I discovered
ahalife when I was putting together my Christmas gift guides, and I found it to be an excellent resource for any genre of gift giving I was focusing on. From the
beautifully designed cookies to
sustainable watches to
fancy, locally-made condoms (yuuuup!), it's become a go-to retail site for many of my ethical shopping and blogging needs, so of course I had to share it with you ASAP!
Ahalife positions itself as part of "global community of conscious consumers" within "a generation that is shifting away from disposable goods and moving towards objects of quality, craftsmanship and meaning." Lovin' it.
The only problem I have with the site is that there isn't quite enough information in the descriptions about the products and how they are made, at least not enough for us "conscious" folks. Here, I've shown you a collection of clutches for which I could verify that they were handmade, made in the USA, had a social impact, etc., but there were many more I would have included if I were able to divine those important details.
It makes sense that the details aren't always there, though, becuase AHALife doesn't have an eco-focus, but instead aims to "empower designers, artisans and innovators to thrive online" in a world dominated by larger corporations. Much like
Of a Kind, part of their appeal is their razor sharp curation. In the case of ahalife, that audience is made up of well-traveled, fashion-forward lovers of luxe, whereas the Of a Kind customer might be more laid back, and perhaps skew younger.
The similarities to
Of a Kind don't stop there, though, since ahalife is also about promoting smaller, independent businesses, and capitalizing on the emotional connection customers can make with a product when they know something about who has made it, or how, or better yet, why. Their celeb-studded list of "
curators" doesn't hurt either, and includes heavy hitters like Iris Apfel and Tim Gunn.
Scroll through the clutches below to see a few of my fair favorites. These little bags are priced from $35 all the way up to $945, which is a (sort of) a reasonable pricepoint considering the skill, artistry, and labor that went into a few of these babies.
But ahalife isn't just clutches-- it just happens that their clutch collection happens is ahhh-mazing. Below are a few more of my favorite non-clutch items (at more affordable price points):
