This article is one of a series of innovative efforts to study responsible fashion and address issues in the fashion industry.

“Plastic isn’t going away anytime soon,” said Alex Dabagh, founder of Anybag, whose name is a nod to the ubiquitous 1:1 replica handbags and his hometown two years ago, an ode to New York.

Kitchens around the world often have a cupboard or pantry door that hides a plastic bag full of plastic bags. Behind Mr. Dabagh’s office in Chelsea is a factory that makes plastic bags and tote bags of different sizes woven from them.

All the single-use plastic bags to be seen from the front door of her flagship business, Park Avenue International, overflow with 6,000 square feet of leather goods by Gabriela Hearst, Altuzarra, Proenza Schouler, and Erin Fisher.