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If you've A) played on a sports team, B) attended a conference or C) joined a company where employees are given freebies as a welcome gift, then chances are you own a drawstring backpack. And, chances are that bag is probably stuffed in your garage somewhere. But before you write it off as a hopeless silhouette, meet ReBac a new local Etsy brand that's made us rethink the drawstring backpack.
Launched just under a month ago, ReBac features luxe fabrics like blush velour and white faux crocodile skin, or camouflage with metalic gold, sewn together into a classic drawstring bag with silver, white, or copper strings. The fabrics are sourced in Downtown Miami, and the bags are hand sewn in Miami Beach by Rebecca Engling, a designer from Germany who formerly worked as a fashion stylist for Ford Models after designing accessories for Accessorize, which is like the Claire's of Europe, but also has locations in the states.
"You can wear it to go out, or you can wear it every day," she says. "In Europe, everyone is wearing them, so I decided to make some for myself with all the little details." The bags currently retail for $45, although Rebecca is currently working on making some authentic leather bags too. An actual website is in the works too, and you can expect them to be sold at local markets like Wynwood's El Mini Market.