faux fur bags

What Unconventional Materials Can Be Used as Bag Main Fabrics?   For decades, nylon, polyester, and other synthetic fibers, along with leather, have long occupied the mainstream market for bag main fabrics. Supported by mature manufacturing systems and highly stable performance, these materials have driven the long-term development of the bag industry, fulfilling global market demands for durability, protection, and cost efficiency.   However, as sustainability awareness continues to grow and Gen Z are now stepping into product decision-making level, consumer aesthetics become more diversified, and brands pursue stronger product differentiation, a range of less common, unconventional materials is entering the spotlight. With their unique textures, visual appeal, and functional characteristics, these materials are opening up new possibilities for bag design.   In the following section, we will present what other materials - beyond nylon, polyester, and leather - can also serve as excellent main fabrics for bags.   1. Faux Fur   • Key Features Faux fur fabrics are primarily made from polyester or acrylic fibers. They are produced through a high-density, biomimetic long-pile knitting process, followed by heat-setting and anti-shedding treatments that stabilize the pile length at 3-5 cm. The surface is soft, fluffy, and visually rich, closely replicating the texture and grain of natural fur.   With reinforced base structure and pile-locking techniques, the material offers strong resistance to shedding and matting. It does not easily trap odors and maintains its loft over time. The fabric supports various design approaches—such as three-dimensional shaping, color blocking, and embossing—delivering a warmer feel and a softer visual effect compared with PU synthetic leather, giving products a distinct tactile advantage.   In addition, this material contains no animal components. It preserves the appearance and functional benefits of real fur while avoiding the ethical concerns associated with natural pelts, aligning well with brands’ growing preference for vegan-friendly materials.   • Application Scenarios This material is ideal for creating bags with strong visual identity, such as New Year Editions, winter-theme collections, or trendy street-style crossbody bags. Its plush long-pile texture and versatile surface effects help brands achieve impactful visual appeal and thematic storytelling in product development, enhancing the emotional tone and memorability of a collection.     2. Imitation Lamb Wool   • Key Features Imitation lamb wool is made from high-quality modified polyester fibers and produced using a biomimetic flocking process. Compared with standard polyester fibers, it offers significantly higher loft, delivering a soft, natural lamb-wool–like feel that is skin-friendly and free from itchiness. The material provides excellent insulation and conveys a natural sense of warmth during winter use.   The surface is treated with anti-shedding technology, ensuring that the pile remains stable and resists pilling even after repeated friction. It is highly durable and supports various design expressions such as color blocking and panel combinations. Colors appear rich and saturated, and they resist fading over time.   • Application Scenarios The material features a uniform short-pile surface with a soft touch, making it ideal for lightweight, cozy winter bags such as fluffy totes or date-night clutches. It is especially suitable for product lines that emphasize a warm tactile experience and a soft visual aesthetic.     3. Nylon Corduroy   • Key Features Nylon corduroy is made from high-denier nylon and crafted through a precision raising process that creates a delicate, fluffy nap. The surface feels cloud-soft, skin-friendly, and completely non-itchy. The material combines nylon’s inherent high strength and tear resistance with an anti-pilling finish that keeps the surface smooth and neat even after repeated friction.   It offers better breathability than standard polyester fibers, providing long-lasting comfort without stuffiness, making it suitable for close-to-skin use. The fabric also supports various surface finishes—such as matte and soft-sheen effects—and maintains rich, saturated color with excellent durability.   • Application Scenarios This material’s textured nap and gentle feel make it an excellent choice for brand collections with a cozy or soft aesthetic, such as winter commuting bags, casual underarm bags, and feminine-style handbags.     4. Suede Leather   • Key Features Suede leather is made from the inner split layer of genuine animal hide and processed through eco-friendly tanning techniques. It preserves the natural softness and fine grain of the fibers, offering a velvety, skin-friendly touch. Each piece features its own unique nap texture. The material is naturally breathable with good moisture absorption, ensuring comfort without stuffiness during prolonged use.   