A Raffia Bag Makes Any Outfit a Summer Outfit
These summer bags span from totes to clutches that you can wear on vacation, to the office, and more.
Reported by Harper's Bazaar.
There is exactly one accessory that can transform a mundane Tuesday outfit into something that reads like you just stepped off a boat in the Amalfi Coast: a raffia bag. No jewelry haul, no new sandals — just woven straw, and suddenly everything you own looks more intentional. According to Harper's Bazaar, the raffia bag isn't a trend so much as a full seasonal takeover, and the 2025 market proves it: designers from Coach to The Row have committed to the material in a serious way.
The range is genuinely staggering. At the investment end, The Row's Large Estelle Two — a favorite of Zoë Kravitz — is a minimalist oversized tote in beige or black that will outlast every micro-trend you've panic-bought since 2020. Khaite's Italian-made woven shoulder bag brings an elongated east-west silhouette with leather trim and gold-tone zip closure, and it reads exactly as chic as the price tag implies. For the working woman who refuses to sacrifice style for function, DeMellier's Midi Hudson reimagines its structured laptop bag in warm raffia and mocha leather — possibly the most elegant case for not using a tote from a conference you attended in 2019.
Every Budget, Every Vibe
You don't need to spend four figures to get the look. Madewell's Handwoven Oversized Tote comes in under $200 and holds everything you'd throw at a beach bag — sunscreen included — with a navy checkerboard pattern that has actual personality. Reformation's Simona Raffia Cylinder Bag (cited as one of the biggest bag trends of 2026) converts from a barrel to a baguette carry depending on your mood, in natural or black raffia. Staud's Vista Tote adds sculptural gold hardware to a trapeze silhouette that fashion people will clock immediately. And if you think straw can't go out at night, Cuyana's hand-crocheted raffia clutch — with removable strap and zip closure — is ready to prove you wrong.
The J.Crew Berkeley Shoulder Bag pulls double duty from the office to the weekend, with an adjustable 45.5-inch strap and a fold-over magnetic closure that works with trousers as convincingly as it does with a sundress. Ulla Johnson's fringe-edged Lali Small Raffia Bag, handwoven with a two-tone contrast, leans maximalist in the best possible way. For the color-averse, Toteme's belted straw shopper in natural or ecru delivers that effortlessly expensive nonchalance the brand has built its entire identity around.
The truth is simple: raffia democratizes summer dressing in a way almost nothing else does — a $180 woven tote and a $900 structured basket bag produce the same essential effect, which is looking like you have somewhere wonderful to be.
Read the original at Harper's Bazaar.
