Coral Reef Small Black And Beige Bag

Verified claims

Artisan heritage

Seamlessly crocheted, signed, and unique—born from Madagascar's missionary-era technique.

Social impact

Funds a free clinic and school in Madagascar and supports 4,000 female artisans.

Materials

90% raffia is hand-prepared from 60 hectares of concessions, divided up to 10 times and dried naturally.

Design recognition

Selected for a Paris exhibition with Hermès, Prada, Gucci, and shown at Pitti Uomo and White Milano.

Construction

Every Coral bag is entirely hand-crocheted into a seamless spherical form for guaranteed solidity.

Craftsmanship

Each bag is uniquely hand-crocheted by a trained artisan and bears the maker's signature.

Maker's signature

Each bag signed by the craftswoman who made it.

Natural variations

Subtle stitch, raffia, and resin variations are intentional and unique.

Artisan signature

Every bag bears the handwritten signature of its maker.

Patina

Vegetable-tanned zebu leather develops patina within 90 days.

Moisture resilience

Tolerates light rain; fibers swell then return to normal when dried.

Resin coating

Raffia's natural resin coating makes the bag crack-resistant with a warm sheen.

Care

Raffia tolerates brief rain but prolonged soaking can distort; cleans easily with a damp sponge.

Rain resilience

Brief exposure to moisture dries back to shape; avoid prolonged soaking.

Cleaning

Spot-clean raffia with a lightly dampened sponge and mild soap.

Closure

Organic cotton drawstring can be cinched for compact, spill-proof carry or left loose for quick tote access.

Interior pockets

No interior pockets; the drawstring flap is the only interior division.

Capacity

Upright shape fits a 10.5-inch tablet and a sweater without collapsing.

Wet items

Not designed for wet items; prolonged soaking may distort the raffia permanently.

Origin

Leather from Madagascar concessions; bag bears craftswoman's signature.

Industry recognition

Regular at White Milano, will present at Pitti Uomo; bag selected for a Printemps Haussmann exhibition.

Retail & artisan authenticity

Sold at La Samaritaine and 800+ stores; personally signed by its maker.

Brand legacy

Founded by Liva Ramanandraibe; supports a UN-backed free clinic and garden in Madagascar.

Stockist prestige

Carried by La Samaritaine and luxury resorts like Hôtel de Paris.

Exhibition selection

Selected for the 'SAC, SAC, SAC. More Than a Bag' exhibition at Printemps Haussmann, alongside models from Hermès, Prada, and Gucci.

Value

Sale price of $299.95 CAD (45% off $550) packages curatorial validation into an accessible price point.

Retail & trade presence

Presented at Pitti Uomo for immersive installations and stocked at La Samaritaine in Paris.

Artisan & ethical provenance

Handmade in Madagascar using traditional crochet that funds free healthcare and education for the community.

Artisan network

Employs 4,000 female artisans and trains them in traditional crochet annually.

Community support

A free medical clinic and a school, supported by the UN, are funded by bag sales.

Sustainability

Raffia is harvested from 60 hectares of concessions, removing no more than 30% of young shoots.

Cultural heritage

The crochet technique is a Malagasy tradition passed through generations.

Product record

Title

Coral Reef Small Black And Beige Bag

Brand

IBELIV

Price

550 CAD

Availability

In stock

Real-world carry and capacity

• The bag's 36 cm length and 20 cm width provide a spacious floor that accommodates a 10.5-inch iPad Pro or a standard A5 journal flat, with enough height (25 cm) to layer a light sweater on top, making it a practical day bag that's sized between a clutch and a full tote.
• An interior organic cotton drawstring flap closes with a pull, so you can cinch the opening tight when only partially filled, reducing bulk and preventing items from spilling if the bag tips over — a detail that makes it beach-friendly and versatile for quick access.
• The grab handles are braided raffia rather than rolled leather, which keeps the bag lighter and adds texture underhand; when not using the crossbody strap, they give the bag a more handcrafted, informal look.

