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by iNews
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By Liz Kearney
Handbags made of recycled leather are among a unique range of sustainably made accessories that will be showcased at this month’s Guildhall Craft Fair.
Orla Vera Accessories was founded and developed by Buncrana fashion designer Orla O’Hagan in 2020 during the pandemic. Her lockdown project of making purses and handbags quickly drew attention online, and by the end of that year, her range was being featured by McElhinneys Department Store in Ballybofey.
Orla, who started her career studying art at the NWRC, got a job with a luxury fashion designer in London after graduating in the UK. Following the onset of Covid 19, she moved home and began to make products from leather she had left from college.
“I started posting my work on Instagram. Our Vera crossbody bag quickly caught the attention of many shops.”
Orla is passionate about recycling and preventing waste materials going to landfill, so it was important to her that all her products are made from reused material.
“Everything is made from recycled or ‘remanent’ leather, which is left over from large scale production,” she explains.
“We buy that leather and turn it into beautiful handbags and stop it ending up in landfill or being destroyed.”
Orla Vera now employs three people and they have opened their own store in Buncrana.
“I saw Mary McAleese wear our Vera on TV when she was meeting Joe Biden in Dublin earlier this year … that was very unexpected and a bit mad!”
The Guildhall Craft Fair returns to the Guildhall in Derry city centre from 17th – 19th November. Opening times are: Friday, 17th November: 12 noon – 8pm, Saturday 18th November: 10am – 6pm: Sunday 19th November: 11am – 6pm.
Visit derrystrabane.com/Christmas for more information.
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