At the beginning of his designer journey, Inder Bedi describes himself as a “frustrated vegan” student who launched forward a business proposal. And no surprise here; Bedi’s astute business skills and expertise in fashion accessories landed him MATT + NAT, a little Montreal vegan bag collection, nearly fifteen years later. His compilation of purses, bags, and accessories are environmentally friendly, incredibly trendy, and represent a household name known across North America and the U.K. We find proof of this as we look around all corners of Winnipeg and see shoulders with MATT + NAT bags slung across them.

 The engaging and lovely Inder Bedi kindly took time to answer questions that I thought the public would want to know—and I also enjoyed absorbing his advice like a sponge! Upon my inquiry about Bedi’s bag line inspiration, he explained “[His] customers are inspiration; they are savvy, unpretentious and forward thinking.” Without observing Bedi’s fine handiwork, some might speculate the answer to be cliché (where most designers should draw inspiration from). This is not the case for Bedi who knows his target audience and does not shy away from his designer boldness. He refuses to lessen his fashion forward approach and instead seemingly draws inspiration from his target customers. MATT + NAT’s success speaks for itself.

 To be a great designer, like Inder Bedi, you need a team that will help you push the boundaries… even one bag a time. MATT + NAT has a small design team that draws design inspiration from culture, music, arts, travel, and architecture.

Recently, MATT + NAT demonstrated support for the environment by designing suede texture-like lining that is made with 100% recycled water bottles. Yes, their fashion is as brilliant as it is economical. Inder comments, “We feel blessed to be able to do what we do everyday and still find inspiration and joy, 15 years later…”

Bedi reflects on his life choice to care for the environment by sharing that “veganism is one aspect of MATT + NAT where we try to do ‘good’ wherever we can, whether that means using recycled bottles to make our linings, or incorporating more sustainable materials such as cork in our designs.”

A quick Wikipedia search defines veganism in one sentence: “the personal practice of eliminating the use of non-human animal products.” Simple enough; purchasing a MATT + NAT’s accessory will help you feel good about supporting the cause (especially for you animal lovers).

With all of MATT + NAT’s success and the rewards of his work, Inder feels he is now able to give back. He does this by feeding and assisting many less fortunate people with vegetarian meals.  Bravo MATT + NAT.

To snag a MATT + NAT bag or accessory within the Winnipeg limits, be sure to visit Spare Parts, Boes, or a select variety at Winners!

A big thank you to Nicole (from MATT + NAT) for helping to set things up and making this post possible!

Ta ta for now!