When treated with water- and stain-resistant finishes, suede can withstand light splashes. Over time, it develops a smoother, richer sheen through natural wear—highlighting the distinctive charm of a material that becomes more beautiful with use.   • Application Scenarios In premium bag design, suede leather is often used to create rich visual and tactile layers. Its matte appearance and delicate texture make it a preferred material for luxury commuting bags, designer collaboration pieces, and signature structured handbags that aim to deliver a refined, soft, and elevated aesthetic.     5. Sheepskin Leather / Suede-like PU   • Key Features This material uses high-quality PU as the base coating and is produced through a biomimetic flocking process that creates a delicate, velvety surface. It feels soft, smooth, and skin-friendly, closely resembling natural suede, with a noticeably higher pile density than standard PU synthetic leather. It is odor-free, highly resistant to pilling, and does not shed easily even with repeated friction.   The surface is treated with a stain-resistant finish, allowing light marks to be wiped clean with ease. At the same time, it offers excellent abrasion resistance and flexibility, and it does not form obvious creases after folding.   • Application Scenarios Sheepskin leather (suede-like PU) is widely used in bags that require a refined hand feel and a premium visual effect, such as luxury daily bags, vintage-style underarm bags, and other mid- to high-end designs. Its soft, velvety surface and uniform texture make it ideal for brands that emphasize understated elegance and classic.     6. Tarpaulin   • Key Features Tarpaulin is a PVC or PU coated fabric with an internal mesh layer embedded as reinforcement. This material offers exceptionally high tensile strength, with tear resistance with a breaking strength of 800N/5cm. Its structure is extremely stable, and its waterproof performance reaches IPX5, capable of withstanding continuous water spray.   The material is highly weather-resistant and maintains durability in extreme temperatures from - 30°C to 60°C without becoming brittle. It is free of harsh odors, achieves a level-4 abrasion resistance rating, and maintains a firm structure that resists deformation.   • Application Scenarios Tarpaulin is ideal for performance-driven bag designs such as outdoor adventure packs and waterproof bags on boats. Its high strength, weather resistance, and waterproof properties align with brand concepts centered on “rugged durability” and “outdoor functionality,” adding reliability and a professional edge to the final product.     7. Mesh   • Key Features Mesh fabric is made from high-denier polyester or nylon and produced using a warp-knitted openwork technique. Its surface forms a uniform, breathable perforated structure that offers excellent air circulation, keeping the user cool and comfortable in summer. The material is super lightweight - ideal for portable or on-the-go bag designs.   At the same areal size, mesh fabric is 20-40% lighter than solid fabric, noticeably cutting the weight of packs or bags for enhanced long-carry comfort.   The open structure of mesh diffuses light, giving dyes a higher strike rate and richer color saturation. By varying mesh size and yarn color in a single weave, gradients, color-blocking and even built-in logos can be created to satisfy cutting-edge styling demands.   • Application Scenarios With breathability and lightweight performance at its core, mesh is ideal for sports and gym bags, summer commuting bags, and ventilated layers in outdoor backpacks. It supports product development where airflow and comfort are top priorities.      8. PP Mesh   • Key Features PP mesh is made from high-tenacity polypropylene (PP) fiber and produced through a precise warp-knitted mesh weaving process.    PP mesh fabric offers excellent tear resistance, a smooth surface and good anti-soiling performance, water stains and dust can be simply rinsed off and air-dried, keeping maintenance simple and efficiently.   • Application Scenarios Combining light weight, breathability, and good durability, PP mesh is ideal for products that require excellent airflow, easy cleaning. For example, small packages trans-loading delivery bags we customized for Amazon’s warehouse are made from this material.     9. Silicone Coated Fiberglass Fabric   • Key Features Silicone coated fiberglass fabric is constructed with high-strength fiberglass as the base and a durable silicone coating applied to both sides. This creates a highly water-resistant, high-barrier structure capable of preventing water penetration even under heavy rainfall. The material offers excellent tear resistance and shape retention.   