Jan 11, 2026Junco Handbags

The Bag That Started It All: The Story Behind the Playa

There's something special about the one that started it all.

While the Gran Fiesta in Natural Carnival has become the icon of our collection, the Playa was the bag that truly inspired the entire Junco handbag line.

Long before we dreamt up tassels and coin purses, it was this simple, sturdy, and beautiful basket that sparked the idea of Orange Inca's Junco range. After years of buying beach bags on travels through Asia, Europe, and Australia, I kept coming back to one truth: nothing matched the durability, dye richness, and weaving precision of Peruvian junco.

The Playa was born out of that realisation — it was the first piece I designed to solve a personal problem, and it became the quiet inspiration for everything that followed.

A New Kind of Beach Basket

I needed something that could hold up in the real world — a bag that didn't fall apart after one summer. The raffia bags I'd collected on past travels would fray, or the colour would fade too quickly. I missed the sturdiness of the bags I'd seen growing up in Peru — but even then, they were often missing the practical details I craved.

So we created the Playa. Lightweight but strong. Handwoven from junco reed — not synthetic straw. Naturally dyed in colours that wouldn't rub off on your clothes. And designed to stay closed, so your essentials weren't lost in the sand.

We added a soft fabric top closure — a simple touch that solved a real problem. No more lipstick buried in beach towels or keys lost to the restaurant floor.

From Woven to Refined: Handles That Last

We also upgraded the handles.

Originally made with handwoven reed for a consistent natural look, we later replaced them with vegetable-tanned leather straps — still elegant and earthy, but more durable and more comfortable to carry. It's a change that helped the Playa evolve into a more everyday bag, without losing its summer soul.

The Coin Purse — With a Twist

Over time, the Playa evolved in more ways than one.

Our Gran Fiesta tote made our matching coin purses wildly popular, and naturally, people began asking: Can I have one for the Playa too?

We could have taken the easy route and paired the Playa with our existing suede wrist straps — they were already made, already matched in colour.

But that wasn't enough.

Instead, we worked with our artisans to create coin purse wrist straps in the exact same vegetable-tanned leather as the Playa's handles. So now, the bag and the coin purse are not only colour-matched, but crafted in the same material — a pairing that feels intentional rather than assembled.

Yes, it made production harder. But that's the Orange Inca way. Every detail has to feel right — even the ones you don't notice at first.

Refined, Not Reinvented

When we first launched, we offered the Playa in many colours. We love colour — it's part of our DNA — but we quickly realised that our customers were gravitating toward a few timeless favourites.

So we paused. We listened. And we brought back the bestsellers: the classic neutrals and bold-but-balanced tones you kept asking for.

From here on out, we'll introduce new colours and patterns slowly, one at a time — so you can build your collection with intention.

Why It's Not Lined

One thing we've chosen not to add is lining — and that's intentional.

The Playa is designed as a true summer basket. By keeping it unlined, we let the natural material breathe, reduce weight even further, and let the junco weave speak for itself. Less is more, especially when every fibre is hand-dyed and handwoven. What matters is what we did add: the top closure, the durable straps, and a coin purse that actually matches.

The Playa Today

The Playa has come a long way. It's still the ultimate beach-to-lunch bag, but with more considered details than ever.

And for me? It's a reminder of where this journey began — with a question: Could we make something better? The answer, as it turned out, was yes.