A bag is arguably the most important accessory in our wardrobes. Not only does the humble handbag store your daily essentials — so you’d be pretty lost without it — but a bag adds the finishing touch that sets the whole mood of a look. A statement colour-pop bag dresses up a look; a tiny bag denotes an air of efficiency — this is a woman who can pack everything into a bag that small.

A designer bag was once a super-luxury item, with a price tag that rolled towards the £1000s. But thankfully, the boom in the contemporary brand — where items rarely retail beyond the £500 sweet spot — has led to a birth in new labels offering premium leather goods at a fraction of the cost of a bag from a heritage label.

There’s a plethora of such bag brands on the market now, identified by their directional silhouettes, cute colour palettes and affordable price tags. Instagram has fuelled the boom — remember a few summer’s ago, when Cult Gaia appeared as if out of nowhere and has dominated our Insta-feeds ever since? The brand’s Noah’s Ark bag, a spherical half-moon made from bamboo, single-handedly overhauled the bag market as we know it today. Designers realised bags with a sense of aesthetic resonance were what garnered likes, and sales.

Cult Gaia has since graduated from bamboo to leather, much to the happiness of its loyal clientele wanting a style that extended beyond the summer season. Because, let’s face it, we don’t all want to carry a basket bag every day — a sartorial fact that becomes trickier the closer we edge towards the warmer months, when the majority of shops are offering canvas, cotton or raffia bags.

Thankfully, our favourite, affordable luxury brands are offering us summer-ready bags in supple leathers that work just as well with summer outfits as they do with autumn palettes.

Here, we round up the best leather bags to buy now.

Dragon Diffusion

5 summer-ready designer handbags for under £300