My new backpack

As much as I care about what I wear, I’ve been slacking in one area for a few years: accessories. In particular, I’ve always worn pretty bad looking backpacks. From my black / grey / “I’m a father of 2 who is still hip” SwissGear:

To my navy blue messenger bag from J. Crew, from when I thought trousers and button ups were the pinnacle of men’s fashion:

My bag has always just been “there,” a necessary part of my outfit that wasn’t meant to complement the rest of what I was wearing. I’ve been meaning to get a new backpack for a long time; just a few weeks ago, I was deadset on buying an olive Fjallraven Kanken. Yet, right before I was going to pull the trigger on the Kanken, I stumbled across this review of Hook & Albert’s new black leather backpack on Reddit.

The backpack looked fantastic — it was the perfect size, made of premium and durable material (leather), and it had a slim, minimalist profile. When I saw that I could pick one up for only ~$140, I knew I had to get one — who could pass up a $325 premium leather bag at an over 50% discount?

I’ve had my Hook & Albert bag for a while now, and I have no complaints. It looks fantastic, is the perfect size for my slim frame, and it fits all of my stuff. Little things like its soft interior lining (in a chic chevron pattern) and gold accents are great; the backpack elevates my streetwear outfits, but it still looks amazing with a suit and tie.

So, without further ado, here are some on-body pictures:

Overall, I would definitely recommend this bag, even at full price. It looks great and is of great quality. If you want to buy one of your own, check out Hook & Albert’s site.