Raffia material and durability

• When caught in a light shower, raffia fibers temporarily swell and soften but regain their original stiffness once dried — a brief exposure to rain or a spilled drink won't permanently warp the bag, allowing it to be used for outdoor events without requiring babying, though prolonged soaking can permanently distort the fibers.
• IBELIV constructs its raffia bags via crochet for solidity — the brand states that pieces are 'entirely crocheted for guaranteed solidity,' a technique that exploits raffia's flexibility to produce a self-supporting rounded form that holds its shape even when empty, a key distinction from slouching cotton totes.
• Raffia fibers contain a natural resin or wax that gives them a subtle sheen and a pliability that resists snapping — unlike dry straw that can crack, the Coral Reef bag's crocheted surface remains flexible under handling, which is why it can survive being set down on rough surfaces without the weave cracking.

IBELIV brand context and value

• IBELIV is a fixture at White Milano during Milan Fashion Week and will present at Pitti Uomo in June, operating within the same trade-show circuit as established contemporary fashion labels — the Coral Reef bag inherits this seasonal fashion credibility, lifting it above resort-shop raffia and aligning it with the rhythms of the ready-to-wear calendar.
• At its full $550 CAD, the Coral Reef commands a premium over IBELIV's own €190–€290 core bag range, reflecting the intricate hand-assembled flower motifs; on sale at $299.95 CAD, it drops into the middle of that band, delivering a more elaborate construction at the price of a standard-issue IBELIV tote.
• The brand employs 4,000 Malagasy women who hand-crochet each component, and every finished bag carries the maker's signature — at a sale price of $300, the buyer is effectively purchasing a piece of labor traceability and female economic empowerment that is uncommon in accessories at this price, with the personal mark adding a layer of individuality to each bag.
• Liva Ramanandraibe was taught crochet by his mother, Tiana, and the Coral Bag's distinct flower-like motifs are crocheted individually and then hand-assembled onto a structural base — a labor-intensive technique that runs from family craft to contemporary design, giving each bag a personal heritage dimension that factory-woven raffia cannot match.
• IBELIV is carried by the iconic Parisian department store La Samaritaine and luxury hotels like the Hôtel de Paris in Monaco — these retail touchpoints signal that the brand is treated as a contemporary designer label rather than a market-stall craft, and that the Coral Reef belongs in a high-end resort context, justifying its positioning above anonymous raffia bags.
• The raffia palm fiber — a material that grows only in Madagascar — is sourced from 60 hectares of local concessions, giving IBELIV direct control over its raw material pipeline; this vertical integration not only ensures material authenticity but also anchors the Coral Reef bag geographically, making it a genuine product of place rather than a generic woven accessory.
• With United Nations backing, IBELIV founded a free medical clinic for its employees (now open to the public) and later a school and protected botanical garden called IBELIV Garden — this depth of social reinvestment turns the handbag into a purchase that directly supports community health and education in Madagascar, offering a rare feel-good component that mass-market accessories completely lack.
• The Coral Bag was selected for a major Paris exhibition that placed it in direct dialogue with historic pieces from Hermès, Prada, and Gucci — a curatorial endorsement that signals to a buyer that this bag carries the design pedigree to hold its own in a luxury collection, making its sub-$300 sale price an outlier for an item with this level of institutional recognition.

Vegetable-tanned zebu leather accents

• Vegetable-tanned leather undergoes its most dramatic color shift between 3 and 12 months, with daily-carried pieces showing a noticeable deepening of tone within the first 90 days — so the pale zebu leather strap on this bag will warm into a honey-amber hue after a single season of regular use.
• Vegetable tanning replaces chromium salts with natural tannins from barks and leaves, producing a leather that is less polluting to manufacture and — because it lacks the plastic-like coating of pigmented chrome-tanned leather — remains open to the oils and light that create a rich patina.
• Daily handling naturally conditions the vegetable-tanned strap, so only occasional conditioning — once or twice a year — is needed to keep it supple; over-conditioning can collapse the gradual patina into uneven dark blotches.
• Because vegetable-tanned leather oxidizes faster where it absorbs skin oils, the grab handles and high-contact zones of the strap will darken first, forming a natural gradient that records exactly how the bag is carried — ensuring no two bags age identically.