Most outstanding feature of this fabric is that it has unparalleled wide temperature tolerance from -40°C to 200°C, and without damage in both super high temperature and extremely cold environments. Also highly resistant to aging, the silicone coating adheres firmly and rarely delaminate.   • Application Scenarios Silicone coated fiberglass fabric is ideal for bags designed for extreme or demanding environments---such as Alaska outdoor adventure packs, professional gears and bags, and equipment bags requiring high weather resistance.      10. 1680D Ballistic Nylon   • Key Features 1680D ballistic nylon is a heavy-duty bag fabric developed for high-strength and premium look. Made from double thicker nylon yarns, it uses a densely woven plain-weave structure combined with a PU or TPU coating.   As a widely used ballistic nylon fabric in luxury or premium bags, it delivers outstanding tear resistance and abrasion performance, some specifications reach up to 1200N/5cm tensile strength. The surface remains unscathed even under long-term friction. Such high-abrasion-resistant fabric make it one of the most iconic materials used by top backpack brands such as TUMI.   • Application Scenarios As a high-durability material frequently used by professional OEM/ODM bag manufacturers, 1680D ballistic nylon is especially suitable for products requiring strong abrasion resistance and structural integrity, such as: High-End Business Backpacks  Tool organizer bags Workwear-style totes Professional gear bags for industrial use     11. Recycled Nylon / RPET Fabric – Core Sustainable Material for Eco-Friendly Bags   • Key Features RPET recycled nylon is a recycled PET fabric primarily made from post-consumer bottles. Discarded water and soda bottles are crushed, cleaned, and melted into filaments, which are then woven into a high-density recycled nylon fabric. Typically, 1 ton of RPET yarn is equivalent to recycling 60,000-70,000 plastic bottles, significantly reducing the use of virgin plastics and effectively lowering carbon emissions and energy consumption. It is one of the most mature sustainable bag materials in the industry today.   RPET can be applied to a wide range of fabric deniers, including 210D, 300D, 420D, 600D and so on, making it versatile for different bag constructions.   • Application Scenarios RPET recycled nylon is widely used in the development of sustainable bags, especially for collections or brands with a clear environmental focus, such as eco-friendly, low-carbon, or circular-economy initiatives. Brands like Patagonia and The North Face who actively advocate for environmental protection, are pioneers in using RPET. Typical applications include: Eco-friendly bags Sustainable bags Recycled bags Outdoor backpacks     12. Neoprene (Chloroprene Rubber)   • Key Features Neoprene is a fabric made from chloroprene rubber, produced through foaming and laminated with a surface textile. Its natural elasticity and cushioning structure make it a commonly used vibration-damping material in the bag industry, effectively protect electronic devices or fragile items.   Neoprene is non-absorbent and therefore provide excellent water resistance. The surface is soft, skin-touch friendly and stretchable. Its clean, sleek appearance makes it not only a preferred material for protective bags such as laptop sleeves, device protective case, water bottle holders, but also premium bag brands such as Dagne Dover Weekender Duffel Bag, Backpacks.   • Application Scenarios Neoprene is commonly used in some bag area which require cushioning, protection, and a soft hand feel, for example: Laptop sleeves / tablet holders  Protective Electronic cases such as CD holders Gym bags and yoga bags Travel bags, duffel bags     13. Memory Fabric / Shape Memory Polyester   • Key Features Memory fabric is a high-performance material made from modified polyester fibers and finished with a special elasticity treatment, resulting in remarkable shape-memory properties. After folding or compression, it quickly returns to a smooth, flat state without ironing. The fabric has superior wrinkle resistance. Combined with a light water-repellent coating, it can become easy clean, without concern that stains soak in.   • Application Scenarios Memory fabric is particularly suitable for bags that require both lightweight construction and wrinkle resistance, such as foldable bags, simple storage pouches, mini crossbody bags, and travel backup bags. It is an ideal material for brand lines emphasizing easy travel and low-maintenance performance.     