Coco by Big Buddha, shown in white. Courtesy photo.

Congratulations to Santa Cruz handbag label Big Buddha. The purveyor of affordable, animal-friendly bags, which was originally started in a dorm room by UCSC student Jeremy Bassan, just sold for a cool $11 million. You can read the full story here.

Given our roots in academia, we here at Helium are no strangers to the notion that students can do great things while still in school. Still, if we’d known there was that much scratch in bags, you might be reading a different sort of website right now.

Oh well.

Be sure to check out Buddha Bags’ designs here. There’s some really sophisticated looking handbags, like this “Coco” bag in white, featuring fabric strips converging in the company’s signature floral swirl. Given their commitment to eco-friendly materials, its just more proof you can go green without dressing like a smelly hippy.