Garbanota

Hand-Painted Bags from a Kaunas Artist Studio.

Garbanota is a Lithuanian artist-designer brand based in Kaunas, founded and run by Dovilė Aleksonė — and the brand's name carries its full character openly: "garbanota" means "curly" in Lithuanian, in tribute both to the founder's own curly hair and to the gently looping, painterly quality that runs across the entire catalogue. Dovilė trained as an artist before turning her hand to bags, and the working principle of the brand is the substantively simple one: she paints original graphic portraits, and those paintings then become the surface design for handbags, backpacks, cosmetic bags, totes, travel bags, and a wider range of small leather and textile goods. Her hero theme is the female portrait — the first painting was titled THIS IS A WOMAN and changed the direction of the brand entirely, leading to an ongoing series of named portraits (Lolita, Izabela, Veronica, Roxana, Susan, MARGO, and many more). The work is properly characterful, slightly punk in its directness, and unmistakably the output of a single working artist rather than a design committee.

The catalogue extends across several functional categories: handbags and shopping bags (the originals — eco-conscious replacements for single-use plastic), wide shoulder bags, crossbody bags, backpacks, cosmetic and toiletry bags, lightweight travel and sports/dance bags, the Phone Bag range (in Heart, Curly Summer Night, Khaki Pattern, Burgundy Pattern, and Classic Leopard variants), and the Moon Bag range in cream, white, and khaki polka dot. Beyond bags, Dovilė has expanded the catalogue into wearable and home pieces: sweatshirts, t-shirts, table placemats, aprons, key rings, towels, and phone cases — all carrying the same original graphic painting work that gives the brand its distinct visual identity. Every piece is hand-decorated with Dovilė's own work, finished with proper hardware and linings, and shipped from the Kaunas workshop. A useful answer to the persistent shortage of properly artist-led accessories in a category dominated by predictable mass-market design.

For more pieces from independent makers, browse our Women's Bags and Crossbody, Clutch Bags & Purses collections. Discover complementary makers in our Baltic Brands edit, find considered presents in our Gifts for Her selection, and find brands chosen for how they make things through Sustainable Brands.