You can find cowhide tote bags for around 4,000 yen on online stores. We asked a product development manager at a leather brand why they are so cheap!

2023/09 HushTug Editorial Department

A mall-style online shop used by many people.

While it's convenient, such as being able to get cheap products delivered as soon as the next day, there are also concerns about quality.

Even cowhide bags, which are normally considered expensive, are priced at under 10,000 yen. The cheapest ones are sold for 3,000-4,000 yen, which is surprising.

"When I look at high-end brands that you can find in department stores, or famous brands that seem to have reliable quality, they are so expensive, so how can you imagine that the same cowhide is only 4,000 yen?"

I was curious about this, so I asked someone who actually works in product development at a leather brand.

Leather beginners beware! The truth behind the extremely cheap cowhide is "XX leather"

Editorial Department: Thank you for joining us today!

Nice to meet you. My name is Nakajima and I work in product development at the leather brand HushTug!

Editorial Department: To get straight to the point, on major online malls such as Amazon, you can find tote bags made of cowhide for 10,000 yen, or even cheaper at 3,000-4,000 yen .

Cowhide is thought of as a luxury item, so I wonder "why?", but the low price does seem attractive, so how can it be made so cheaply?

I see. I also research and buy various bags for product development, and there are three reasons why a product is "cheap despite being made of cowhide."

① It is cowhide, but not "genuine leather"

②Genuine leather is only used in some parts

3) It is not actually cowhide or genuine leather.

There are mostly three patterns.

The most common reason is that it is cowhide, not "genuine leather." Have you ever heard of "floor leather" ?

Editorial Department: Floor leather... this is the first time I've heard of it...

So first, let's talk about the types of cowhide, including split leather.

What you need to know about "grain" and "split leather" before purchasing cowhide products

Cowhide is often used for bags, but what is generally referred to as "genuine cowhide" or "genuine leather" is cowhide with what is commonly known as the "silver surface."

In the case of the cow used as the raw material, this would be the outer part where the hair grew.

Since it is made from the skin of an animal, it is a very durable and expensive material .

On the other hand, split leather is the inner part opposite the grain side .

It is also called "split leather" because a single piece of leather is divided and only the split leather without the grain surface is used.

Unlike the epidermis, this part is not exposed to the outside, so the fibers are coarse and thin.

・It is weaker than genuine leather with a grained surface.

・In the process of adjusting the thickness of the genuine leather, there is excess split leather

For this reason, it is considered a relatively inexpensive material .

However, it is still "cowhide," so it is possible for a product to cost 10,000 yen even though the title says "cowhide."

Many products have a resin surface to increase durability, so the texture may differ from that of genuine leather products with a silver surface.

If you are looking for a genuine leather bag , you may want to pay attention to the price and the words "cowhide" and "split leather" before purchasing.

"Partly made of genuine leather" and "In fact, it doesn't even use cowhide"

This is a different case from floor leather.

・Only some parts, such as the handle, are made of genuine leather

It's not actually cowhide.

This is often the case when a bag looks like it is made of leather but costs 3,000-4,000 yen.

In online mall-type shops, when listing original products, customers are able to decide the product title and category themselves, which can lead to mistakes and false settings.

There are cases where some bags are made of genuine leather and the rest of the bag is synthetic leather, and they are labelled as "genuine leather bags". In the worst cases, there are synthetic leather bags that are set to appear in the "genuine leather" filter.

What to look for when looking for a genuine leather bag

Editorial Department: So that's how it was so cheap...!

Of course, that may be fine if you want something cheap, but personally I want products made from genuine leather that will last a long time.

How can I choose a good product?

There are three things to keep in mind when searching!

① Check the price

② Check the name of the material in the product details

③ Check reviews

Let me briefly explain each one.

① Check the price

It's natural to want something cheap, but if you're also looking for quality, it's best to narrow down your options by price to a certain extent .

There is a reason why something is so cheap, so it's best to choose a price range that you feel comfortable with.

From what I've seen in product development, if you set a standard price of around 25,000 yen for a tote bag, there will be fewer low-quality items (although of course it depends on the brand and place of production).

So, when it comes to tote bags, I think 30,000 to 60,000 yen is a price range that offers stable quality and is affordable for genuine leather .

② Check the name of the material in the product details

In most cases, whether it's an online mall or a brand's official website , the materials will be listed in a section such as "product details."

If you want genuine leather, be careful of labels such as "cow split leather," as explained earlier.

Also, be careful of names written in English such as "◯◯ leather."

・Split leather = floor leather

・PU leather = synthetic leather (made of polyurethane)

・PVC leather = synthetic leather (made of polyvinyl chloride)

Although it may be difficult to tell to the untrained eye, it is often made of a different material from genuine leather.

③ Check reviews

If the ingredients are not clearly stated or are difficult to understand, like in ②, check the reviews.

Synthetic leather deteriorates easily, and the handles will often fall apart and peel off within 1-2 years.

Suede leather has a different texture and is less strong than genuine leather, so if you see such reviews it's likely not genuine leather.

Recommended genuine leather bags

Editorial Department: Thank you!

Could you also tell us about the HushTug genuine leather tote bags that you are involved in?

I know this may seem like a bit of advertising, but I am developing products for a leather brand called "HushTug," and thankfully many people have chosen tote bags from them.

HushTug is a brand that allows you to try out simple leather products made from genuine Japanese leather for essentially free for 30 days, and their tote bags are the most popular of their products.

There have been over 2,000 reviews on online stores and Amazon just for the tote bag, which is apparently one of the highest numbers of reviews for a tote bag priced over 10,000 yen !

(As of 2023, according to HushTug research)

One thing that many people highly praise is its "high cost performance."

Normally, products are produced in factories and then shipped through several other companies before reaching customers, but HushTug manages everything from production to sales in-house, allowing them to offer domestically produced, genuine leather products at affordable prices.

What's more, it comes with peace of mind support that allows you to return or exchange the product free of charge for any reason within one month of purchase, no matter how much you use it .

HushTug products are not sold in department stores or shops, so they can basically only be purchased through our online store.

・I want to try a genuine leather tote bag, but I don't know if it will suit me...
・I'm worried about buying online in the first place because the product might be different from what I expected.

For such people, we would like to reiterate that "for any reason, no matter how much you use the product, you can return or exchange it free of charge within 30 days ."

With free returns, you can never go wrong, so if you're considering a genuine leather tote bag, be sure to give it a try.