BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED

Sustainable Fashion Accessoriesbeen.london

BEEN London is an East London circular design studio that designs, handcrafts, and sells bags, accessories, and small leather goods made entirely from recycled and discarded materials, serving both conscious consumers via DTC e-commerce and enterprise clients through corporate gifting, brand partnerships, and circular-design consultancy.

Company typePrivate
Founded2018
HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2B and B2C
OfferingHardware or Manufacturing

What BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED does

BEEN London is a circular design studio and ethical accessories brand founded in 2018 by Genia Mineeva, a former BBC News journalist, and headquartered at The Print House in East London. The company designs, produces, and sells handcrafted bags, accessories, and small leather goods — totes, weekenders, crossbody and sling bags, clutches, laptop sleeves, journal covers, cardholders, and tech cases — made entirely from discarded and recycled materials including recycled leather, AppleSkin, grape leather, Piñatex, ECONYL regenerated nylon, marine plastic, and recycled acrylic. All products are handmade in specialist London workshops and carry an 87% smaller carbon footprint than mainstream equivalents, supported by an unusually broad set of third-party certifications (B Corp, GRS, PETA-Approved Vegan, Oeko-Tex Standard 100, Vegan Trademark, Bluesign, GOTS).

The business operates across three revenue streams: direct-to-consumer e-commerce via been.london (on Shopify), enterprise corporate gifting (clients include Visa, DHL, Tate, Netflix, Rosewood Hotels, Grimaud, giffgaff, YMC, Aligne), and circular design consultancy plus brand partnership capsules. Consumer ASPs range from roughly $83 to $535, with free UK shipping above £200 and an optional £10 embossing personalisation; corporate gifting is sold via a downloadable 2026 catalogue under custom multi-year contracts.

The supply chain is deliberately curated — material innovators YKK (NATULON recycled zips), Riri (80% recycled brass teeth), Smile Plastics, Ananas Anam, ECONYL, and Planet of the Grapes supply inputs, while social-enterprise partner Laboratorio Cariera provides manufacturing that supports migrants and asylum seekers. Logistics are handled by Quiver and HIVED in London and DHL internationally. BEEN is privately held by founder-led management with broad employee co-ownership among a small all-female team of 1–10; no institutional investors, funding rounds, parent company, or public financial disclosures are on record.

BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED firmographics

Firmographics

Name: BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED
Legal name: BEEN London Design Ltd.
Website: https://been.london
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2018
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: BEEN London is an East London circular design studio that designs, handcrafts, and sells bags, accessories, and small leather goods made entirely from recycled and discarded materials, serving both conscious consumers via DTC e-commerce and enterprise clients through corporate gifting, brand partnerships, and circular-design consultancy.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED industry classification

Industry

Product category: Sustainable Fashion Accessories
NAICS: Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (31599), Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (3159), Luggage and Leather Goods Retailers (458320), Textile Bag and Canvas Mills (314910)
SIC: Leather & Leather Products (3100), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600), Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300), Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)
akta.pro primary industry: Luxury Leather Goods & Handbags (CRAKAFAB)
akta.pro secondary industries: Handbags & Fashion Bags Manufacturing (IMAOAHAA), Backpacks & Travel Bags (CRAAAJAB), Tech & Utility Accessories (Phone Cases, Watch Bands, Key Holders) (CRAAAJAK)

Keywords

Recycled leather goods
Circular fashion accessories
Sustainable handbags
Recycled material accessories
Vegan leather alternatives

Where BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: London
HQ country: United Kingdom
HQ region: Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B and B2C
Offering type: Hardware or Manufacturing
Cost components: Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

Direct-to-Consumer Product Sales: E-commerce sales of handcrafted bags, accessories, and leather goods made from recycled materials through been.london. Products include totes, crossbody bags, clutches, wallets, laptop sleeves, journal covers, and cardholders.
Corporate Gifting: Design, develop and manufacture luxury corporate gift ranges for teams and events. Removes virgin materials completely, achieving 87% CO2 reduction vs mainstream products. Clients include Visa, DHL, Tate.
Brand Partnerships: Collaborate with brands on circular limited edition lines, bespoke products, and whole collections. Examples: BEEN x Tate (upcycled gallery banners), BEEN x Visa (awards), BEEN x Grimaud (luxury playing card accessories).

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Individual consumer products
Other	Multi-year contract	Corporate gifting catalogue

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED product offering

Product offering

Core offering

BEEN London designs, manufactures, and sells premium fashion accessories (tote bags, crossbody bags, weekenders, clutches, wallets, cardholders, laptop sleeves, journal covers, and small leather goods) made entirely from recycled and discarded materials including recycled leather, AppleSkin, grape leather, Piñatex, ECONYL regenerated nylon, marine plastic, and recycled cotton. The company also operates a Circular Design Studio providing corporate gifting, bespoke brand-partnership products, and creative waste-stream consultancy to clients such as Visa, Tate, DHL, Grimaud, and Rosewood Hotels.

