An in Depth Look at Bleu de Chauffe’s SS25 Women’s Collection

Womenswear may be criminally underrepresented in our niche but Bleu de Chauffe ensures they're doing their best to change that.

James Smith

Womenswear is so underrepresented in our niche. There’s a much wider conversation to be had about the macho conditioning of raw denim and overwhelmingly masculine trajectories within heritagewear, but thankfully, brands like Bleu de Chauffe ensure that their collections offer heirloom quality bags for all, including the ladies.

This year sees the French bagmakers bolster their women’s line-up with a diverse range of end-tier bags. Each bag is handmade by skilled leathersmiths in the South of France, using high-quality, environmentally-conscious vegetable-tanned leather and GOTS-certified cotton for any cotton components. If you’re a woman looking to buy less and buy better, Bleu de Chauffe should be on your hit list.

Bleu de Chauffe’s women’s SS25 collection posits classic leather flavors along with hits of brighter tones and heritage patterns. There’s an array of gorgeous sacs and musettes — let’s take a closer look.

Adèle Tote Bag

Let’s kick things off with the Adèle Tote Bag. This full leather Tote doesn’t chase pavements, it helps you conquer the day with its large silhouette, comfortable wide straps, and removable felt inside pocket for your most valuable carry. Its generous dimensions are complemented by a supple full-grain leather that drapes beautifully when worn, yielding to your luggage and carry style without losing its shape.

The Adèle’s vegetable-tanned leather straps are long enough to sling over the shoulder and short enough to carry by hand – Goldilocks strap length for the ideal 2-way carry. These straps are anchored by a leather belt that spans the top of the bag, creating ironclad construction that is light years ahead of that floppy cotton tote you’ve been using.

Coming in Rust and Black smooth leather options, and an Ocher suede option, the Adèle is finished with Bronze branding and a sanded velour finish to the internal leather.

Janice Soft Musette S

The Janice Musette is an absolute darling. Bleu de Chauffe looked to balance elegance and practicality with this number, and they have totally succeeded. The rugged texture of the suede is offset by a classy silhouette with four pockets, luxury leather welting on the flap closure, and a rotating pale gold closure that acts as the centerpiece of this masterful Musette.

The full-length, veg-tan leather strap makes this a comfortable crossbody bag with room for all your daily essentials. Smartphone, purse/wallet, a novel for the commute — there’s even room for a 750ml water bottle. In other words, the Janice is great news for those who want a level of chic without being confined to a dainty handbag.

Almond and Ocher colorways keep things traditional, while the Petrol Blue offers a cyanic option that will set off any outfit.

Margot Half Moon Bag

The Margot Half Moon Fisherman’s Bag continues the half moon shape of the Janice but deploys more workwear-inspired details like a wider, adjustable strap and a leather buckle closure. The shoulder strap attaches to robust leather brackets on either side of the main body, echoing the central buckle closure. These rugged details give the Margot a more provincial feel than the Janice, but best believe it’s just as ready for urban life with a larger main compartment that’s big enough for large tablets and small laptops, and a discreet, easy-access rear pocket with magnetic closure.

Despite being in Bleu de Chauffe’s women’s collection, the Margot could easily suit all manner of bodies and stylistic persuasions. Inside each Margot Half Moon is a removable zipped cotton pocket for your valuables, dated and signed by the artisan who created the bag.

Fisherman’s Musette (XS & S)

The Fisherman’s Musette is a modern take on classic fishing bags of the 20th century, which were typically made of cotton twill or canvas with leather accents. A core style in Bleu de Chauffe’s roster, it comes in a range of sizes with the XS and S variants featuring in the brand’s SS25 women’s collection.

The XS Fisherman’s Musette pares down the silhouette of the originals whilst retaining the outdoor spirit that made them such an icon. Swapping the classic dual buckle closure for a single, central buckle makes the XS version a daintier option that’s pretty close to the aforementioned Margot Half Moon, but with a more upwardly tapered silhouette on the main compartment. The big difference is the cotton strap, which is a great option if you want something smoother against thinner t-shirts and blouses in the warmer months. This strap is adjustable, allowing one to carry it over the shoulder or crossbody. Coming in a slew of colors, including Ocher, Musk, and Hazelnut Brown, the  XS Fisherman’s musette has a 3L capacity and an additional rear pocket with leather welt reinforcement.

The Fisherman’s Musette S is much closer to the vintage fishing articles (see below), but what Bleu de Chauffe has created is a modern rendition that uses heritage sensibilities to create a superior product, honoring the originals while being entirely in its own lane.

With a wider main body, dual front pockets, and dual buckle closure, the Fisherman’s Musette S can carry all manner of gear, including a 13″ laptop. The front buckles can be tightened to secure smaller carries — a sentiment that is echoed by the snap button leather internal strap — and the cotton webbing shoulder strap can be adjusted to suit a range of body types.

New Beat Belt Bag

The genderless crossbody ‘Fanny Pack’ style saw a resurgence in the mid-2010s and hasn’t gone anywhere since. But only a few makers have taken this typically mass-produced style and produced it to top-quality, heirloom standards. Unsurprisingly, one of those brands is Bleu de Chauffe. The New Beat Belt Bag takes the fanny pack and engineers it in a range of unparalleled materials from vegetable-tanned Suede to lick wax cotton twill from British Millerain.

The New Beat Belt Bag also comes in two sizes — the standard has a 4.5L capacity and the larger ‘Xl’ that has a generous 6L capacity. Both options are perfect for day trips, festivals, or as a daily driver if you have less to carry. The standard New Beat Bag is great for travelers who need a secure yet easy access carry for their smartphone, passport, etc. Oh, and those precious Airbnb keys. The XL has the same MO but is big enough to hold a light jacket and some souvenirs.

Doing Better

I’m going to circle back to the start of this article and finish off this overview of Bleu de Chauffe‘s SS25 women’s collection with some further points on women’s representation within quality goods. It is true that probably ~75% of workwear goods were designed for masculine roles, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have a responsibility to improve the availability of high-quality womenswear and accessories. There’s still tons of work to be done in menswear, but I would say there is a litany of menswear retailers and makers offering a way out of the mass-produced hellscape. I don’t think the same can be said for womenswear – yet.

Collections like this one from Bleu de Chauffe are a step in the right direction.

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