Peninsula artists’ success is in the bag

What happens to a handbag when it reaches the end of its practical life? If it’s lucky, it’s reborn as a striking piece of art.

ArtBag x Bagsamoré is a Byron Bay-based handbag restoration service where Australian artists get to show off their work through eco-friendly fashion. Each is given a restored handbag to use as a canvas, and the finished works are sold by Bagsamoré.  The artists can also create custom art on customers’ handbags.

Mornington Peninsula artists Charlie Nanos and Jackie Green are the latest artists to have taken advantage of the initiative, each turning a handbag into something really special.

“I first came across Charlie’s work on Instagram, and serendipitously he also found ArtBag at the same time and messaged me about the concept,” said founder Freya Bass. “His work is very funky, painting scenes around Melbourne in an illustrative style with strong black lines and bold colours. I sent Charlie the Mulberry Lily mini, which he chose from our bag catalogue along with a variety of leather paints. He then adorned the bag with his artwork. This minimalist design works so well on the bag, turning it into a unique piece of art called Mulberry Beach, which you can find on the Bagsamoré website.

“I then had the honour of working with Jackie, whose work I have been admiring for a while,” Freya said. “Her abstract style really caught my eye and was something I wanted so much to see on a bag. She hand-painted our Salvatore Ferragamo, layering it in specialist leather paints, creating texture and hidden messages within the painting. It really is magical to look at, and every time I see that bag, I find something new that I did not notice before. This bag, called Ferragamo Joy, can also be found on the website.”

Freya said ArtBag x Bagsamoré was constantly expanding its network of artists.  “(Our goal is) to have someone there for everyone and help to brighten up the world of second-hand bags, turning them into unique works of art and giving people the ability to express their individual style and personality through art.”