Fabric tote bag with closure of some kind

November 13, 2023 11:58 AM

I'm trying to find cute, simple graphic/illustrated tote bags (in the Portland/Olympia or Scandinavian femme aesthetic, if you will) that are made of fabric (not leather) and that have a closure of some kind (likely, a zipper or magnetic snap). I am striking out on Etsy. I do not want to add a zipper or closure myself, nor do I want to pay someone else to do it. Examples of what I do not want are inside!

This and this and this and this are the right aesthetic, but no zipper or closure. This is too wide (I'm looking for something that's more vertical in orientation) and the print is too matronly. This is the only perfect example I've found, but I dislike the prints on offer.

posted by unknowncommand to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (13 answers total)

I have had one of these duck bags for years. Sturdy and apparently very hip of me lol their prints on offer change regularly
posted by wellifyouinsist at 12:13 PM on November 13, 2023

I think you may find a lot of options if you search for knitting bag or knitting project bag
posted by phunniemee at 12:23 PM on November 13, 2023

Would this work? https://www.etsy.com/listing/1335458855/fabric-tote-bag-shopping-bag-zippered

I searched "fabric tote zipper".
posted by oneear at 1:01 PM on November 13, 2023

Sorry, I should have said that I personally adore Baggu, but the person I'm buying this for does not!
posted by unknowncommand at 1:17 PM on November 13, 2023

Kiriko has a few options like this (e.g.). Not sure what your budget is, though.
posted by praemunire at 1:41 PM on November 13, 2023

The etsy ones you like, have you tried messaging the creators to ask if they'd add a closure for you? A zipper would mean reconstruct the whole bag, probably, but a snap is super easy to add.
posted by snakeling at 1:54 PM on November 13, 2023

At least one of the Etsy sellers you link to with the right aesthetic also offer zippered pouches, so they may be open to making a custom order tote with a zipper.
posted by doift at 1:58 PM on November 13, 2023

This is probably too horizontal for you, but maybe scroll her website to see if something else works better for you.
posted by sardonyx at 3:00 PM on November 13, 2023

nthing that if you find something on Etsy you/recipient like/will like it's worth sending a message to see if they can add zipper or other closure. I've had a lot of success with getting makers on Etsy to do something custom.
posted by brookeb at 4:38 PM on November 13, 2023

The sellers of the linked Etsy bags offer customization. Click to query on main shop site, & reference/link/send photo of the snaps on the perfect RPearcy bag.
[Also, and gently, please re-consider the use of "matronly" as a pejorative.]
posted by Iris Gambol at 4:51 PM on November 13, 2023

Minted carries snap closure totes. I haven't bought the tote but have other products that I'm happy with.
posted by ljesse at 5:39 PM on November 13, 2023

I came here to suggest the Baggu duck bag until I saw your comment.

But... it really is a nice tote bag, with closure and slightly more organization than most tote bags. It's made of sturdy canvas and not whatever the usual thin plasticky Baggu fabric is, and just does not look like the Baggu aesthetic. In fact I was shocked when I went to grab my company-branded one to find the brand and discovered it was Baggu.

Disregard is Baggu just is 100% not an option, but I wanted to give this one another vote just in case! I like it so much that I use it often even though I hate using company-branded stuff.
posted by rhiannonstone at 7:24 PM on November 13, 2023

Thanks for the suggestions to ask sellers for customization. I might give it a shot? I think my concern is that the non-closure bags wouldn't be sturdy enough to support a magnetic snap (since they weren't designed for such), but sellers would add one anyway, and the snap would gradually/suddenly tear away from the fabric, or require "forceful carefulness" when opening the thing each time in order to prevent that from happening. I'm half-tempted to print a block or linocut design on the Baggu one myself, though my concern there is that the fabric would have been treated with something that would prevent the ink from setting. If anyone has any experience doing that, though, I'm all ears! (Also thanks for the note about "matronly" – I was imagining it as a modifier situated along the specific femme aesthetic spectrum of what is/isn't desired in this case, rather than an objective or universal pejorative, but your point is still taken.)
posted by unknowncommand at 4:33 AM on November 14, 2023