The Office Bags We’re Shopping This Fall
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It was a good run of remote working, but after 6 years of working from home, the time has come that I must return to the office. With that, I’ve realized that my wardrobe is… somewhat lacking in the office-attire department. I’m fortunate that my office doesn’t have a strict dress code and falls on the more casual end of the scale, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to look good.
One place I’ve really been feeling this is my workbag situation. I’ve been scraping by with a canvas tote, but I’ve really been craving something more polished and stylish. Here are my top picks for office appropriate bags by Canadian brands.
What we’re looking for
At a minimum, I want the bag that I’m bringing to the office to be able to carry a laptop, charger, a wallet, and small cosmetics pouch. Extra points if it’s made in Canada, or if it can also fit a water bottle, packed lunch, and small handbag. Here are our top picks:
Best Overall: Wearshop
We love this pick because it’s large enough to hold everything to get you through your day (laptop and water bottle included), but still looks stylish enough that it’s not going to be out of place when you wear it outside the office. The side panels can stash the items you reach for constantly while out and about. The Italian leather outer is lined in leather, which is unusual at this price and the reason the shape holds through a full commute. Two interior pockets and two exterior pockets handle the small things, and a brass zip closes the top. Made in Canada.
Made in Canada
Best for Long Commutes: Poppy Barley
We love that this bag can serve as a breifcase while you’re in the office, but also as a backpack for comfort while you’re getting to and from work. The pebbled leather hides scuffs well, which matters on a piece you’ll haul daily. Poppy Barley is an Edmonton-founded Certified B Corp, and worth noting for accuracy: the brand is Canadian and designs here, but production happens in audited factories in Mexico and Europe.
Best for Packing a Lunch: Poppies & Peonies
The insulated lunch compartment is what really sold us on this one, and having a wipeable rear pocket really does solve a problem nobody else has tackled. The main compartment takes a 16-inch laptop, a front zip section holds a notebook or tablet, and you’ve still got lots of room to spare. There’s also a waterbottle holder, a zip pocket with a key leash, and lipstick pockets. Metal feet protect the bottom, a detachable crossbody strap gives you a second way to carry it. The bag is made from vegan leather, and is available in Espresso, Chestnut, Black, Berry and Heritage Green.
Best Convertible Bag: Sonya Lee
Desha is three bags depending on how you fold it. As a tote it holds a 14-inch MacBook Pro and a still has room to spare. Folded down, it becomes a clean, classic handbag that easily works for evening events. Hooked into its asymmetrical position, it turns into something more architectural, the kind of shape you notice across a room. The bags are crafted in the Sonya Lee’s studio in Toronto, cut from top-grain leather, finished it with Lampo zippers and leather tassel pulls, and runs an adjustable studded strap that moves between crossbody, shoulder and top-handle carry. You can order it lined in cotton twill or unlined with a buffed leather interior.
Made in Canada
Best for Doubling as an Overnighter
Wool instead of leather changes the whole feeling of a work bag. Monte & Coe sources the wool they use from a generational family-run Italian mill, trims it in free-range vegetable-tanned calfskin, adds a Candiani denim stripe and Italian gold-plated hardware, then handcrafts the whole thing between Toronto and Montreal. Inside you get a large zip pocket, two leather slip pockets and a reinforced cotton lining, with a roomy exterior slip on the outside. It’s large size easily covers a workday or a one-night trip, and the detachable leather strap lets you wear it crossbody if needed. Also available in Black and Hazelnut.
Made in Canada
Best for:
The Weekend Tote is for anyone who just wants a simple tote for work, but also wants the durability and look of leather. It’s crafted in soft full-grain cowhide, with sewn straps instead of metal hardware, so nothing digs into your shoulder and nothing tarnishes. Inside there’s a single pocket and a brass key hook. Available in camel or black, sewn and finished by hand in Canada.
Made in Canada
Best Daily Bag: m0851
The TO 10 is a minimalist bag. The soft aniline lambskin is full-grain and dyed through, so it slouches rather than stands, and it softens further with carrying. The rounded corners zip shut across the top, without leaving hard corners to catch on anything. A second zip pocket on the back for a transit pass or phone eliminates any digging you need to do while commuting. Inside there’s plenty of organization with a large zip pocket, two leather patch pockets, two compartments and two small side slots. And for commuting in the winter, the handles are long enough that it sits comfortably on the shoulder over a coat.
Made in Canada