14. Tyvek / DuPont™ Tyvek   • Key Features Tyvek is an ultra-lightweight material made from spun-bonded high-density polyethylene (HDPE) nonwoven, originated by the company DuPont, After the patent expired several years ago, manufacturers flooded the market and this material began to be widely produced and used in bag industry. The fabric naturally resists water and provides liquid barrier protection without additional coatings, while remaining highly breathable. It is significantly lighter than traditional canvas or nylon, yet offers excellent tear resistance. Certain grades are FDA food-contact certified and fully recyclable.   • Application Scenarios Thanks to its lightweight, durability, and water-repellent properties, Tyvek is ideal for weight-sensitive, functional bags, including everyday commuter backpacks, sustainable bags, city-walk backpacks.     15. Kraft Paper   • Key Features Kraft paper is made from natural plant fibers and produced through high-pressure forming process. The surface retains a unique paper texture, which naturally develops vintage-style wrinkles during use, giving it high tactile and visual recognition.   As an eco-friendly bag material, kraft paper is fully biodegradable, decomposing quickly in natural environments. It offers a subtle PU-like appearance but significantly reduces plastic pollution compared with PU synthetic leather, ideal choice for sustainable product development.   • Application Scenarios Based on its natural paper texture and environmentally friendly properties, kraft paper is ideal for brand lines emphasizing authentic texture and sustainability, such as: Biodegradable tote bags  Biodegradable paper bag Creative and Sustainable gift packaging  Sustainable packaging bags     16. Cork Leather – Natural, Eco-Friendly, Plant-Based Leather   • Key Features Cork leather is made from the skin of oak trees, which can be harvested without cutting down the tree. Through high-pressure forming and natural resin lamination, it achieves everyday use for bags and other industies, though its scratch resistance is lower than Oxford fabrics.   • Application Scenarios The natural honeycomb texture gives cork leather a soft, smooth and elastic hand touch. As a plant-based leather, its production generates significantly lower carbon emissions than PU synthetic leather, truly environmental-friendly and sustainable material. Today, cork leather is widely used in creative products that emphasize natural aesthetics and sustainability, such as: Premium handbags  Light Luxury handbags Eco-friendly tote bags Laptop case     17. Natural Woven Fiber   • Key Features Natural woven fiber is made from plant-based materials such as reed, rattan, and corn husk, crafted using traditional hand-weaving techniques that preserve the natural texture and breathable structure. This material is fully biodegradable and decomposes quickly, offering strong environmental benefits. It is lightweight, has a natural feel, each material has a unique surface texture.   • Application Scenarios Natural woven fiber is ideal for creating resort, countryside, and casual-style bags, including: Vacation fashion handbags Crossbody bags     18. Linen Fabric / Ramie Fabric   • Key Features Linen fabric is made from natural flax or ramie fibers and woven using traditional loom techniques, resulting in a surface with natural zig-zag textures. It is durable and resilient than standard canvas, maintaining shape over long-term use. With its natural fiber, linen bags balances aesthetics and low-key luxury, another ideal choice for brands emphasizing quality and sustainable lifestyle.   • Application Scenarios Linen fabric is particularly suitable for urban minimalist and sustainable lifestyle bags, including: Premium handbags Linen tote bags Summer holiday bags  Biodegradable or sustainable handbags     19. Tie-Dye Canvas   • Key Features Tie-dye canvas is made from 100% natural cotton fibers and crafted by traditional hand-tie-dye techniques. The fabric is tied, folded, and dyed to create unique, flowing patterns, making each piece one-of-a-kind. It retains the durability of regular canvas, with comparable tear strength, and undergoes color-fixing treatment to resist fading after repeated washing. The fabric feels soft and natural, with a pleasant drape and a cool, comfortable touch feel.   • Application Scenarios The distinctive dyeing process ensures that every piece of tie-dye canvas has a unique, non-replicable pattern, making it ideal for limited-edition bags that emphasize artistic uniqueness and handcrafted character, including: Hand-dyed cotton bags  Sustainable fabric bags  DIY creative bags (DIY bags)     20. Denim Fabric   • Key Features Denim fabric is made from high-quality cotton fibers and woven by classic twill weave technique, forming a full texture, resilience and excellent abrasion resistance. It naturally carries a vintage, worn-in aesthetic. Special finishing processes such as stone washing or enzyme washing can create unique textures, and long-term use can further develope a distinctive patina. The fabric feels substantial without being heavy on the shoulder, an ideal material that combines durability with retro aesthetics.   • Application Scenarios As a classic workwear material, denim’s durability and color-fading effects from washing make it suitable for bags that convey classic revival and everyday wearability, such as: Daily bags with cultural or street-vintage style Workwear, casual, and retro-themed bag collections     21. Laser PVC – Holographic, Visually Impactful, Trend-Driven Fabric   • Key Features Laser PVC is made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin and crafted using a laser embossing process to create a holographic reflective texture. It displays rainbow gradients or metallic sheen from different angles, delivering a striking visual impact. The fabric is highly water-resistant (up to IPX6), able to withstand heavy splashes or rain. It is easy to clean—simply wipe to restore. The laser effect can be combined with transparent, frosted, or other base materials, offering both creative flair and practical performance.   • Application Scenarios Laser PVC is ideal for visually driven bag designs that emphasize strong differentiation and fashion-forward appeal. Its holographic reflective effect creates stunning visuals under camera or lighting conditions, making it perfect for brands seeking high-recognition, event-oriented product lines. Typical applications include: Street-style fashion bags and trend-driven backpacks Bags for themed parties or stage events     22. Glitter Leather Fabric   • Key Features Glitter fabric is made from textile or synthetic materials (such as PU or PVC) and enhanced with surface-applied glitter, sequins, or fine reflective particles to create a sparkling effect.   High visual impact: Glitter and sequins reflect light to produce shimmering, metallic, or rainbow-like effects.   Customizable: Color, size, shape, and density of glitter can be tailored to achieve unique lighting effects.   Durable: High-quality products are sealed to prevent glitter shedding, ensuring long-lasting performance.   • Application Scenarios Glitter fabric is commonly used for nightlife party accessories, stage performance bags, and children’s trendy product lines. Its multi-angle reflective properties make it ideal for designs that aim to be eye-catching and visually striking.     23. Glossy Down Fabric   • Key Features Glossy down fabric is made from high-density polyester fibers and produced by a glossy lamination and fluffy filling process, the surface of fabric has mirror-like effect. This material is as light as a feather, highly lofted, and provides comfortable warmness in winter. Down fabric bags feels soft and plush without being bulky.   • Application Scenarios The combination of mirror-like gloss and fluffy texture makes it perfect for cold-weather styling. It is ideal for trend-driven glossy and winter product lines, including: Winter commuter bags Trendy IP collaboration bags Short-trip travel bags Fluffy Tote bags     24. Color Film Laminated Nonwoven Fabric   • Key Features Color film laminated nonwoven fabric is made from polypropylene (PP) nonwoven fabric laminated with a high-transparency color film and thermally bonded into a single layer. The fabric supports clear and vibrant printed patterns, including gradients, cartoons, and other custom designs. It is ultra-lightweight, cost-effective, and suitable for single-use or short-term applications. This material combines lightweight properties, cost efficiency, and design versatility.   • Application Scenarios Color film laminated nonwoven fabric is mainly used for fast-fashion and short-term products, with typical applications including: Fast-fashion trendy bags Gift packaging bags Trade show or promotional give-away bags     Conclusion   In 2026, classic materials such as canvas, leather, and polyester will remain the cornerstone of the market, while unconventional materials-such as bio-based leathers, recycled materials will address niche demands for sustainability and personalization. Through our ongoing exploration of innovative bag materials, we aim to provide brand clients with more creative, diverse bag solutions, supporting them in building product lines that truly align with future trends.   Saying at the end, as a professional bag manufacturer, we track emerging material trends in real time and translate them into production only after confirming full compliance with REACH, OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 and CPSIA. Every piece of product is therefore guaranteed to meet global benchmarks for aesthetics, performance, durability and environmental safety.