Leather bag often acts as an icebreaker in the professional world. Classy, elegant, graceful, sober, competent, etc. are the few words that go impeccably with leather bags. Most of the time, people get carried away by the fake leather accessories that looks exactly like the original leather. They spend thousands on a single piece and yet get utterly disappointed after a couple of months as the baggage starts tearing and cracking. The shine goes off, and the hardware catches rust.

Not every leather bag is genuine. The big-shot companies sell the original pure leather bag, but the quality differs in many cases.

Let’s find out how to determine the quality of leather:

Type:

‘Full Grained Leather’- Your perfect choice. It’s the best quality leather that is long lasting and sturdy. Again, the excellent quality leather gets on well with a captivating patina that is a typical shiny and weathered appearance that arrives with aging. Heavily treated leather or lesser graded leather won’t develop such patina.

Avoid bonded leather:

Many bags are made up of scrap pieces of leather that are usually reworked with lots of chemicals. They have the foul smell and don’t age well. Many small organizations try to promote them as real leather bags at low prices.

Tanning:

Two main types of tanning are there-

Chrome Tanning:

It includes chromium and other intolerant chemicals. Generally, a couple of days are enough to complete the process. The price of the chrome tanning leather made products is less. It rules almost 90% of the leather market.

Vegetable tanning:

It is an eco-friendly process. Natural materials like tree barks are used. The vegetable tanned leather procedure takes longer time. The end product is thicker and harder than others which eventually gets softer. Durable, excellent patina and okay smell are some of its qualities.

Handwork:

A straight, hardly noticeable with zero loose threads- perfect stitching of a standard quality leather bag. Check both the inner and the outer surfaces of the orderliness. Reinforced handles through stitches or metal installations are the best. Stay away from adhered or glued handles that may come off with long-term use.

Longevity:

The durability of the leather judges its standard. The best grades come from professional work of art and not just casual leather pieces stitched together.

A couple of things are needed to be considered for the endurance:

Cautious leather selection

Precise sewing

A leather bag should be tight to hold heavy weights without any crack. This is the reason for the requirement of full grain.

Hardware:

Take care of the little parts and the detailing:

Handles

Metallic embellishments

Chromatic hardware

Buckles

Locks

Shoulder strap

Zippers

Magnetic tap

Buttons

Color

The most common hues are dark brown, light brown, black and tan. If you want a bag for office, select black and dark brown. For parties and outings, lighter shades go well. Keep distance from leather bags consisting of more than two tints.

Country of manufacturing

Though the contemporary market of leather making is flourished in different parts of the world, yet Italy, France, England and the US hold the top track record of quality tanning leather production.

Price

A pure full-grained quality leather bag is a bit pricey, but you will get the real return on investment.

Don’t spend your hard earned money on the brand name, rather pay for premium product.