Product overview

BEEN London is a multi award-winning circular design studio and ethical accessories brand based in East London, making bags, pouches, wallets, laptop accessories, and journal covers entirely from discarded and recycled materials. The product portfolio spans tote bags (East Tote, Calvert XL Tote, Margate Weekender), crossbody and shoulder bags (Noel, Millais, Mini Millais, Rees Camera Bag, Annis Sling, Cecilia), clutches and pouches (Yael Clutch, Daley Make-Up Pouch), tech accessories (Orton Laptop Sleeve, Martello Laptop Case, Sidney Airpods Case), and small leather goods (Jude Cardholder, Clapton Bifold, Mentmore Journal Cover). All products are handmade in London workshops from certified recycled materials including recycled leather, AppleSkin, grape leather, Piñatex, recycled polyester, regenerated nylon, and marine plastic, reducing carbon footprint by 87% versus virgin-material equivalents. Item Personalisation via embossing or hand-painted initials is offered as an add-on service. Beyond retail, BEEN operates a Circular Design Studio providing corporate gifting, creative waste-stream consultancy, brand partnerships, and bespoke product development (with clients including Visa, Tate, DHL, Grimaud, giffgaff, YMC, Aligne, ReGo, and The Land Gardeners), and collaborates with material innovators including FastFeetGrinded, Arda Biomaterials, Modern Synthesis, Biophilica, and (Un)Woven on next-generation circular materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

East Tote

Quantifiable outcome

87% carbon footprint reduction compared to mainstream products
+4 more outcomes

Companies that use BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED

Customer profile

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration23 records

Feature3 records

BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and innovation.

Smile PlasticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based company that turns single-use plastics (discarded yoghurt pots and plastic packaging) into 100% recycled content sheets. Used for Visa awards project. Certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001.
YKKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNATULON eco-friendly zips made from post-consumer PET bottles. Chemical recycling process transforms PET waste into recycled polyester yarn.
RiricoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped 80% recycled brass for zipper teeth, saving up to 90% of energy required for virgin brass production. Made in Switzerland.
Planet of the GrapescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench supplier of grape leather alternative made from grape skins, stalks and seeds - waste stream of winemaking in Provence. Free from harmful solvents and heavy metals. REACH Compliant.
Ananas AnamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier of Piñatex - leather alternative made from pineapple leaves. Certified by Vegan Society, PETA Approved Vegan, and REACH Compliant. Saves approximately 12kg CO2 per meter produced.
ECONYLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegenerated nylon from discarded fishing nets (ocean waste) and carpets from landfill. For every 10,000 tonnes produced, 70,000 barrels of crude oil are saved.
Laboratorio CarieracoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSocial enterprise member of UN Ethical Fashion Initiative. Supports migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees by providing training and employment. Grimaud collaboration created almost 600 hours of employment.
JC DecauxminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner for upcycling outdoor advertising banners. Partnered with BEEN to tackle PVC banner waste challenge - less than 1% currently recycled.
UbiquitousminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in advertising banner upcycling initiatives. Tackling industry challenge where most end up incinerated due to PVC composition.
KLMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate uniform waste source for recycled felt production. KLM uniforms collected and processed into durable recycled felt for padding and structural materials.
IKEAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate uniform waste source for recycled felt materials. Post-consumer waste collected and transformed into recycled felt.
Tree NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGO partnership for reforestation projects. For every BEEN bag purchased, a tree is planted supporting carbon capture in Peruvian Amazon and other rainforests.
FastFeetGrindedinnovationStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership offering scalable solution to footwear recycling. Testing next-generation materials in real manufacturing environment.
Arda BiomaterialsinnovationStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership turning brewery waste into premium products. Joint innovation collaboration.
Modern SynthesisinnovationStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransform nanocellulose into new class of responsible textiles and coatings. Joint force to showcase innovation.
BiophilicainnovationStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreating first fully compostable concept collection in partnership with Biophilica.
(Un)WoveninnovationStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative concept collection made using recycled textile waste.
The SeamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCare and repair service partnership. Makers can revitalise, restore, or repair BEEN bags to extend product lifespan and prevent landfill.
QuiverminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor100% emissionless delivery service using human or electricity-powered vehicles for London orders. Zero emissions last-mile delivery.
NestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal nonprofit organisation supporting artisans and makers. Facilitates deadstock leather donations from luxury fashion labels to BEEN.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Customer concentration

BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance13 records

BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED

What does BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED do?

Is BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED a public or private company?

BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED founded?

BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED based?

BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.

How does BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Direct-to-Consumer Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are corporate Gifting and brand Partnerships.

Does BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED have an API?

No public API is recorded for BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED.

What industry is BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED in?

BEEN LONDON DESIGN LIMITED's product category is Sustainable Fashion Accessories. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAKAFAB, Luxury Leather Goods & Handbags, with a secondary code of IMAOAHAA, Handbags & Fashion Bags Manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 31599 and its SIC code is 3100.