Tips for Choosing Your Perfect Leather Bag

Choosing a new handbag often becomes a real headache. Despite the expanding choice of materials, leather remains the most widely used material and is arguably a safe bet in terms of both style and quality. But you also need to be able to choose!

• use and style;
• the desired quality.

Use and style the leather bags.

The choice of a leather bag depends primarily on the context in which you are going to use them. Thus, a shopping bag, tote, a small handbag or a clutch do not have the same functions at all!

Classic handbag: perfect for everyday use. In mini size, it is ideal for storing your most important things and it will be the perfect complement to your evening look. If you are more into taking all your cosmetics and your entire bathroom with you, then go for large-size bag or tote.

Bag for work or study: very functional, these bags usually have enough storage space. Again, there are larger or smaller sizes, depending on the size of your computer and  of other items and documents

Travel & leisure bag: resistant and practical are the two main qualities to look for, whether it is intended for short trips or long journeys.

Advice for buying a quality leather bag

The quality of a leather bag is a combination of the quality of the leather and the quality of the manufacturing process. We advise you to give preference to brands that provide you with enough information on these various aspects. At Kesandi, we select only the best craftsmen from all over the world (mainly from Italy, Portugal, Spain, Brazil and Mexico) to guarantee you leather bags of exceptional handcrafted quality. And our online shoppers appreciate it  – most of our products have five-star reviews  

Quality of the different types of leather used in Leather Goods

As far as the origin of the leather is concerned, leather bags are mostly made from soft and thin leather (obviously very different from the leather used to make jackets). Leather, which is often used for the manufacture of leather bags and its quality:

Lambskin leather made from the hide of young sheep. This lightweight and finely grained leather, is well known for its soft texture.

Calfskin – finesse and delicacy. Calf leather is often more expensive than other types of bovine leathers. This is because it comes from a smaller animal and there’s not as much raw material to work with.It is used in the largest luxury houses

Cowhide leather is the natural skin of a cow with hair. It is also widely used, it has a shiny texture) and is often cheaper than the noble leathers mentioned above.

Saffiano leather is easily recognizable among others – its front side is covered with a “ribbed” pattern, which is unusual for natural leather. This characteristic comes from the use of hot stamping. After that, the leather is treated with a special wax, which makes morocco resistant to external damage and moisture. Saffiano leather products keep their shape well and do not deform with frequent use, so this type of leather can undoubtedly be attributed to one of the most practical and suitable for everyday wear.

Manufacturing processes of quality leather bags

Bag finishing – aims to enhance the quality of the leather as much as possible – no matter how noble leather it may be, it must be worked with the greatest care.

In this area, vegetable tanning (leather tanned with vegetable substances, as opposed to mineral tanning with heavy metals) is clearly an ethical trend which in addition is often a guarantee of quality, with a more resistant leather (although slightly less soft).

Bag’s manufacturing process is also key (handmade, artisanal, industrial). It is better to favor hand-sewn or hand-made bags over industrial bags produced in large series.

Quality of the accessories (zips, buckles, rivets, clasps, etc.), “jewelry” of the leather goods, guarantees the longevity of a bag. Having an accessory replaced by a shoemaker can quickly cost you the price of the bag if you are not careful beforehand. In any case, prefer metal, more resistant, to other materials (derived from plastic for example).

Now you have the basics to consciously choose your perfect leather bag. Feel free to check your expert opinion on our online shop: all of our leather bags are selected with the above items in mind.