mesh bag brands, compared
This page is compiled by preon.store and we are one of the compared brands. Data sources and retrieval dates are listed at the end; third-party figures are as published by their sources and we cannot independently verify them. Prices collected 2026-07-31.
"Metal mesh bag" is one shelf label covering very different objects. Whiting & Davis makes the classic American ring-mesh purse. Rabanne makes the designer chainmail original. Cult Gaia and KARA make contemporary crystal-mesh evening pieces. We knit a brass wire tote. This page puts them side by side — construction, sourced prices, weight, origin, repairability — and is honest about where each one wins, because they genuinely serve different buyers.
Method
Competitor figures were retrieved on 2026-07-31 from brand sites and authorised retailers (each row's sources are listed at the end of this page). Where a figure isn't publicly stated — weight almost never is — the cell says "Not published" rather than a guess. Prices stay in the currency the source showed; we don't convert. The only measured numbers on this page are our own, because ours is the only bag we can put on a scale.
The table
| Brand | Construction | Sourced price | Weight | Origin | Repair |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whiting & Davis | Stamped-plate ring mesh — tiny metal plates joined by wire links | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Rabanne | Chainmail — metal pellets/discs assembled by hand (the nano is 282 pellets, per the product page) | Nano from €950; full-size not confirmed | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Cult Gaia | Chainmail and crystal-embellished mesh | Felice chainmail clutch £775 (NET-A-PORTER UK) | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| KARA | Hand-stitched crystal mesh / chainmail | $425–$495 (brand site, USD) | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| preon (Tonsiba) | Knitted mesh — one continuous tin-plated brass wire | £95 | 382 g, measured empty | United Kingdom, made to order | A loose loop is worked back in like a knit; no parts to source |
Price notes: Whiting & Davis — No current direct-to-consumer new-bag price confirmed — the brand site now centres on architectural mesh and safety equipment. Secondhand listings on vintage marketplaces were observed from roughly $18 to $187+ (wide condition-dependent range, not a quoted price). Rabanne — €950 is the nano 1969 Skyline price shown on the brand's product page at retrieval. GBP pricing and full-size prices were not confirmed at retrieval. Cult Gaia — £775 full price observed at an authorised retailer (NET-A-PORTER UK) at retrieval; the same listing showed a discounted price of £465. KARA — Crystal Mesh Armpit Bag $425 and White Crystal Mesh Sling $495 full price on the brand's own store at retrieval (both showed sale prices at the time). GBP pricing not published.
Where the others beat us
Whiting & Davis: A century and a half of mesh-making heritage (founded 1876), enamelled colours and printed patterns nobody else has attempted at scale, and a huge, affordable vintage market — for many buyers a vintage Whiting & Davis is the better first metal bag.
Rabanne: The designer original — the 1969 bag is a piece of fashion history with real design-canon status, boutiques where you can handle it before buying, an established after-sales system, and resale value a young brand cannot offer.
Cult Gaia: Far bigger brand recognition and stockist coverage (NET-A-PORTER, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale's), a wide range of shapes and materials beyond metal, and strong red-carpet/social visibility — you have seen their bags on people; you probably haven't seen ours yet.
KARA: A genuinely contemporary design language — the crystal mesh reads evening and editorial in a way knitted brass doesn't — plus a range of silhouettes and consistent fashion-press presence from a New York studio.
And a general one: we are a young brand with one bag in one colour, made to order — you wait up to 14 days, and there is no boutique to try it in first.
Where we think we win
Price and weight — both verifiable. At £95 the Tonsiba is the cheapest way into a new metal bag from a living brand on this page, and at a measured 382 g — 22 × 22 cm body, 5 cm gusset, twin 18 cm handles riveted in 316 stainless steel — it is far lighter than a linked construction of similar size can be, because knitted mesh is a different engineering answer to the same idea. It is also the only sheer one here: an approx. 3 mm mesh opening reads as a market net made of jewellery. Being one continuous tin-plated brass wire, there is no ring to lose and no plate to crack — care is a two-minute wipe.
Which should you buy?
Cheap and characterful with history attached: vintage Whiting & Davis, accepting repair risk (our vintage buying field guide is honestly the better first purchase for many people). The designer artefact: Rabanne — roughly ten times our price and worth it to the right buyer. Contemporary evening sparkle: Cult Gaia or KARA. A light, sheer, everyday metal tote at a price that doesn't need justifying: ours. Different answers for different people. For background, see the history of metal mesh bags and what a brass bag is.
Sources
- Whiting & Davis — Brand site orientation (architectural mesh, safety equipment); no consumer handbag pricing found: https://www.whitinganddavis.com/ (retrieved 2026-07-31)
- Whiting & Davis — Ring mesh construction: https://www.whitinganddavis.com/pages/cfRingMesh.cfm (retrieved 2026-07-31)
- Whiting & Davis — Vintage marketplace price range observation: https://www.ebay.com/b/Whiting-Davis-Mesh-Purse-Vintage-Bags-Handbags-Cases/74962/bn_72472380 (retrieved 2026-07-31)
- Whiting & Davis — Vintage marketplace price range observation: https://www.1stdibs.com/creators/whiting-and-davis/fashion/ (retrieved 2026-07-31)
- Rabanne — Nano 1969 Skyline price €950; hand-assembled from 282 metal pellets: https://fashion.rabanne.com/products/nano-1969-skyline-bag-20ass0127met123-m960 (retrieved 2026-07-31)
- Rabanne — 1969 line overview: https://fashion.rabanne.com/collections/the-1969 (retrieved 2026-07-31)
- Cult Gaia — Felice crystal-embellished chainmail clutch £775 (sale £465): https://www.net-a-porter.com/en-gb/shop/designer/cult-gaia/bags (retrieved 2026-07-31)
- Cult Gaia — Gia chainmail top-handle bag exists at authorised off-price retail: https://www.saksoff5th.com/product/cult-gaia-gia-chainmail-top-handle-bag-0400018926811.html (retrieved 2026-07-31)
- KARA — Crystal mesh line overview and pricing: https://shop.karastore.com/collections/crystal (retrieved 2026-07-31)
- KARA — White Crystal Mesh Sling $495: https://shop.karastore.com/products/white-crystal-mesh-sling (retrieved 2026-07-31)
Last verified: 2026-07-31. Competitor data is re-checked roughly quarterly.