About IDG
A place of joy, togetherness, warmth and beauty.
Bringing together a love of organic forms with a desire to create low waste, slow fashion, Isla de Gar creates sculptural, tactile, wearable works of art.
Each piece is handmade to order in London by a team of designers and makers. That’s why when you receive your bag, you’ll see it signed by one of us - a fingerprint of the work and love that has gone into making it.
We champion craftsmanship, individuality, longevity and excellent design to create products that are beautiful and don’t cost the earth. At Isla de Gar we want to show you that slow fashion is worth the wait.
Welcome to Isla De Gar
Isla de Gar began life during the pandemic, when Founder and Creative Director, Emma Garner, found herself on furlough and back at her parent’s house. With time to spare, she returned to what she loved most—making. Drawing on her experience as a handbag designer for both high-end and high-street brands, and going back to her roots in textiles, she started experimenting with 3D surfaces. Slowly, over months, intricately crocheted bags took shape, and the Hive was born.
Originally called Isla Risa, meaning Island of Laughter, the idea was to transport the wearer to their own little paradise, where art is to be worn, and joy is infinite. But in 2023, when a multinational company forced us to change our name, we were devastated. After much deliberation and some strange suggestions, Isla de Gar came to be. Despite the change, our mission—to create something beautiful, joyful, and lasting—stayed the same.
Since the Hive’s creation in 2020, our collection has grown to include eight styles, various fabrics, and hair accessories. Our team has also expanded, and we’ve moved to East London. We’re now stocked across the globe, from New York to Hong Kong. Through it all, the spirit of the brand has remained intact, and we hope that every time you use your bag, or glimpse your scrunchie in the mirror, you find a little piece of your own Isla de Gar.
Emma Garner
I’m passionate about bringing something new and beautiful into the world, amazing people and inspiring them through my work. My aim is to create something that didn’t already exist. I’ve always strived to think laterally, and to grow an elevated, mid-luxury brand through quality craftsmanship and using more luxurious fabrics and trims like ribbon and cord, that haven’t been used in crochet to this capacity.
Taking inspiration from architecture and sculptures, the bags are structured and stand on their own, holding form brings a premium feel. We focus on minimal hardware, less fuss - the straps aren’t adjustable to avoid unnecessary hooks and O rings, yet we offer different sizes. Using as little joining methods/stitching as possible - this has always been the focus throughout my work. There’s so much beauty in linking, overlapping and making connections through the art of crochet, especially when paired with the sleek leather straps
