Studio Macnas

Production Locations

• Netherlands (own studio in Utrecht, design and production)

According to the brand, materials come from:

• Netherlands: vegetable-tanned leather
• Benelux and India: leather alternatives (Malai comes from India)
• Belgium: 3D-printed clips
• Norway: Leap

Working Conditions & Living Wages

Belinda designs and makes every bag by hand in her own studio in Utrecht. 

The brand states that it works with established suppliers, mostly within the EU, and that it’s in regular contact with them. Belinda shared all supplier details with COSH!, which is a great sign of openness. However, the brand doesn’t mention any social certifications for its suppliers. That matters most for materials from India, a higher-risk country for working conditions and wages. 

The website also states that ​“honest materials and fair production processes” are the studio’s standards. The brand doesn’t explain what ​“fair” means in practice.

Materials

• Vegetable-tanned leather (from the Netherlands)
• Post-consumer leather (from customers’ old items)
• Cactus leather (Desserto by Eurolatino)
• Piñatex
• Malai
• LOVR by Revoltech
• Terralite by Cosm
• Mycelium and Mycotex
• Leap (apple-based, by Beyond Leather Materials)
• 3D-printed clips from a Belgian company
• Yarn made from wood fibres, Malai and hemp

According to the brand, the vegetable-tanned leather is tanned with plant-based tannins instead of chrome. 

Post-consumer leather comes from customers’ own old leather items. Reusing materials that already exist is a low-impact choice.

According to the brand, the cactus leather is only partly plant-based. The rest is recycled polyester and cotton for strength. 

Malai is made from bacterial cellulose, fermented on waste water from coconuts, combined with hemp, banana stem and sisal fibres plus plant-based waxes, gums and oils. 

LOVR is a hemp-based material. Mycelium is grown with hemp as well. Read more about hemp. 

Leap is made from apple waste from juice and cider production. 

The 3D-printed clips are made from a home-potentially-compostable material, the brand says. The Belgian supplier offers an app to track how the clips decompose. 

Studio Macnas also experiments with mango leather (Fruitleather), linoleum, grapes and kombucha leather made from a scoby. The brand says it tests every new material for durability and decomposition before using it in a bag, and funds this research itself.

Packaging

• The brand states that it uses minimal packaging: mostly brown paper stitched closed, collected as leftovers from local businesses. 
• For shipping, it reuses boxes. 
• According to the brand, it uses no plastic at all. 

Water Usage & Chemicals

The brand claims that its vegetable tanning process is non-toxic and causes no water pollution. Vegetable tanning does avoid chrome, but it still uses water and other chemicals. Read here more about it. 

Malai is fermented on leftover coconut water, according to the brand. That turns a waste stream into a resource.

Circular Product Design

The big idea behind Studio Macnas is circular: a bag that returns to the soil after a long life. However, there is no evidence yet that finished bags fully decompose. 

The potentially compostable clips and yarn are a smart step, as these small parts often stop a product from breaking down. Cactus leather, though, blends plant-based and synthetic fibres, which makes it harder to recycle.

Studio Macnas also gives old leather a new life: Customers can bring in their old leather items, and Belinda turns them into a new bag. Each bag goes through a prototyping phase before the studio makes the final piece. That helps make sure the bag actually works for the person wearing it, so they keep using it for longer.

Circular Business Models

Studio Macnas works made to order, so there’s no overproduction. 

The studio offers an upcycling service for your old leather items.

The brand focuses on making bags last and offers repairs as well. 

Distance & Complexity of the Supply Chain

• Production location: Utrecht, the Netherlands (own studio)
• Studio Macnas HQ is located in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

The production step is short and simple: one maker, one studio. Most materials come from the Netherlands, Belgium and the wider Benelux, according to the brand. Malai travels further, from India.

Transportation

• Transportation in the supply chain: the brand uses DHL for some deliveries. Sometimes Belinda picks up materials herself.
• Transportation in e‑commerce: many customers visit the studio in person. When needed, the brand uses local shipping options.

• Vegetable-tanned leather
• Post-consumer leather
• Origin of vegetable-tanned leather: the Netherlands

According to the brand, its vegetable-tanned leather comes from a well-regarded tannery with more ethical practices. No animal welfare policy available. 

Reusing customers’ old leather is a great way to avoid new animal materials. 

Want a fully animal-free bag? Ask for one of the many plant-based and bio-based alternatives.

Product Design

Studio Macnas makes bags for both individuals and businesses. 

Every design is unique: either created by the studio or co-designed with you to match your personality. 

The style is bright and personal. 

Slow Fashion Processes

The studio adds designs gradually and makes every bag to order. According to the brand, it doesn’t take part in regular sales. An order starts with a conversation, then the studio designs, prototypes and chooses materials with their customers before handcrafting the final bag. The brand wants her customers to use and cherish their bag for years.

Studio Macnas shares its knowledge through workshops, lectures and events on circular making and entrepreneurship.

Transparency on Product

As every bag is made to order, Studio Macnas doesn’t offer standard product pages with material details. 
Customers do know exactly where their bag is made: in the studio in Utrecht. And because they select the materials together with Belinda, they can ask her anything about their specific bag. 

On top of that, the Materials page provides a clear overview of each material, including its pros and cons.

Transparency on Processes

The brand openly shares its design process and material experiments through its website, social media, workshops and lectures. 

Studio Macnas shared all supplier details and material information with COSH!.