," added Nikita Belani. "We wanted to rethink the entire journey of a product from the materials we use to the impact it creates. We believe sustainability and luxury can exist together."

The Recognition So Far, and What's Next

That reputation is already backed by outside recognition: a Woman Entrepreneur of the East honour from the Indian Leather Products Association, a Gold Medal at the Bengal Business Summit from FICCI, and an Emerging Woman-Owned Business award from India's MSME Ministry and the Government of India, all within the past two years. In 2024, TiE Kolkata selected La Baggio to represent the region at the TiE Global Pitch in Dubai.

From here, the brand plans to expand this line alongside its wallets, totes, and other pieces made from agricultural waste, betting that shoppers will keep looking for alternatives that are not just leather-free but waste-free too.
As conversations around crop burning and sustainable manufacturing continue to grow, La Baggio hopes every bag makes the same point: agricultural waste can become a premium product rather than pollution.

La Baggio was founded in 2019 by Bhavna and Nikita Belani. The full shoulder bag collection is available now at labaggio.com/collections/shoulder-bag.