Alma New York blends innovation and luxury with plant-based materials to create stunning, sustainable handbags that redefine fashion ethics.
Alma is an NYC-based handbag label shaped by designer Disha Agarwal, who treats material choice as part of the design brief. The brand works with a plant-based leather made from banana crop waste and shapes it into structured silhouettes that feel calm, durable, and ready for daily use, drawing inspiration from Zaha Hadid’s fluid, curve-led forms for line and proportion. Proportions are edited to sit close to the body, handles are balanced for weight, and interiors are mapped so essentials land where you expect them.
Banofi, the material partner, holds PETA certification, REACH compliance for Europe, and CAL-PROP compliance for the United States, and received the 2023 Hult Prize for its banana-leather innovation. Reported lifecycle results indicate about 95 percent less water use and roughly 90 percent lower carbon emissions than animal leather, with toxic-waste outputs eliminated. Conventional leather is often cited at around ten thousand liters of water for a single bag, which sets the context for Alma’s material choices.
“We design for clarity,” says Disha Agarwal. “A silhouette should hold its form without weight, the interior should keep pace with real life, and the material should reflect the values you carry.
In the world of luxury handbags, the pursuit of beauty and sustainability often feels like a balancing act. For Alma New York, it’s a journey of radical transformation that fuses modern elegance with environmental responsibility, crafting luxury bags from upcycled banana harvest waste. The story behind Alma is not just one of design and aesthetics, but of redefining what it means to carry a bag that feels as good as it looks.
The inception of Alma New York is rooted in a powerful belief that luxury should never come at the cost of the planet or its creatures. Founded by Disha, a designer with a passion for creating thoughtful, functional accessories, Alma has reimagined the world of fashion by embracing Banofi®, a plant – based leather made from agricultural waste, banana stems. This innovative material, developed from discarded banana harvests, offers a stunning alternative to animal leather.
“There’s a misconception that sustainability means compromising on design and style,” explains Disha, Co-Founder and Design Director. “If luxury is meant to feel good, it should also do good”.
Alma’s debut collection, a carefully curated selection of seven styles, represents a commitment to both high design and practical function. The collection includes versatile pieces like the Aurum Tote, which doubles as both a work-and-travel bag with a laptop sleeve and trolley passthrough, as well as evening-ready silhouettes and crossbody bags. Every piece is crafted with an intuitive approach to utility, featuring one-hand magnetic closures, key loops, and thoughtful pocketing.
Disha’s design ethos is one of blending sculpture and utility. “We design for wardrobes, not seasons, quiet silhouettes, real pockets, zero compromise,” she says. Alma’s bags are not just accessories; they are intended to be used, loved, and worn every day. It’s a line of luxury that fits seamlessly into real life, ready for Monday’s meetings, dinner with friends, or a weekend getaway.
The most striking feature of an Alma bag is its signature arc, a minimalist, asymmetrical design with a bold, yet subtle visual symbol. This arc represents more than just a design choice; it is a metaphor for circularity in motion, symbolizing Alma’s commitment to sustainability. The arc embodies the idea that luxury is a journey, not a destination, a continuous process of improvement.
Our arc is a form in motion, never fully closed, reminding us that circularity is a journey, not a stamp,” Disha explains. It’s this careful thought behind every design decision that makes Alma’s handbags stand out in an industry saturated with flashy logos and trends.
What truly sets Alma apart from the competition is its dedication to small-batch, ethical craftsmanship. Designed in New York and crafted by master artisans in India, each Alma bag is produced in limited runs to ensure the highest quality and sustainability. Every curve, every stitch, and every detail is a result of meticulous design and craftsmanship, making each piece a unique work of art.
“Our bags are shaped by hands, guided by heart, and born from nature,” Disha says, emphasizing the brand’s commitment to both ethical labor practices and artistry. Alma’s bags are a true fusion of New York’s design sensibility and India’s artisanal mastery, each one imbued with a sense of provenance and care.
The launch of Alma has been intentional, with a values-first model focused on protecting quality while minimizing waste. By keeping production low and scaling with a dedicated community of supporters, Alma ensures that each bag feels exclusive and special, not mass-produced. Early supporters were invited to become part of the Alma journey through a VIP list and Kickstarter launch pricing, making them an integral part of the brand’s growth.
“We’d rather scale with our community than with overproduction. Small batches protect quality, and the planet,” Disha adds. Alma’s launch approach is not only about growing a business, it’s about building a movement of conscious consumers who value craftsmanship, sustainability, and the intersection of luxury and ethics.
In a world where many fashion brands still rely on plastic-based, petroleum-heavy materials, Alma offers a third path: plant-based luxury with a clear, measurable environmental impact. The use of banana leather is a game changer, offering a luxurious feel without the environmental cost. Alma’s bags stand as a testament to what happens when innovation meets tradition, and when designers put purpose at the heart of their creations.
From its humble beginnings to its rise as a brand with a bold vision, Alma New York is reshaping what luxury can and should be. Its bags are a statement not just in style, but in values, ethics, and sustainability. By choosing Alma, consumers are embracing a future where luxury doesn’t have to be at odds with the planet, it can coexist with it.
Packaging continues the same logic. Alma’s packaging assets are made from cotton rag and banana waste fibers to reduce reliance on virgin paper while keeping the unboxing simple and considered. The signature arc appears across their debut collection as a quiet marker of intent. It is not a full circle by design, a reminder that the path to sustainability is a journey rather than a finish line.
The brand will launch on Kickstarter on October 14, 2025, offering early access to the debut collection and multiple colorways, with clear updates on fit checks, finish standards, packaging tests, and production milestones as the first batch moves from brand to backers.
To learn more about Alma New York’s mission and shop their collection, visit Alma New York or follow them on Instagram at @alma.newyork.
